18 Creative Last-Minute Christmas Gifts for Employees in 2022
You found our list of the best last-minute Christmas gifts for employees.
Last-minute Christmas gifts for employees are gift suggestions that you can send to your team a few days before the holiday celebrations commence. These ideas ensure your workers receive thoughtful and quality Christmas gifts on time. Examples include digital gift cards, virtual classes, and charity donations. These gift ideas will eliminate waiting periods that come with shipping delays during the holiday season.
These ideas are examples of employee holiday gifts, remote worker Christmas gifts, and client holiday gifts.
This list includes:
- last-minute Christmas gift ideas for coworkers
- last-minute corporate holiday gift ideas
- last-minute secret Santa gift ideas
Let’s get started!
List of last-minute Christmas gifts for employees
With the prevalent shipping delays and stocking issues common during the holidays, companies need to embrace last-minute Christmas gift ideas. Your team will appreciate a thoughtful and timely show of appreciation rather than items arriving after the Christmas celebrations. From online board games to extra paid time off and gift subscriptions, here is a list of the best last-minute Christmas gifts that your team will enjoy.
1. Digital Gift Cards
If you are looking for simple and flexible last-minute Christmas gift ideas for coworkers, then gift cards are a great pick. With eGift platforms like Givex or GiftFly, you will offer your team the ability to select specific items or experiences that participants actually want. You could get a particular gift card for your team or leave the options open.
Some ideas :
- Grocery store cards- With the holiday festivities come lots of grocery expenses. You can reduce the cost of workers’ holiday expenses with prepaid digital grocery cards.
- Amazon gift cards- Gifting your team Amazon gift cards offers workers the flexibility of clearing their wishlists. Team members can shop and request item deliveries after the Christmas festivities.
- Restaurant gift cards- Meals are some of the best experiences you can offer your team, especially since they can share this gift with family or friends. Consider giving cards that team members can use at multiple restaurants.
- Airbnb Gift Card- An Airbnb gift card may grant your workforce the option of affordable accommodation, especially during the holidays.
For the best experience, consider giving workers multi-brand gift cards. These options will provide participants with the flexibility of redeeming cards with multiple retail shops, restaurants, or entertainment brands.
2. Memberships
Memberships are fantastic last-minute Christmas gifts for employees. For instance, if you have an avid golfer on your team, then a golf club membership will give your employee access to golf clubs during the holiday season. You can also check out coffee clubs, hiking, swimming, and craft association memberships. Other memberships that may interest your employees include pet care or a writers’ association. You could ask each employee to list two to three preferred memberships and choose a club depending on the cost and company values.
3. Online Board Games
The Christmas holiday allows workers to spend ample time with their loved ones. However, distance can challenge this pursuit. Through online board games, you can make your team’s holiday celebrations more meaningful by strengthening bonds between employees’ friends and family. These board games will foster employees’ connections with community members, family, and other coworkers regardless of the distance. Workers can choose app-based or web-based platforms such as Ticket to Ride, Dune, or Sagrada. To gift workers online board games, you can let each employee select the games that they want to play. Participants can then choose a platform like Zoom or use online board game sites to play with their loved ones.
4. Virtual Classes
Virtual classes are fantastic last-minute corporate holiday gift ideas that teach workers vital life skills. If you want to foster team bonding in your workforce, then you could let all workers converge for the class simultaneously. However, you may not get all team members’ availability confirmation early enough, especially for a last-minute session. As such, we advise you to come up with different timeframes for the classes or let each employee choose the ideal time to take the class. If you have a small team, then you could let each employee have a private lesson depending on their availability.
Examples of virtual classes:
- Mixology classes
- Cooking classes
- Coffee making classes
- Painting classes
- Improv classes
- Baking classes
While there are tons of virtual classes you can engage your team in, we would advise you to lean more toward lessons that workers can implement during the holiday season. For instance, participants can learn how to make the best cocktails or cook a holiday-themed meal.
5. Extra Paid Time Off
Extra time off is a fantastic universal last-minute Christmas gift for your workforce. For example, you could extend the reporting date by three to five days after the Christmas holidays. Your employees will relish the extra time off and recharge for work after the holidays. Extra paid time off will also boost your brand image and improve workers’ job satisfaction.
6. Event Tickets
Purchasing event tickets for your workers is one of the best last-minute corporate holiday gift ideas. You could start by requesting team members list events they want to attend during Christmas celebrations. Then, choose two events in each participant’s list and surprise workers with tickets. For instance, you can offer your team movie tickets, Christmas caroling tickets, or skating passes. The only con to this idea is that some events may sell out before you grab the tickets.
7. Globally Accepted Pre-Paid Cards
If you want to offer your team a variety of choices in Christmas gifts, then a globally accepted gift card is a fantastic idea. Visa and Mastercard are some of the most widely accepted cards globally, hence are ideal for a diverse workforce. If you choose other types of payment cards, then be sure to get varieties that team members can use at major stores. A virtual prepaid card is an excellent option for diverse workers or remote employees. You can select the virtual Mastercard prepaid card, a gift option that you can send via SMS. Workers can then activate the virtual Mastercard and add it to their phone’s e-wallet. The virtual prepaid Mastercard is widely available and accepts contactless payments. You could even get digital cards with personalization options such as personal messages or company logos.
8. Exclusive Access to Wellness Platforms
Employee wellness may be one of the most essential work-life aspects that companies should consider. Given the wide variety of wellness activities, you could select ideas to improve your team’s mental and physical well-being during the holidays. For instance, introducing a meditation challenge during the Christmas holidays will encourage workers to continue with the activity even after the festivities. You could offer workers free access to meditation apps like Headspace or Calm or hold virtual guided meditation sessions. Another fantastic last-minute wellness Christmas gift is virtual therapy or counseling sessions. These sessions will help to relieve workers’ pent anger and stress and help participants enter the new year with a positive mind. Employees can also solve workplace strife through these sessions.
9. Streaming Platform Subscriptions
As employees take a break from work, a free subscription to streaming platforms will promote holiday cheer. Workers can relax and catch up on their favorite shows with loved ones without worrying about the subscription cost. For instance, you can pay your team’s HBOMax, Hulu, or Netflix subscriptions. Since workers may already have active streaming subscriptions, you could let each employee choose a different platform with content they enjoy. You can also pay an extra month or two for the current subscription service providers. To prevent instances of signing up for subscriptions that entities do not have control over, you could consider a one-time purchase. Alternatively, we advise that you choose streaming services that offer the option of sending credit to other users.
10. Virtual Tasting Classes
Tasting classes are last-minute Christmas gift ideas for coworkers that enable participants to have interesting experiences and learn handy tips. You can start by looking for an industry expert. Tasting sessions often involve the need for participants to have the necessary materials. However, in the case of last-minute Christmas gifts, you may not ship the items on time. You can choose one platform like Amazon and let participants add all the necessary items to their cart. Then, each employee can ship the items to their location at their most convenient time.
Examples of tasting experiences:
- Coffee tasting
- Wine tasting
- Whiskey tasting
A clever tip is recording the tasting classes so that participants can go back and rewatch in case they need any clarification. Also, be sure to let attendees add the ideal food pairings to their cart for every tasting experience.
11. Online Learning Platforms
While studying does not sound like a fun Christmas holiday activity, your team will appreciate access to paid online learning platforms. An excellent way to go about the online learning idea is to offer each worker a unique class, preferably one that an employee wants. You could conduct a short survey and get information about employees’ desired skills and the factors holding them back. For example, you may find that some workers struggle with funds or the time to gain a new skill. Then, offer your team access to paid learning platforms. Be sure to let workers choose classes out of their professional fields. For instance, workers can take creative courses such as painting, songwriting, or coding on Skillshare. You can also consider other online learning platforms such as Masterclass, Codecademy, Mindvalley, and Coursera.
12. Charity Donations
The holiday season is the best time to spread love to needy individuals. Hence, charity donations are great last-minute Christmas gifts for employees, especially for philanthropic team members. As a company, you could survey and get insights on small or renowned charity organizations that each team member supports. Then, make a significant donation in the name of each employee. Besides recognizing and appreciating your workforce, charity donations foster the brand image. Be sure to research each charity organization and ensure the values align with your company’s ideals.
13. Gift Subscriptions
Gift subscriptions are some of the best last-minute secret Santa gift ideas for companies that want workers to receive personalized items. You could start by offering each employee $100. Then, encourage all participants to research their secret Santa preferences and tailor the items to their inclination.
Examples:
- Wine
- Coffee
- Skincare
- Flowers
- Books and magazines
- Meal prep kits
- Pet food and toys
- Beer
- Groceries
A good tip is letting each employee offer their Secret Santa a two-to-three-month gift subscription. For instance, workers could gift ardent travelers, hikers, or nature lovers a national park subscription. Team members can access any park that the National Park Service, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Reclamation cover. The National Park Subscription is valid for one year from the month of purchase.
14. Team Photos
Team photos are some of the most sentimental gifts you can offer your team on short notice. This idea requires minimal preparation and is also low-cost. Rather than just snapping one random team picture, you could have a simple setup with holiday décor. You are free to go the extra mile and provide holiday costumes and even schedule a fun photo session with Santa. Be sure to let both junior and senior workers goof around and create fun memories. If you have a remote workforce, then you can let each worker send in a picture and have an editor make a composite team photo. You could even have departmental photo sessions. Then, after the holiday season, hang the team photo in a strategic space in the office and let workers reminisce on the good times. Team photos are great for memorabilia and also promote team bonding.
15. Virtual Assistants
As the holiday season approaches, your senior workers may be in a rush to complete tasks just in time for the celebrations. A virtual assistant is one of the best gifts you can offer busy employees. Senior workers will appreciate the break as the assistants handle vital but small tasks. With virtual assistants, companies will benefit by boosting the senior workers’ productivity and ensuring that the management team does not burn out.
16. Holiday Bonus
Holiday bonuses are a fantastic gift companies can offer workers during the festive season. This idea applies to all employees and does not factor in the number of working hours or employee performance. Depending on the company’s financial performance, entities may offer workers a one-month additional salary or a percentage of their remuneration. A holiday bonus is an excellent motivator for team members to put in work during the next year. This type of bonus is also a great show of appreciation for employee efforts throughout the year.
17. Achievement Slideshows
An achievement slideshow is a fantastic last-minute Christmas gift for a small workforce. With a small team of up to 20 employees, companies only need a few hours to put up the slideshows. You can share employee pictures alongside notable achievements. Be sure to highlight every accomplishment, even the seemingly small wins. For instance, you can highlight the most improved salesperson, the employee who energizes every room, or even workers who always get to work before dawn. Be sure to get a positive message for all workers and share via email or online conferencing tools.
18. Pet Care Services
Pet owners may not always get a chance to travel with their furry friends. Hence, paid pet care services are an excellent option for last-minute Christmas gifts. You could request team members to seek pet care services in their region. Then, wire the funds to care for their pets for up to ten days. Offering pet care services will relieve the financial burden and foster a culture of appreciation in your workforce. However, bear in mind that pet care services can be expensive. If you are working with a limited budget, then you could offer up to $150 in pet care.
Conclusion
Gifting your team is a nice gesture to appreciate employees for their year-long hard work and dedication. However, the working period nearing the holiday season can be hectic, and you may not have sufficient time to organize company-wide gifting. With these last-minute Christmas gifting ideas, you can still appreciate workers with thoughtful gifts that do not take much planning time. Browse the gifts on this list and select items that align with your brand image, budget, and ideas that your employee will love.
Next, check out holiday incentives for employees.
FAQ: Last-minute Christmas gifts for employees
Here are answers to common questions about last-minute Christmas gifts for employees.
What are some good last-minute Christmas gifts for employees?
The festive season is all about exchanging gifts and showing recognition for your workforce. You do not need a sizable budget to appreciate employees. Rather, focus on thoughtful gifts that will be memorable to your team even years later. Some good last-minute Christmas gifts for employees include holiday bonuses, access to online learning platforms, and event tickets.
What should you give employees for Christmas when you are short on time?
Gifting on short notice can be hectic. Your gifts of choice may be out of stock, or you may experience shipping delays. Instead, you could offer your team services or experiences that workers can access from any location. Some good last-minute gifts for employees include memberships, team photos, and virtual assistants.
