Introduction

One of the best elements of the holiday season is giving gifts to all the people in your life that help you through the year. A well timed holiday gift to your employees, business partners, colleagues, vendors or customers is the perfect way to end your calendar year with a bang, but fruit baskets and tins of popcorn are so old news. We’ve got just the tips you need to be the best corporate gift giver ever.

Since the early days of office life, business owners have been using employee gifts to show their appreciation to staff, customers, vendors and more. A simple gesture of a small appreciation gift, sent during the holidays or end of the year goes a long way in relationship building, showing a sign that you acknowledge the importance of the person’s role in supporting your business. For vendors, this can help humanize your relationship, reminding them that a person is behind those emails and invoices. For staff members, something for them to enjoy in their time off the clock helps drive home your care for them outside the walls of the job.

While we know that corporate gifts are a good way to strengthen relationships, there are some considerations you should keep in mind when making your selections. Choosing a great gift that fits everyone on your list can prove to be tricky, based on personal preferences, and you would be wise to consider the recipient's dietary restrictions, lifestyles, and uses. For example you wouldn’t want to send a fuzzy knit hat to a team member who lives in Florida year round, or a tin of cookies to a gluten-free vendor (unless of course they were Milk Bar gluten free Fruity Marshmallow cookies that is). Perhaps it might be worth it to pay the extra bucks for the luxury corporate gift to give to your boss.
Now that you have a sense of the role corporate gifting plays and what to consider in choosing them, here are a few categories of gifts to help guide you in your corporate gift idea planning.

The under $25 edit

If you have a large list or a modest budget you may be looking to keep your gifts under $25 each, no worries! There are loads of gifts you can send on a budget that get the message across. Here are a few of our favorites.

• A board game. The holidays are a fun time to get together with friends and family to relax and play games, so sending a fresh board game for the group to enjoy is a timely and timeless gift set!
• Something sweet. Sometimes the perfect gift is something that can be enjoyed and not something to make space for in your home. A tin of our signature cookies make for a great gift.
• Coffee shop gift card. A hot latte made by someone else feels like one of life’s best luxuries, and an easy to use, easy to mail gift card to a local coffee shop puts your recipient in the driver seat to pick their fave beverage.

Get personal

With a personalized gift,let your recipients know you had them in mind when you planned it, so go the extra mile to show them you care to make a lasting impression. Here are a few of our favorite customizable presents.

• Chain-stitched sweatshirt. While a cozy fleece sweatshirt is a classic holiday gift, you can take it one step further by having the team member’s name or nickname chain-stitched into it for a cool, thoughtful touch.
• Sweets with a familiar look. If you’re looking to send gifts to build company pride, a box of Milk Bar goodies labeled with your company logo will do the trick. Our custom corporate gifting options allow you to easily make each shipment your own!
• Stationary. The art of the letter is alive and well, at least it will be when you send your crew stationary with their name personalized on it for that lasting impression. Watch your inbox for a thank you note.

Something they can put to use.

If you are more of the practical kind, we get it, it’s nice to have a gift folks can actually put to good use! Here are a few of our handy gift ideas.

• A nice water bottle. Stanley bottles are all the rage on TikTok these days for a good reason: folks have to stay hydrated! And you can never have too many.
• Milk Bar Pie. A pie in the freezer is the perfect corporate food gift to pull out when company calls, and this gooey, brown sugar treat pleases every pallet.
• Amazon gift card. The adult kid in all of us has our eye on a shiny new toy, and an easy to use gift card gives your recipient the chance to finally snag what they really want.

Now that you see why corporate gifts are not only important but super simple, it is time to get to it! Milk Bar is your one stop shop for the best gifts of the season, for everyone on your long list. Our easy bulk ordering system makes perfect gift giving a breeze, so you can get back to enjoying the holiday season! If you are still wondering what to bring to a holiday party, check out more Christmas dessert ideas for a show-stopping party entrance.