Best And Worst Corporate Christmas Gifts

What’s worse than no present during Christmas?

A bad present. A present that communicates “I really don’t care about you.” You know the ones, where someone at the very last minute on the 24th said, “Oh, pick something up for the staff, but we have no budget for it! So make it sure it’s GOOD!”

We’ve all been there. We’ve all witnessed the sheer dissatisfaction on someone’s face because they realize how shitty their present is. But because it’s a “present,” you can’t tell them that. You can’t say anything, especially if the boss came up with the idea. You’re stuck between a rock and a shitty present.

A Gift Communicates an Emotion

A present sends a message to whom you’re giving it. Sometimes no present is better than an ill-thought-out present. When it comes to corporate gift-giving, people judge you based on what you buy and put your logo on. Maybe not consciously, but deep down inside, every time you give someone a gift they form an opinion about you (whether it’s true or false). That’s why it’s wise to understand what message your “gift” is sending.

The Best Corporate Christmas Gift Ever

The best corporate gift I’ve gotten would have to be one I received from Creative Options Regina. One year, they put their logo on a Roots sweater. Yup, that Roots. It was a high quality bunny-hug that didn’t have their logo plastered all over it; they actually put a small logo at the bottom of the sweater, barely showing. At their Christmas party, they gave them out and you should have seen the look on people’s faces.

When you care about your people, you want them wearing your logo. When you care more about your people, you know that they don’t want a big logo on the chest, but a subtle logo instead, which shows confidence in the brand and demonstrates an eye for design. I wore my COR sweater a lot, to the point that I wore it out several years later. What an awesome Christmas gift! Since then, COR has done water bottles (not the cheap ones either!), bags and socks. I can hardly wait for what this year’s will be.