As December nears, at least one type of e-mail is certain, the invitation to join your office’s gift exchange. If you’re struggling to think of work-safe gift ideas for your closest coworkers of a randomly-chosen recipient, we have you covered. We’ve curated a batch of gifts that are sure to please whoever gets them.
Nut 3 Mini Smart Tag
Price: Under $10
Help your coworkers keep track of their personal property by gifting them a smart tag. Compatible with a wide variety of iOS and Android smartphones, the tags can let the owner know where the tag is located at all times. Aside from being useful for keeping track of keys, they can also be used to trigger user-defined actions when near the connected smartphone. Place in wallet, luggage, key rings, and pet collars and never lose your things again.
WD 1 TB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive
Price: $50-$60
A portable external hard drive makes for a safe and useful gift—particularly for a techy person. People can never have enough storage space. A great companion for a business traveler with room for movies, music, photos, and files, this portable drive uses a single cable for power and data, making it convenient as well as capacious.
Vinaerator Wine Aerator and Stopper
Price: $10.33
Pouring wine though an aerator helps those big reds breathe. Aficionados say aeration makes a $20 bottle of cabernet sauvignon taste much pricier. Traditional holiday gift giving etiquette discourages giving alcoholic beverages as gifts, this item should be acceptable enough. In fact, it will probably come in handy at the next office party where wine is served.
Bizarre Desktop Bookends
Price: $11 – $110
Okay—maybe this one is better for a white elephant gift exchange. But any bibliophile will appreciate a set of creepy-looking bookends for their extensive collection of product manuals and style guides. You can match the animal to the gift recipient. There is surprising range of choices: Pink elephant ($11.45) Black cats playing fiddle ($16) Chess pieces ($46.19) and my personal favorite—hint, hint!—The Dachsund ($63.64).
Tripp Lite Protect It! 3 Outlet USB Charging Surge Protector
Price: Around $20
What’s better than a normal surge protector? One that includes two USB charging docks. Office professionals often run out of power outlets or USB docks and getting one from IT can sometimes be a chore. The Protect IT features a low-profile design perfect for kitchen counters, work areas, and bed side tables. This gift will surely be a welcome addition to any work desk.
Self-Stirring Coffee Mug
Price: $18.49
Why waste precious time and energy stirring coffee with your arms and wrists when a cup can do it instead? Don’t we multi-task too much in today’s connected, always on workplace? Lighten the load for your office mate. A self-stirring coffee mug will be a welcome office accessory for any professional with too much work on his or her plate.
Gogroove Portable Stereo Speakers
Price: $20
Mobile audio equipment doesn’t get any doggone cuter that Gogroove’s portable speakers. Aside from being adorable, they deliver surprising sound quality for a speaker that fits in the palm of your hand. Each comes with dual stereo drivers, and there’s a woofer on the bottom of the speaker. Best of all they last up to 24-hours between charges. Designs come in owl, tiger, penguin, and panda.
Digital Luggage Scale
Price: $12
Keep your luggage under 50 lbs. and eliminate the guesswork! Professionals that travel frequently will appreciate using this digital scale, which allows them to quickly weigh their luggage while on the road. No longer will they be surprised by overweight luggage charges when checking in to their flights.
Rotating Tie Rack
Price: $10
For the fashionable boss, this rotating tie rack won’t go unremembered when it comes around to company bonuses. It holds up to a month’s worth of ties and can rotate with the press of a button. It can also hold belts just in case you live in California where ties are for chumps.
Almost-Real Bonsai Tree
Price: $57
This maintenance-free bonsai tree will spruce up any desk it’s put on and mellow out your stressed out coworker. The fact that it doesn’t need water will ensure that you won’t have to worry about whether or not your coworker has a green thumb.
