75 gift exchange ideas for work, from $10 to $50
Work-safe gifts at five budgets, each tagged by type. Plus the rules, themes and remote tips that keep an office swap fair.
Good gift ideas for an exchange at work share one thing: almost anyone would use them, eat them or enjoy them, with no inside knowledge needed. Below are 75 gift exchange ideas sorted by budget ($10, $15, $20, $25 and $50), each tagged desk, cozy, food, self-care, games, practical or experience. You also get the rules for a fair office exchange, a remote version, eight themes and what to buy when you know nothing about the person. None of it repeats our white elephant gift ideas, and nothing involves alcohol, body jokes or religion.
How to run a fair office gift exchange
Six steps for the organizer. Most of the awkward moments in an office swap come from skipping one of them.
- Pick the format. Draw names for Secret Santa, play white elephant with steals, or do a simple swap where everyone draws a gift. Say which one in the invite.
- Make it opt-in. Ask who wants to join, and never share a list of who said no. Budgets, beliefs and December plans differ.
- Set one budget, and keep it low. One number for everyone, including managers. Shipping counts toward it when people mail gifts.
- Collect a three-line card. A favorite snack, a hobby, and a no-thanks line for allergies or things they don't use. It takes a minute and saves a lot of guessing.
- Set a date and a buy-by date. Give people about two weeks to shop. For mailed gifts, set the buy-by date a week earlier.
- Ask for gift receipts. A receipt in the bag turns a near miss into something they actually want.
| Budget | Best for |
|---|---|
| $10 | Large departments, brand-new teams and anyone mixing interns with directors |
| $15 to $20 | Most offices. Enough for something useful, low enough that nobody feels pressure |
| $25 | Teams of about 6 to 15 who work closely together |
| $50 | Small, close teams, or when the company pays for every gift |
Want rules for the swap itself? Our gift exchange games guide covers 18 formats, from classic white elephant to the dice game. Drawing names? Our free Secret Santa generator does it in a minute.
75 gift exchange ideas by budget
Fifteen ideas at each limit. Prices move, so check them against your number before you buy.
Gift exchange ideas under $10
For big groups, new teams and anyone who would rather keep it small.
1. A set of magnetic page bookmarks. For the colleague with three books on the go. Desk
2. A soft-grip mechanical pencil set. Nobody buys good pencils for themselves. Desk
3. A keyboard cleaning gel. Lifts the crumbs out of the keys. Oddly satisfying. Desk
4. A pair of fingerless knit gloves. Typing in a cold office, solved. Cozy
5. Gourmet instant ramen in two flavors. A better desk lunch on a busy day. Food
6. A tin of butter shortbread. A classic that keeps, and easy to share at the desk. Food
7. A bag of roasted seaweed snacks. Light, salty and a little unexpected. Food
8. A pocket mindfulness card deck. One short prompt for a slow afternoon. Self-care
9. A pocket coloring book with pencils. Ten quiet minutes, no screen needed. Self-care
10. A speed cube puzzle. Lives on the desk and gets picked up by every visitor. Games
11. A crossword or sudoku book. A lunch break companion for months. Games
12. A collapsible silicone cup. Folds into a bag for trips and coffee runs. Practical
13. A keychain tape measure. Small, and handy more often than you'd think. Practical
14. A tea infuser in a fun shape. Makes loose tea easy and makes people smile. Practical
15. A digital movie rental code. A night in, with no shipping needed. Experience
Gift exchange ideas under $15
A little more room, still easy on everyone's wallet.
16. A ceramic pen cup. Tidies the desk and looks nicer than a mug of pens. Desk
17. A laptop sticker pack from a local artist. Supports a small maker and brightens a gray laptop. Desk
18. A fleece neck gaiter. For the walk in on a windy morning. Cozy
19. A microwavable heat pack. Warm in two minutes, and reusable all winter. Cozy
20. A jar of small-batch jam. Breakfast feels like a treat for a week. Food
21. A flavored sea salt sampler. For the colleague who cooks from scratch. Food
22. A bag of chocolate-covered pretzels. Sweet and salty, and gone by Friday. Food
23. A tin of stress putty. Something to squeeze through a long call. Self-care
24. A silicone scalp massager. Feels great, costs little, fits any routine. Self-care
25. A wooden brain teaser set. Hard enough that the whole team will try it. Games
26. A fill-in-the-blank story book. A laugh for game night or a team lunch. Games
27. A foldable shopping bag in a pouch. Lives in a coat pocket for every errand. Practical
28. A travel cutlery set in a case. No more plastic forks at the desk. Practical
29. A car vent phone mount. Keeps directions in view on the commute. Practical
30. A mini paint-by-numbers kit. One relaxing evening and a small painting to keep. Experience
Gift exchange ideas under $20
The most common office limit, with room for something people use every day.
31. A pair of bookends. For the shelf behind them on video calls. Desk
32. A felt desk mat. Quiets the keyboard and warms up a cold desk. Desk
33. A knit scarf. One size fits all, which matters in a swap. Cozy
34. A hot water bottle with a knit cover. A winter classic that still works. Cozy
35. A maple syrup trio. Three grades to taste side by side on pancakes. Food
36. A brownie mix in a jar. Looks lovely and becomes a weekend bake. Food
37. A guided journal. Five minutes a day, with the questions already written. Self-care
38. A month of a meditation app. A digital gift that suits remote colleagues too. Self-care
39. A travel chess set. Folds flat for the break room or a long flight. Games
40. A trivia question box. Brings out the competitive side at any table. Games
41. A set of packing cubes. For the colleague who is always on the road. Practical
42. A stackable lunch container. Keeps the salad away from the dressing. Practical
43. A bag hook that clips to a table. Keeps a bag off the floor at any cafe. Practical
44. A local museum ticket. A free afternoon out, on you. Experience
45. A sketchbook and drawing pencil set. An invitation to start a new hobby. Experience
Gift exchange ideas under $25
Enough for the gift people still mention in February.
46. A desk hourglass timer. A calm way to time a focus sprint. Desk
47. A reusable smart notebook. Write by hand, scan it to the cloud, wipe it clean. Desk
48. A wearable fleece blanket. One size, warm sleeves, perfect for a cold home office. Cozy
49. A reading pillow with arms. Turns any bed or couch into a reading chair. Cozy
50. A bottle of good olive oil. A kitchen upgrade almost anyone will use up. Food
51. A s'mores kit for the stovetop. Campfire dessert without the campfire. Food
52. A dried fruit gift box. Sweet, shelf-stable and easy to share. Food
53. A satin pillowcase. Small luxury, every single night. Self-care
54. A memory foam travel pillow. For flights, trains and long drives home. Self-care
55. A wooden marble labyrinth. Tilt, focus and try again. Very hard to put down. Games
56. A wooden 3D model kit. An evening project that ends up on the shelf. Games
57. A Bluetooth key finder. For whoever is always looking for their keys. Practical
58. A rechargeable bike light set. For the cyclist who rides in after dark. Practical
59. A bowling or mini golf voucher. A night out to share with a friend. Experience
60. A planetarium show ticket. An hour under the stars, whatever the weather. Experience
Gift exchange ideas under $50
For small teams who know each other well, or a company-funded swap.
61. A compact mechanical keyboard. A clicky upgrade people rarely buy themselves. Desk
62. An under-desk footrest. Better posture for whoever sits all day. Desk
63. A rechargeable LED lantern. Soft flicker light, with no flame to worry about. Cozy
64. A hand-crank burr coffee grinder. Fresher coffee, and a nice morning ritual. Food
65. An electric milk frother. Cafe-style lattes at home. Food
66. A sunrise alarm clock. Wakes them with light on dark winter mornings. Self-care
67. A mini massage gun. For sore shoulders after a long week at the desk. Self-care
68. A white noise machine. Better sleep, or a quieter home office. Self-care
69. A tabletop mini air hockey game. Fast two-player rounds for the break room or the kitchen table. Games
70. A brick building set. A grown-up build for a quiet weekend. Games
71. A portable tire inflator. The gift that saves a cold morning in a parking lot. Practical
72. A cordless handheld vacuum. For the car, the desk and the crumbs under the couch. Practical
73. A pasta-making kit. A cooking project for a Sunday afternoon. Experience
74. An escape room voucher. An hour of puzzles to share with friends. Experience
75. A paint-your-own-pottery voucher. Comes home as a mug or bowl they made. Experience
Gift ideas for an exchange when you know nothing about the person
Drew a name from another department? These five rules get you to a gift that lands.
- Choose something they can use up. Food, a movie code or a ticket never clutters a shelf.
- Choose one size for everyone. A scarf works; a sweater is a guess.
- Skip scents and unlabeled food. Fragrance and allergens are the two most common misses.
- Make it useful at work or at home. A felt desk mat or a stackable lunch container suits almost anyone.
- Spend the budget on one good thing. One nice item beats three small fillers in a bag.
From the list above, the safest bets are a felt desk mat, a knit scarf, small-batch jam, a travel chess set, a guided journal and a museum ticket.
What to leave out of an office exchange
- Alcohol and anything built around drinking
- Jokes about bodies, age, weight or looks
- Religious items, unless everyone in the swap has asked for a religious theme
- Clothing with sizes, perfume and strongly scented products
- Food with common allergens and no label
- Anything that needs a political or personal opinion to enjoy
Christmas gift exchange ideas: 8 themes for work
A theme narrows the choice and makes the opening more fun. Each of these works for a Christmas swap or any year-end exchange, whoever is in the room.
Cozy night in. Everything has to help someone stay in and get warm: a scarf, a heat pack, a movie code or a mug of something good.
Desk upgrade. One small thing that makes the workday better, for the office or the home desk.
Morning routine. Something for the first hour of the day: a tea sampler, a good travel mug or a sunrise alarm clock.
Something to learn. A gift that teaches a small skill: a sketchbook, a brain teaser or a paint-by-numbers kit.
Shop local. Every gift comes from an independent shop or maker near you.
Game night. A game under the budget, so everyone leaves with a reason to play over the break.
Something you'd keep. Buy the thing you would happily take home yourself. It keeps quality high.
Winter decoration swap. A string of lights, a small wreath or a window decoration. Keep it seasonal rather than religious.
Pairing the swap with a dress-up day? Our ugly sweater party guide has the contest categories and games. For an inclusive December, see inclusive holiday party ideas.
How to run a remote gift exchange
Shipping is the hard part. Build it into the budget and the dates, and the rest works like an office swap.
- Collect addresses privately. Each person sends their address to the organizer only, who passes it to their Secret Santa. Let anyone opt for a digital gift instead.
- Order from a store that ships to the person. Ship straight from the retailer with a gift note, so nobody pays to mail a box twice.
- Use e-gifts across borders. For colleagues in another country, a digital gift card to a store in their country, an app subscription or a class voucher arrives on time and skips customs.
- Open on camera together. Ask everyone to hold their gift until one video call, then open them one at a time and guess who sent what.
Give mailed gifts about three weeks from the name draw to the call, and more for anyone overseas. Digital picks from the list above, like the movie code or the meditation app month, arrive the same day.
When the company buys one gift for everyone
No shopping, no matching, nobody left out. We ship a chocolate gift box to every home or desk with your note inside. Gift boxes run $22 to $192, orders usually start at 10 boxes, and these four cover most budgets.
Quogue Luxury Gift Box (X-Small)$22 each
The Bridgehampton$38 each
The Westhampton$58 each
Quogue Luxury Gift Box (Large)$108 each
Order about 2 to 3 weeks ahead for a smaller unbranded order, and 4 to 6 weeks for 100 or more gifts or anything branded. See all corporate gift boxes or the full range of corporate holiday gifts.
Turn the swap into a holiday party
An exchange fills about 30 to 45 minutes. A live host can run an hour of holiday games around it, on Zoom (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request) or at your office in 17 US cities. Book about 2 weeks ahead, or 3 weeks for a kit workshop. More in virtual holiday party options.
Hosted holiday games and a kit workshop, with today’s prices.
More for the season: office holiday party ideas or a free quote for your party.
