A brief excerpt from CNN Living article dated 12/9/09:
“Holidays in the office can be predictable: coffee mugs for your boss, a gift card for your co-worker, fruit baskets for clients. This holiday season, however, may prove to be a little different, as there is less money to spend and fewer co-workers on gift lists.
“In today’s economy, you have to be a lot more economical with your gift giving. However, just because people do not have as much money to spend does not mean that they should put the kibosh on the holiday spirit at work,” said Lisa Friedman, co-founder of SomeoneSpoilMe.com, an online gift-giving guide. “Not only do you have to cut back on the number of people you buy gifts for, but you also need to change the type of gifts you buy.”
Friedman stresses that gift giving in the office doesn’t have to be an expensive ordeal. She suggests that co-workers participate in a white elephant gift exchange, where you can only buy functional gifts that are $25 or less. Or offices can implement a no gift-giving policy and instead have everyone participate in a potluck lunch.
If you want to partake in a gift exchange with your co-workers this holiday season without breaking the bank, try one of these 10 affordable, yet creative, gifts:
1. Mouse Pads by Lilly Pulitzer
Spice up your co-worker’s desk with a useful mouse pad. In addition to serving as a mouse pad, these cool gifts made by Lilly Pulitzer also feature a 50-sheet notepad that is attached to the top of the mouse pad. Your colleague can take notes and surf the Web at the same time — and he or she can do so in style, choosing from four different designs. ($15.00)
2. Buzz Killer card
Does your co-worker often complain about that annoying “buzz” we all sometimes hear on the phone, conference calls and desktop speakers, or through headphones? If so, get him or her a Buzz Killer card. All you do is put the card on your desk, set your cell phone on top of it and the buzz disappears. ($5.99, plus shipping and handling)
3. You’ve Been Sentenced
Rather than buy all of your co-workers individual gifts, pony up for this fun game that will entertain the whole office. You’ve Been Sentenced takes about 30-40 minutes to play — just enough time for your lunch break. Using a deck of cards containing conjugations of funny words, well-known names, recognizable places and wild cards, players have to make grammatically correct and acceptable sentences. Then, they read their sentences aloud and explain what they mean to the rest of players. Everyone votes whether the sentence and justification are legitimate and points are scored. ($25.00)”
Full article at CNN Living.
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