When Santa Claus Needs Gift Ideas: Our Secret Santa Christmas Gift Guide for Time-Pressed Professionals

In this festive season of giving, even Santa Claus needs a little help with gift ideas. As the time for giving approaches, many of us wonder: How can I find a good gift when I’m busy with year-end work? The rush to find a thoughtful Christmas present amidst the seemingly never-ending list of tasks to do at work can make what should be a restful and peaceful holiday feel quite stressful.

We feel you. For all you time-pressed, hardworking professionals out there feeling knee-deep in work tasks and uncertain about what to gift your colleagues as the office Secret Santa gift exchange looms closer and closer, we’ve got you covered.

If you’re on the search for thoughtful gifts for all budgets to surprise your dear colleague, we’ve curated our Corporate Secret Santa Christmas Gift Guide especially for you. Happy reading!  

Forging Deeper Working Relationships with Your Colleagues

Every colleague is a unique puzzle piece with their own quirks and interests.

So while the ‘101 Christmas Gift Ideas for Your Colleagues’ articles online could definitely spark some inspiration, we’ve decided to take it one step further. Here are some practical tips on how to uncover their wishes, sprinkled with a variety of creative gift ideas.

#1 Float the idea of a corporate Christmas wish list.

If you know a few other colleagues who are feeling pressed for time but still dead set on getting a thoughtful gift, suggesting a corporate Christmas wish list is a savvy move. A corporate wish list may be an effective way to better understand what everyone may want for Christmas.

Online platforms such as MyWishList offers anonymous wish lists so that all you Secret Santas and receivers of of your colleague’s Christmas gifts can both key in something without giving yourselves away or feeling ‘paiseh’.

But if you’d prefer to have a more organic way of discovering your colleagues’ preferences, here’s our next tip:

#2 Uncover your colleagues’ personal interest over lunch chats.

We’ve all been there before, feeling burnt out as we juggle with fast-approaching deadlines and expectations at work.

With deadlines looming and stress levels rising amidst our increasing costs of living, work often becomes a place for us task-focused Singaporeans to interact with our computers, grab a quick bite for lunch, and then rush on home before repeating the same schedule the next day.

For some of us who are more introverted, finding the energy to have an enjoyable conversation during lunch break when you’re feeling drained and needing some me-time can also be difficult.

It’s always okay to take some time off for yourself and join in for lunchtime conversations when you’re feeling more energetic. Those seemingly ‘unimportant’ lunch banters at work can actually go a long way in building stronger bonds between you and your colleagues. While work is important, sometimes we all just need a reminder that it’s the people around us that matter the most and can make our working environment all the more enjoyable.

And who knows? You might be surprised to find out that your company’s most diligent and serious data analyst is equally serious about Hello Kitty merchandise when they’re outside of work!

With that, here are a few interests we’ve listed that you might want to spark a comfortable conversation with them about, accompanied by a generous assortment of Christmas gift ideas for every interest: 

• Cooking: Post-Covid, everyone has either trained themselves to become a chef or a baker.

  Ask your colleagues about their favourite culinary pursuits over a hearty meal at lunch. If they love baking, how about buying them an affordable pair of thick oven mittens or intricate baking moulds from the nearest bakery supplier stores?

• Sports: Champions League fans, this is for you! For all your colleagues who secretly (not-so-secretly) love football, it’d be no trouble at all finding out the teams they support, and getting them some merchandise to wear as they spectate the next match.
  For your colleagues who love a good, recreational game of badminton or table tennis with their friends, other sports equipment such as badminton rackets, or sweat-absorbent dri-fit tees could also be a gift they’d appreciate and use often.

   

• Games: Board games, card games or video games — there’s something for every game enthusiast. 
  From fun games like Coup or Catan that will get your brain buzzing, family games like Taco vs Burrito, card games for deeper chats like We’re Not Really Strangers or SmolTok, or Pokemon games on Nintendo Switch, there’s bound to be a game they’ve been wanting or would like to add to their extensive game collection.
• Travelling: Revenge travelling is something we can all relate to. For your colleague who is looking forward to experiencing their first snow overseas, a travel care pack or winter jacket is sure to be a useful addition to their closet.
• Social Causes: If your colleague is the company advocate for everything sustainable, or loves supporting local businesses, consider getting them their very own cutlery set, locally made jewellery, or shop for good for a gift that gives back to the community. Truly a gift that keeps on giving!  

Be it photography, music, or movies, your colleagues’ list of interests can go on and on. Take some time to sit and spark a lively conversation with them about what they like best and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

#3 Go for something practical and useful.

For colleagues who already seem to have everything they need, but are always frequenting the supermarkets for groceries or enjoying a good shopping spree every now and then, gift cards and vouchers may be a useful present to help them save on their daily expenditure.