One of the nicer things about the holiday season is that it gives us a chance to turn our attention to the people we appreciate—our families, friends, clients, employees, and neighbors. While the season can sometimes feel especially busy and rushed, there’s something magical about finding just the right gift for just the right person. Get ready to spread a little cheer this season by picking the best holiday gifts for the people who’ve been integral to your small business!
Here areholiday gift ideas you can use to show your employees, customers, vendors, investors, service providers, and promoters gratitude for the support and value they bring to your business.
Gifts from local makers
Do double the good this season by purchasing gifts from local businesses, artists, and makers. Is there a local producer who creates the perfect warm throws or blankets? That would be a great way to (literally) spread warmth to everyone on your list! Or maybe there’s a ceramicist who crafts beautiful coffee mugs, a local tea shop that makes unique herbal blends, or an artist that creates interesting prints. Take a stroll through your town to spark more ideas! You are likely to discover wonderful choices for a thoughtful holiday gift that both supports your community and delights recipients!
Unique subscriptions
Consider a gift that keeps giving throughout the year! Unique subscription boxes are guaranteed to deliver a smile every time they land in your giftee’s mailbox. Try the World, Raw Spice Bar, and Atlas Tea Club, for example, deliver a curated box of gourmet flavors from an exotic locale every month while SommSelect caters to wine-lovers and Craft Beer Club delivers the best from micro-breweries. But don’t stop at food, spice, and wine: there are as many subscription boxes as there are interests! From a monthly succulent delivery or plant subscription to mystery games and quirky gifts, you’ll have fun looking for something for just your needs and budget!
Great books
If you have a favorite book that changed your business, your life, or your understanding of the world, consider giving it as a gift to clients and associates. Thought-provoking options include Deep Work by Cal Newport, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall, or classics like Meditations by Marcus Auerlius. You can select a book that complements the theme of your business, too!
Gift cards
Don’t underestimate the power of a well-chosen gift card! Accompanied by a great holiday card and a thoughtful message, it can brighten up someone’s day and let them know that they’re important to you. Consider budget-friendly choices like a $5 gift card for ice cream or a cup of coffee as a small token of your appreciation.
Kind gestures
The best gifts don’t need to be gift-wrapped at all! The holiday season is the perfect opportunity to give a donation in someone’s name. You can choose to support a local nonprofit and make a donation in honor of your clients, employees, or associates; choose a national charity that aligns with your business’s themes or mission; or even choose something more specific, like having the Arbor Day Foundation plant trees in the person’s name.
Classic gifts
Finally, you can always choose to go the classic route, with gifts that have been tried, tested, and stood the test of time over the years! Classic gifts like a box of gourmet candies or chocolate, a package of coffee or tea, or nice stationery or office supplies (like notepads, pencils, or sticky notes) pair perfectly with festive wrapping paper and a hand-written note to show your appreciation.
No matter which small business gifts you choose to give to your clients, employees, associates, and supporters, give them in a spirit of gratitude and appreciation, making sure that the recipient knows just how much they mean to you and your business.
Finally, in these times we think it makes a powerful statement to choose gifts that are respectful to communities, the environment, and our world: so while plasticky, branded gifts may have been a popular choice in years past, we think the best options are gifts people can enjoy an consume (like food or drinks, which won’t end up in a landfill later), gifts that give back (like a tree sapling planted in the person’s honor), or those that support and celebrate other local businesses. Happy giving!
