Small Christmas Gifts for Colleagues: Lots at Once, None the Same

It comes round every year: what do you give eight, twelve or twenty people at work without blowing the budget, and without everyone ending up with the same chocolate Santa on their desk? Good small Christmas gifts for colleagues are affordable, easy to get hold of and still a little bit personal. Below you'll find ideas that do exactly that, plus a simple way to buy lots of gifts in one go while making sure everyone gets something different.

What makes a good Christmas gift for colleagues

You usually know your colleagues well enough to know who drinks tea rather than coffee, but not well enough for anything too private. That's why the gifts that work best are:

• small and light, so they fit in any bag and nobody has to lug them home,
• useful, rather than ending up in a drawer by January,
• neutral but not generic: a colour that suits the person beats a slogan mug for everyone,
• within budget. For most teams the limit sits somewhere between €5 and €15 per person.

Small gifts for colleagues, with or without Soapi

Before we talk about our own things, here are a few ideas that tend to go down well in any office:

• Good chocolate or biscuits from a local bakery. A classic, but one small, special bar says more than a giant tin.
• Tea or coffee from a small roaster, for the person with their own mug on the shelf.
• Something home-baked in a jar with a ribbon. It mostly costs time and almost always lands well.
• A cutting from your office plant in a little pot, for anyone with green fingers.
• A decent notebook or a nice pen for those who still take notes by hand in meetings.
• Hand cream for winter, when central heating dries everyone's hands out.

Most of these come in under €10. The catch: if you're buying for twelve people, you either buy the same thing twelve times or traipse round five shops.

Lots of gifts in one go: Mix & Match

That's exactly what our Mix & Match offer is for: choose 5 products, pay €50, and shipping within Germany is free. That works out at €10 per gift, and you can combine freely, so everyone gets something different even though you only place one order.

Here's what a five-piece team bundle might look like:

• Soapi in Petrol for the colleague whose bathroom is all blues and greens.
• Soapi in Black for the one who has mentioned his black taps more than once.
• Magnetic key holder for the person who's five minutes late every morning because the keys have vanished again.
• Solid soap from Marseille for anyone who likes a gift that actually gets used up.
• Solid shampoo by Skargard for those who have already switched to bars.

For bigger teams, simply order two or three bundles. Fifteen people means three lots of five for €150 in total, and still nobody goes home with the same present as the person at the next desk.

Why a Soapi works as a small Christmas gift

The Soapi is a magnetic soap holder. You press a bottle cap halfway into a bar of soap, and the bar then hangs from the magnet on the wall and dries all the way round instead of going soggy in a dish. The basin stays clean. It sticks on without drilling using a waterproof adhesive pad on tiles, glass or mirrors, and the soap can go straight on.

It suits colleagues because it's small, comes in ten colours, and almost everyone has a basin at home. So you can pick by favourite colour: Mint, Lavender, Peach, Yellow, Light Blue and so on. Since 2023 the Soapi has been stocked in more than 250 shops and holds 4.88 out of 5 stars from over 1,600 reviews. If you're only buying for one person, the Starter Kit at €14.95 is the all-in-one option: a Soapi in your chosen colour, a lavender soap from Marseille, 100 g, handmade in Marseille, and a cleaned bottle cap.

Wrapping and handing out

We don't include gift wrapping, but with small gifts it's quick to do yourself: brown paper, string and a name tag are enough. If your team likes a laugh, write little clues instead of names, such as "for whoever is always looking for their keys". If your team prefers a Secret Santa, our article on Secret Santa gifts under €15 has more ideas. And for December, have a look at our ideas for filling an advent calendar.

FAQ

How much should I spend on Christmas gifts for colleagues?

Somewhere between €5 and €15 per person is usual. With Mix & Match you land at €10 per gift, with shipping within Germany included.

Can I mix colours and products in Mix & Match?

Yes. Soapis in all ten colours, the key holder, soaps and solid shampoo can be combined however you like, as long as it adds up to five products.

Will the Soapi stick to any wall?

It holds securely on smooth surfaces such as tiles, glass, mirrors, ceramic, stainless steel or lacquered wood. It shouldn't be stuck onto painted or wallpapered walls.

In short

Small Christmas gifts for colleagues don't need to be expensive or all the same. A mix of home baking, small everyday things and a few useful surprises goes down better than twelve identical mugs. If you'd like to be done quickly without a shopping marathon, put together your Mix & Match bundle now: 5 items for €50.