38 smart and humorous gifts for coworkers that they’ll actually be happy to receive

A three-month subscription of freshly roasted whole bean, single-origin coffees

Driftaway Coffee Subscription, Three Months, available at Driftaway Coffee, from $44

If they’re practically tethered to the coffee pot, they’ll probably love the thoughtfulness of a three-month subscription to this cool Brooklyn startup’s beans. Driftaway sends freshly roasted, whole bean, single-origin coffees from around the world to their doorstep.

A really nice bottle of olive oil

Alive Olive Oil, available at Brightland, $37

If they like to cook, they probably already know the merits of high-quality olive oil. A drizzle of Alive Olive Oil from Brightland adds a vibrant, zesty flavor to any dish, plus the bottle is designed to be left out on display in their kitchen. 

The most comfortable socks

Women’s Fair Isle Calf Socks, available at Bombas, $15

Men’s Fair Isle Calf Socks, available at Bombas, $15

Bombas are one gift we find ourselves giving friends and family every year. They’re the best socks we’ve ever tried, and they’re a little more expensive than someone is likely to spend on socks themselves, making them a great gift.

A happy, healthy houseplant

Maranta Plant, available at The Sill, from $42

Order them a houseplant with The Sill. If you choose one of the company’s chic potters, the cost is closer to $30 for small plants. 

An Atlas Obscura calendar full of daily photos and tidbits about the world’s strangest and coolest places

Atlas Obscura Color Page-A-Day Desk 2021 Calendar, available at Amazon, $15.99

Add some fun to their day-to-day routine with the Atlas Obscura calendar. There are hundreds of photos that celebrate the world’s strangest and coolest places, festivals, and foods. Travelers and life-long learners are particularly good candidates for this one.

Mini succulents in ceramic planters

StarPack Home 3-Piece Ceramic Succulent Planter, available at Amazon, $15.97

If your desk-mate doesn’t already have a plant, rest assured they would probably like one (fine print: if it requires next to no caregiving). Grab these ceramic planters from Amazon and fill them with an assortment of succulents. According to science, it may make them happier just to see the plants every day.

Fun kitchen towels that rate wines by how well they pair with certain foods

Wine Pairing Towel Set, available at Uncommon Goods, $28

If you’ve got a wine lover on the team, grab these fun wine pairing towels and a bottle to go with them. They’re thoughtful, informal, and unique.

A candle that smells like their favorite state

Homesick Candles, available at Uncommon Goods, starting at $34

Homesick candles are a great gift for pretty much anyone in your life. They’re a nice acknowledgment of something important to someone else that you’re likely to know regardless of intimacy level. Plus, with a candle, they’ll get to enjoy it for weeks to come — and if your gift deals with nostalgia, scent is a great place to start.

A three-month subscription to the book club that put “Gone with the Wind” on the map

Book of the Month, Three Months, available at Book of the Month, $49.99

If your team includes a bookworm, they’ll appreciate a gift subscription to Book of the Month. It’s been around since 1926, and it’s credited with the discovery of titles like “Gone with the Wind” and “Catcher in the Rye”. A team of experts and celebrity guest judges curate must-read books — usually new releases, hot topics, and debut authors — and send them to the subscriber’s doorstep. If they’re more into audiobooks or e-reading, check out a gift subscription to Scribd (full review here).

A funny mug that acknowledges the bond forged by people who have to fix the same defunct printer every week together

The This is Fine Mug, available at Redbubble, from $15.62

A “This is Fine” mug is the perfect gift for the only other people on earth who can truly relate to the particularities of your job: a defunct printer, last night’s too-fun team happy hour, and the occasional avalanche of meetings and high-priority emails. Here’s a $15 nod to the fond shared stressors.

A charging stand for their desk to keep things organized

Help them keep their cluttered wires under control with this wireless charger, which can charge through most protective phone cases. 

A miniature golf course they can escape to from the comfort of their desk

Know somebody who’d rather be at the golf course, or who might appreciate the adult equivalent of doodling in class? Say no more.

A water bottle that keeps cold drinks cold for 24 hours and hot drinks hot for 6 hours

Hydro Flask Stainless Steel Travel Coffee Flask, available at Hydro Flask, $29.95

It’s often the most practical coworker gifts that make the best and longest impression, and this is one stellar candidate. The Hydro Flask is double-wall vacuum insulated and will keep their cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours, with hot drinks staying hot for up to six. We’re big fans of the line.

The best portable battery you can buy

Elecjet PowerPie, available at Amazon, $49

If you want to get them something they’re sure to love, save them from a dead phone on their next long commute or work trip. We ranked this one as the best battery pack you can buy because of its capacity, charging speed, and affordability.

A self-betterment planner designed using the “best practices” of successful people in history

Best Self Co. Journal, available at Best Self, $9.99

If you work with someone especially ambitious or concerned with self-progress, they’ll love this daily planner. It was created by a group of “human performance junkies” after researching the most successful, high-performing humans in history, and it uses their common practices and psychology tips to break down a 10-year plan into doable, bite-sized pieces.

Fun, collection-worthy socks

Disney Socks Gift Box Set, available at Happy Socks, $32

Happy Socks makes some of the coolest and most elevator-small-talk-worthy socks in the industry. This gift set focuses on Disney, but there are plenty more options to choose from.

A green herbal tea kit that lets them create custom blends

Green Herbal Tea Kit, available at Etsy, $40

If they’re more into tea than coffee, they’ll love this thoughtful green herbal tea kit. It includes nine herbs and three varieties of green tea, so they can create their own custom blends.

Desk cable clips that keep cords neat and organized

Shintop 6-Piece Cable Clips Set, available at Newegg, $22

Pair a few of these cable clips with a nice card and some candy for a low-key, well-rounded gift that’s fun and practical.

A beautiful candle from a cool startup

Otherland Candles, available at Otherland, $36

This is one candle they will be excited to receive. Otherland is a startup created by Abigail Cook Stone, a former art buyer for Ralph Lauren. They’re some of the most beautifully packaged and best smelling we’ve seen in a while— and they make great gifts. 

An extra-long charging cable, which is the closest you’ll get to gifting never-ending convenience

6 ft Charging Cable, 3-Pack, available at Amazon, $9.98

It’s something every one of us will feel grateful for a couple of times per day, but always put off buying for ourselves: a serpentine, 6-foot long charging cable.

A custom portrait that immortalizes their pet

Canvas Pop Custom Pet Portrait, available at Canvas Pop, from $79

If your coworker is a pet parent, you may make the biggest impact by focusing here. Plus, in the days of dog and cat Instagrams, it’s not too hard to find your own mini album of options.

A notebook they can wipe clean and reuse

Rocketbook Reusable Notebook, available at Staples, $24.64

The $30 Rocketbook notebook is full of 32 reusable pages that wipe clean with a damp cloth when the owner uses a Pilot FriXion pen (included), so they can keep using the same notebook indefinitely. They can also send hand-written notes to Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, email, and more. I use my own a surprising amount.

An assortment of delicious dipping oils that looks put-together

Mini Dipping Oil Set, available at Williams Sonoma, $24.99

Everyone likes a food gift, and this set of dipping oils is perfect for the coworker who loves to cook or entertain.

A glass Chemex that makes full-flavored coffee every time

Stainless-Steel French Press, available at Williams-Sonoma, from $35.50

Grab a glass Chemex from Williams-Sonoma that will deliver flavorful, sediment-free coffee routinely. The glass is heat-resistant, and the wood and leather collar serves as an insulated handle. 

A to-go sriracha sauce keychain for the hot sauce fiend of the office

Sriracha Keychain Gift Pack, available at Amazon, $17.99

Perfect for the coworker best known for adding hot sauce to anything sweet, savory, or edible. The pack comes with a bottle of Sriracha and two differently sized keychains. 

A brownie pan that only makes edge pieces

Baker’s Edge Nonstick Edge Brownie Pan, available at Amazon, $36.95

This is exactly the kind of gift that seems more fun and clever than it is practical — until you’re using it once a month religiously.

Tools for a night off and the “Do Nothing” sloth card made by an independent artist

“Do Nothing” Three Sloth Stationery Cards, available at Society6, $11.19

Pair the sloth “Do Nothing” card with a few relaxing accessories (like face masks) to gift a well-deserved night off to a coworker. Like all of Society6’s collection, it’s also made by an independent artist — making it a bit cooler than what you might pick up from CVS.

A tiny, convenient Bluetooth key tracker

Tile Mate Key Finder, available at Target, $24.99

You can’t go wrong with a tracker for their keys that’s compact, thoughtful, and useful to pretty much everyone.

A gift card to a popular healthy eating startup

Gift Card, available at Daily Harvest from $25

Daily Harvest is a meal delivery startup that makes healthy fast food that takes as little as 30 seconds to prepare. Meals are delicious, under $10 each, and designed by a chef and nutritionist team for taste and balance. It’s great for healthy eaters, busy lifestyles, and solves pretty much all of our main roadblocks to eating well.

A unique cocktail recipe book that matches a famous song with a complementary cocktail

Booze & Vinyl: A Spirited Guide to Great Music and Mixed Drinks, available at Barnes & Noble, $22.49

Gift your favorite coworker a book that pairs some of the best music from the 1950s to the 2000s with cocktail recipes that match the song’s mood, lyrical imagery, or the artists themselves. 

A subscription that sends them cool new snacks

Gift Subscription, available at Love With Food from $7.99/month

Love with Food delivers organic, all-natural, or gluten-free snacks that serial snackers won’t feel guilty about eating. The better-for-you chips, candy, and bars come from new and trending food brands. Plus, with every snack box that’s delivered, Love With Food donates at least one meal to a family in need through a partnership with Feeding America. 

A nice leather business card holder

Business Card Case, available at Leatherology, $45

Leatherology makes luxe leather goods for less, and their $45 business card case is a great workplace gift for under $50. It has an invisible magnetic closure, holds up to 20 cards, and comes in a variety of leather types and colors. You can also add a monogram for an additional $10. 

A chiller to keep their post-work beer cold

Chillsner, available at UncommonGoods, $15

When all your coworkers get together after work to enjoy a beer, this will be the most-wanted accessory. The stainless steel Chillsner fits easily into the bottle and keeps beverages refreshingly crisp.

A convenient, reusable bag that folds up to the size of a business card

Small Baggu, available at Backcountry, $7.96

Grab a trendy, reusable shopping bag that’s perfect for packing lunch, extra shoes, or taking a last-minute trip to the grocery store. This one folds up to about the size of a business card, and its signature version can hold 50 pounds of stuff easily.

A fidget-friendly desk toy that’s actually really fun

Speks Original Magnetic Desk Toy, available at Amazon, $24.95

These tiny magnets are one “office toy” we actually liked enough to dedicate a full article to— they’re fun, space-saving, and you can fidget without drawing attention to yourself.

A Bob Ross chia pet they can grow

Do yourself, your coworker, and your section of the office a favor with a Bob Ross chia pet. It will be a great conversation piece for as long as it lives.

An echo dot for the virtual assistant you can afford to give them

Echo Dot, 3rd Generation, available at Amazon, $29.99

If they don’t already have an Echo Dot, this is a great tech gift without quite breaking $50.

*Although this product is unavailable to ship until November 26, it is currently available to purchase.

Double condiment bowls that are impossible to hate

Marble Double Condiment Bowls, available at Williams-Sonoma, $26.99

This white marble serving piece can hold the exact right amount of pairings, condiments, and spices. It’s small, beautiful, and functional enough to bypass even the pickiest of coworkers.