What are cool gift exchange ideas have you encountered for small startups?

In my offices, books have the tendency to get groans (usually the thick ones), MMORPG game cards can be quite addictive and gets some folks bleary eyed for weeks, while everyone else wishes for an iPhone - what are some of the unique holiday gifts that you have seen which are fun, memorable and perhaps helps with company building?

Motivation Interns

asked Nov 23 '09 at 13:25

Alex Lam
699 points

2 Answers

Why go gift? Instead, take the team out for for a night they'll remember for a long time to come. Think crazy and team-building. One of my top picks is the gun range.

But if you're going to give gifts, I've found there are a few that fit well:

personal electronics - iPod, netbook, digital camera, etc... of course, the problem with these, everyone seems to have them already; so, if you go this route, then get them the latest and greatest gadget
expensive edibles - stuff no one in their right mind would buy otherwise; like those cookie arrangements, fancy nut mixtures, etc
alcohol - this is one of my favorites, and with Your Gift LAbel you can print custom label for a few good spirits

answered Nov 23 '09 at 14:54

Alex Papadimoulis
5,901 points

Thanks Ales! That gift label thing is fantastic! There was a year we printed out mock O'Reilly animal cover books to identify each persons role, got some good laugh. – Alex Lam 15 years ago
What about those employees who don't drink alcohol? I never could figure out why there is such a culture of unhealthy living and why an employer would encourage that. – Tim J 15 years ago
Alcohol in moderation is healthier than no alcohol at all: http://www2.potsdam.edu/hansondj/alcoholandhealth.html - and drinking is just one way we encourage healthy living. For those who don't drink, they now have a nice bottle they can *regift* to someone who does. – Alex Papadimoulis 15 years ago

Instead of something material, why not turn it into a team-building experience? Like paintball or Laser tag? No one thinks to do those things over the holidays...

answered Nov 24 '09 at 08:46

Dave Rodenbaugh
306 points

Thanks Dave! We've done paintball (some guys were really out of shape!) This is more of an inside the office thing. :) – Alex Lam 15 years ago