In every office yankee or white elephant swap, there’s always that one gift everyone’s clamoring to steal away. Maybe it’s too practical or too unique to leave up for grabs. No matter what you have in mind, any item on this list is sure to be a winner at your company’s holiday party.
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1. STARLIGHT POCKET VR; $13
Though virtual and augmented reality are slowly becoming more mainstream, the technology is still enough of a novelty to be a smash hit with your coworkers. Anyone with an Android or iPhone between 4 and 6 inches tall can use this. Users simply slip their device in the plastic headset and immerse themselves in one of the many VR and AR apps out there to choose from. Unlike some other low-cost VR goggles this one doesn’t use a strap, so your glasses-wearing office-mate can still get the full experience. Once they’re done it folds up into a compact, pocket-sized package.
Find It: Amazon
2. BEEROPOLY; $32
The best drinking games are the ones that don’t require you to remember any rules. With Beeropoly, the instructions are printed right on the pine wood board. Players take turns rolling the dice and move their bottle cap pieces to the corresponding squares. Each square gives instructions for mini-challenges, like “Never Have I Ever” and a dance competition. The last person standing is responsible for finishing the community cup in the middle of the board.
Find It: Uncommon Goods
3. CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY; $25
Sometimes you can’t beat the classics. This cult game includes 550 cards ranging from awkward to absurd. Each round the funniest card match-up wins. If you bring this to your office swap just be prepared to break it open before the party ends.
Find It: Amazon
4. NICHOLAS VINOAIR WINE AERATOR; $11
Some wine lovers are fine with waiting for their drink to aerate before taking a sip. Others believe the best wine is whatever they can drink as soon as possible—this gift is designed for the latter group. The Nicholas VinOair aerator uses a dual oxygen chamber to pull out air with twice the vacuum power of leading competitors. The spout doubles as a wine pourer and drip stopper, while the rubber ring in the center creates an airtight seal.
Find It: Amazon
5. STAR WARS USB DRIVE; $10
For the office nerd: Here’s an out-this-world tool for storing their next big presentation. This R2D2 USB drive holds up to 4 GB of data. When it’s not plugged in to a computer it stands upright, which means it can be used as a delightfully geeky desk ornament.
Find It: Amazon
6. AMAZONBASICS MINI BLUETOOTH SPEAKER; $25
Is it a good idea to enable your office-mate who loves to blast music without headphones? Probably not, but it’ll be fun to watch the rest of your coworkers struggle to keep this from them. The 3.3-inch-by-2.6-inch device includes a 3-watt speaker and a built-in microphone for making hands-free phone calls. It works wirelessly up to 30 feet from the source and lasts for 10 hours on a single charge.
Find It: Amazon
7. PLANT THEATRE FUNKY VEG KIT; $19
The funky vegetables in this growing kit can brighten up even the dreariest desk lunch. Each box comes with seed packets for five unique crops: purple carrots, red Brussels sprouts, stripy tomatoes, yellow zucchini, and multi-colored Swiss chard. Also included are five pots, peat blocks, and plant markers as well as instructions for “sowing and growing.”
Find It: Amazon
8. L’OCCITANE SHEA BUTTER HOLIDAY ORNAMENT; $14
This festive trinket is four gifts in one. Attached to the ornament are L’Occitane’s luscious shea butter hand cream, shea butter ultra-gentle milk soap, and shea butter ultra-rich body lotion. After ringing in the new year with radiant skin, owners can save the decoration to hang on their tree next year.
Find It: Amazon
9. BARTENDING GLASSES, SET OF FOUR; $20
Pouring perfect cocktails doesn’t require professional bartending experience, or even fancy measuring tools. All it takes is a glass with a handy cheat sheet printed on the side. This set of 8-ounce glasses includes vessels for four cocktails: a mojito, a salty dog, a whisky fix, and a bloody mary. Just add the ingredients according to the instructions printed on the exterior then let the imbibing begin.
Find It: Amazon
10. PENCILS FOR DAYS; $15
Everybody may be working for the weekend, but these playful pencils are a good reminder that there’s something worth celebrating every day of the week. This multi-colored set has all the bases covered, from #sundayfunday to #flashbackfriday. It even includes a bonus #mondaymotivation pencil in addition to the #mancrushmonday one, because at the beginning of the work week we all deserve a little something extra.
Find It: Etsy
11. STACKABLE LUNCH POT; $25
The work-mate who’s been brown-bagging their lunch for years will thank you for this one. This set of plastic pots includes two airtight containers that stack neatly on top of one another. A carrying strap secures the components together, and an attachable spork makes for easy eating whenever hunger strikes.
Find It: Uncommon Goods
December 9, 2016 – 6:00am