Career experts says that many of us spend more time with our “work” family than we do with our real family. But that doesn’t neccesarily make buying holiday gifts for co-workers any easier. Where can you find gifts that are appropriate, thoughtful and won’t break the budget? Here are a few suggestions.
Pampering gifts
The people who take care of others often don’t take time to care for themselves. Because health care workers spend long hours on their feet at work, the NightCare heel treatment kit ($25), which includes moisturizing gel socks and a two-ounce tube of intensive healing foot cream, could be a real lifesaver. Constant hand-washing also comes with a medical job, which makes enriching creams, lotions and bath salts thoughtful and practical gifts. During the holidays, stores often sell bath and body products in attractive gift containers at special prices. Scented candles, soothing teas or a pair of comfy slipper socks can also bring welcome stress relief from the workplace.
Playful gifts
You can lighten up their lives with games, puzzles and other fun stuff. More families are staying and playing at home these days, so there are more boardgames on the market than ever before. "Family Talk" by Daniels & Daniels ($10) is a portable game that features 100 questions guaranteed to get conversations started around the holiday dinner table or on a long car trip. "Rush Hour" ($18) is not only fitting for metro Atlanta's traffic; it encourages critical thinking skills as players try to move out of gridlock in the fewest possible moves. Workers may want to keep it at their desks to challenge friends. Looking for something less cerebral? "Super Stacking Tops" ($7) is a hand-eye coordination challenge that requires patience and practice to get all five tops spinning at once.
Office gifts
Staplers, pencil cups and other utilitarian desk furnishings have sprouted personalities in recent years. Go to www.poppin.com for tape dispensers ($12), pencil cups ($6) and more in neon orange or hot pink. Gift shops even have staplers in zebra or jeweled designs. To dress up someone's office, give quirky note holders or mouse pads, pretty bud vases, unusual paper weights, trinket boxes or picture frames. A coffee mug becomes personal when it displays the log of someone's favorite sports team or refers to their hobby. Inspirational and funny mugs are also popular. Create a comfort box for a co-worker's desk drawer by filling a tin with small packages of candy, nuts and other snacks.
Organizing gifts
Many health care workers are juggling jobs, homes, family and volunteer activities. Calendars and desk journals are a necessity, and they come in various themes and prices.
Sturdy canvas tote bags or small containers, such as cosmetic bags, cellphone wristlets and coupon organizers, are useful for workers on the go. A cosmetic bag can hold personal makeup essentials in a purse, briefcase or desk drawer. One example is a small cosmetic bag from Vera Bradley ($22). Electronics seem to rule the world, but sometimes you just need to make a list or write something down. Moleskin Volant mini notebooks (2.5-by-4 inches) are the perfect size for purses or pockets ($6 for 2).
Literary gifts
There's something here for everyone. Fiction readers might like "The Boy in the Suit Case" by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis, or "Porch Lights" by Dorothea Benton Frank. Both books feature nurse protagonists. Everyone has to eat, so how about a new cookbook? Busy co-workers might like Beth Hemsberger and Julie Kaufmann's "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook" ($19), "Classic Rachel Ray Meals in 30 Minutes" ($20) or "Ten Dollar Dinners" ($25) by Melissa d'Arabian. In the inspirational book category, there are new "Think Positive" and "Woman to Woman" volumes in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series ($15). A good seasonal book is "52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life" by Bob Welch ($16). And don't forget crossword puzzles, Sudoku and other brain-teaser books.
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