We all have those office parties, club functions, and new bae’s families that we have to get obligatory Christmas presents for. Whether it’s a secret Santa, gift tree, or just a “thanks for making dinner,” it can be a headache to try and search for a gift that could be enjoyed by just about anyone — something that at least seems thoughtful but won’t break the bank.
Lucky for you, there’s a gift guide for that. We’re listing all the best gifts for the people you only kinda got to know in 2017 –from cheapest of the cheap to the the ones that will leave a dent in your wallet, just in case that unfamiliar recipient happens to be your boss or someone else you want to impress. It might even be a good idea to buy some of these gifts in bulk, so you’ll never be caught off guard. If you’re in a position where you don’t see people when they’re sleeping or know when they’re awake (let alone remember their names), make sure you’re never caught slippin’.
Weird Seasonal DIY Bags
Nothing says “I am literally only here because it’s Christmas” like a gift that looks like Christmas threw up all over it. While seasonal do-it-yourself gifts may be a pain to make, they also take a lot of stress out of trying to please everyone, and work really well in settings where everyone is getting a present that has to at least look equal. These Disumos Santa Pants Christmas Candy bags are not only adorable, but can be used during the Christmas season as decoration for the recipient’s house, or after Christmas by the recipient for whatever else they want to stuff them with.
As an additional plus for you, the giver, you finally get to do something will all that leftover Halloween candy!Gift bags come in packages of all sorts, and prices vary with package sizes and designs.
But Buy Santa’s Pants Here for $13.58
Boring Old Gift Cards
It might be a cop out to not actually put some thought into a gift, but how much thought can one really put into getting a gift for someone you don’t really know? Gift cards are wonderful presents because they save the gifted from being disappointed. Instead of all the fake smiles and forced “Thank yous,” just cut to the chase and let people buy their own gifts without having to be tacky and flashing the cash.
The coolest part of the holiday season is how decorative gift cards can be, so no matter the amount of money on the actual card, the recipient will still get a kick out of its packaging.
Adult coloring book(s)
Adult coloring books are dope because they take the edge off for those us who have been adulting at a mentally unhealthy pace. They’re inexpensive, coming in at around $4 a book, and they’re just a lot of doggone fun! The designs are more intricate in adult coloring books than the larger figures in coloring books for the kiddos. Calm the F*ck Down: An Ireverant Adult Coloring Book by Sasha O’Brien should definitely not be interchanged or mistaken for a kid’s coloring book, though, with pictures donning captions like “Home is where the vodka is.”
Adult coloring books can start as low as $4 and reach up to $10, not factoring in whether you’re going to go all out and buy your acquaintance a dope colored pencil set to go with it.
2018 Dilbert Desk Calendar
Take care of wishing your acquaintance both a merry Christmas and a happy new year with a 2018 Dilbert desk calendar. We don’t know what it is about this funny-headed, sarcastic comic strip character, but he’s been the face of snarky fictional employees for years, and thus, the face of office supplies that would otherwise be lackluster and boring. Carry on the tradition of cheesy, low key unnecessary desk supplies with a calendar in a box for 2018. Even if the recipient doesn’t have a desk, it’s a good gift for a coffee table, a kitchen counter, or wherever else business is getting handled and employees are being smartasses.
Wine is fine…
The most generic, safe gift you can bring to a person’s home at any time of the year is wine. Especially during the holidays, it’s fun to match the wine with the celebration, so this Ugly Sweater Red Wine Blend by Mustache Vineyards is festive and not too specific of a taste, so even the least-versed in wine would enjoy it because it’s fruity and sweet. Mustache Vineyards also offers an Ugly Sweater White Wine Blend for those wanting a more crisp, refreshing taste. If you’re feeling especially generous, you can bring both, as the red and white are only $18 and $17, respectively.
If you’d rather wear an ugly sweater than drink one, a prepackaged red wine and chocolate gift set might be the way to go, which brings us to our next suggestion…
…but candy is dandy…
Win over your boss or bae’s fam with the DEFINITIVE holiday candy tower to beat all holiday candy towers. The Holiday Wonderland Gourmet Sweet Gift Tower by Gifts to Impress includes peppermint candy, two milk chocolate pretzels, Jelly Belly mix, three Ghirardelli Chocolate Tasting Squares, chocolate-covered cherries, and chocolate chip cookies.
The basket is a great gift for a group, the office break room, or that one person who you want to make feel especially special.
Wine is fine and candy is dandy…but liquor is quicker!
While you might want to avoid looking like a drunk by showing up at someone’s home with whom you are not so familiar or bringing a bottle of hard liquor to the Secret Santa game, some nice glassware might be an option you can swallow. You don’t have to worry about glasses matching anyone’s home, because clear matches everything and the glasses match each other.
They’re guaranteed to be useful because everyone needs a drink, especially during the holiday season.
For some particularly cute glasses, Libbey Impressions is offering a 16-piece glass drinkware set for only $30!
Buy It Here for $30
Gadgets and gizmos, a-plenty; Whos-its and whats-its galore
Who doesn’t love a good dust collector? We all have a love-hate relationship with trinkets, and would probably never buy them for ourselves. Thus, trinkets make great gifts —
especially when they serve a purpose or have a little bit of a humorous edge. In this take on an adult fidget spinner fused with a Magic 8 Ball, the Natico Decison Maker and Paperweight has a 2-in-1 purpose — holding down those papers, and taking the stress out of decision-making by making the decisions for you.
Just give it a spin and let it decide if you should “pass the buck,” “sit on it,” “do it tomorrow,” or take other action.
A good coffee table book
Coffee table books are great gifts because they don’t necessarily have to cater to the person upon whose coffee table they sit. The books are inherently designed to be interesting to whomever may visit the table’s owner. The best ones have interesting cover art, like Shea Serrano’s Basketball (and Other Things)(2017) and The Rap Year Book: The Most Important Rap Song From Every Year Since 1979, Discussed, Debated, and Deconstructed (2015). Both books look pretty cool sitting on a coffee table, whether the owner of the table is well-versed in either subject, and either is bound to entertain guests for at least a little while.
Amazon offers many other subjects of coffee table books, from photography, to National Geographic, to fashion, and even one based on the popular Humans of New York photo series. The best ones are hardcover, because anything sitting on a coffee table is in danger of a beverage spill, but they will cost a couple dollars more than their paperback counterparts.
The cheapest are about $10 and the most expensive can be around $50. Go for an inexpensive book or splurge! You’ll get a good one, either way.
Smell-good
Everybody could use a little “smell-good” in their lives. “Smell-good” encompasses lotions, body sprays, colognes, perfumes, body washes, and everything a person could have in their bathrooms that would make them, well, smell good. This particular area of neutral present is so wonderful because price ranges are completely up to you, from the most inexpensive of Bath & Body Works gift sets to the biggest bottle of Tom Ford Black Orchid.
“Smell-good” is also a dope present because it’s re-giftability is pretty high. If the acquaintance doesn’t particularly like or need it, off it goes to the next gift tree or Secret Santa. “Smell-good” is the gift that keeps on giving…
