# Office grab bag gift ideas? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519 "2005-12-20T21:31:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/1 "2005-12-20T21:31:42Z")
I hate these things, I really do. I feel that gift giving should be restricted to family and that’s it. Sure it’s optional… but not really considering if you don’t do it, you’ll be singled out. But that’s just me, and I definately don’t want to be odd-man out. So I appeal to you dopers, what would be some good gift ideas for office grab bag ($20 limit), and as a bonus, how do you feel about this tradition? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/2 "2005-12-20T21:34:11Z")
I would actually consider $20 to be a bit high and think $10 is a great number. And I like Secret Santa better, where you only have to buy for one person! As for what’s in it, gift cards, candy, and chocolates, miniatures. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/3 "2005-12-20T21:40:16Z")
I suppose alcohol isn’t an option? 🙂 Well, there’s always the gift card option, for CDs or movies or what have you. Some other things that could work: - Stationery - Chocolate assortments - Picture frame(s) - Fun gloves, scarves or socks - Headphones - Calendars … that’s all I got for now. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/4 "2005-12-20T21:45:40Z")
Hmmm, actually I think alcohol would be fine. It would have to be unisex, so that’s kind of hard when it comes to clothing, specially since I don’t have a fashionable bone in my body. Keep 'em coming! And yes I though $20 was much, not only that but for some stupid reasons there are TWO grab bags, so it’s actually $40. I should of planned out my check a little better ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/5 "2005-12-20T21:48:49Z")
Toys are good, lots of us still like playing with toys but it’s usually not the kind of thing you buy yourself, right? Something like this [20 questions](http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=2-3/qid=1135115041/ref=sr_2_3/601-6820287-4040146?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B000B84ZKW) toy, or these [mini remote control](http://www.radioshack.com/subcategory/index.jsp?categoryId=2032408&cp=2032062.2032402) race cars. ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/6 "2005-12-20T21:56:28Z")
Lotto tickets (scratch-off kind) are popular in our office. Specialty coffees Godiva or Lindt chocolates Local specialty candies - the [Peppermint Pig](http://www.saratogasweets.com/) is common here. Alcohol is definitely a winner Anything unusual or funny: someone did penis pasta one year, and this year someone put something totally non-sexy in a Victoria’s Secret bag. Both got big laughs. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/7 "2005-12-20T22:20:24Z")
At our office Xmas party we do the Yankee Swap thing instead of a grab bag. You can tell which types of gifts are popular by which get “stolen” the most. Liquor is at the top of the list. There’s _always_ at least one bottle of Jack Daniels; one of some vodka, sometimes in a fancy gift pack with glasses; this year there was a Sam Adams six-pack. Gift cards to Target or Starbucks are likely to get stolen, too. I thought the HomeDepot gift card that someone got was a nice idea. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/8 "2005-12-20T23:35:03Z")
Leatherman micra is about in that price range. Also, the [Swiss Tech](http://www.thenakedpcstore.com/swisstech/) tools are pretty nice, and in the 9.99 - 14.95 range. ---
**Author:** ![PinkNailFile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@PinkNailFile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkNailFile)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/9 "2005-12-21T00:04:07Z")
Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! My dad made a BLT kit just recently. It was 6 slices of bread, bacon, some lettuce, a tomato, a mini-jar of mayo, and a pepsi! I was so amused! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/10 "2005-12-21T01:01:21Z")
Ugh, I hate these things too. Yes, you have to play well with others and opting out isn’t a real option. Stick with gift cards. Maybe a restaurant is nearby that people go to? Othewise, movie/Blockbuster/Starbucks type gift cards. I always play it very safe on these. I, personally, would never go with alcohol or a gag gift. Never can tell what will backfire. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/11 "2005-12-21T14:16:45Z")
This isn’t a good gift idea, but more of a useful trick for such things. If you ever find yourself in need of an office party gift at last minute, you can go online to [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) and order a gift certificate. You can print it out at work on one of the color printers, and it looks pretty good. Someone not in the know might even think that you went through some actual effort on getting it! ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/12 "2005-12-21T14:34:51Z")
[Red Swingline Stapler?](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00021UK0C/qid=1135175342/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-1487165-0068014?n=507846&s=electronics&v=glance) ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-grab-bag-gift-ideas/336519/13 "2005-12-21T16:01:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Stick with gift cards. Maybe a restaurant is nearby that people go to? Othewise, movie/Blockbuster/Starbucks type gift cards. I suppose, but a gift card is a very dull gift. Especially when there are enough fairly cool things in the \<$20.00 price range. LED flashlights. Hand warmers. Fleece glove liners. Bags of Lindt truffles. Jeepers, it’s just not that hard to think of something.