Updated for Christmas 2026 · Sep 24, 2026

Christmas Gifts for Employees’ Families

Most employee gifts stay at the office. The ones people talk about in January went home: something the kids opened, a game the family played, an evening together. Here are 13 gifts that reach the family, and how to handle employees who don’t have kids.

Quick answer

The best Christmas gifts for employees’ families are shared at home: a call from Santa for their kids ($9.99), a gingerbread house or cookie decorating kit ($11–30), a family card game or puzzle ($10–25), a movie night popcorn set, or dinner delivered. Give employees without kids the same value in something for themselves.

By Andrei Zhizdra, Founder of Santa AI and Santa for Teams · How we make money

1Most memorableMade for families

A call from Santa for every employee, or their kids

Santa calls each employee’s kids by name, by video, phone or personalized video. Employees without kids can pick the grown-up version for themselves. Nothing to ship, and HR never handles anyone’s data.

✓ For kids or grown-ups
✓ Video call, phone call or video
✓ 29 languages, pay by invoice
✓ Order by Dec 15

Watch out: the grown-up version is playful, so preview it before sending to a very formal team.

Team size→$99.90Get an invoice for 10 employees →

Made by us · How we make money

Type a name and hear Santa say it

Best overall

A gingerbread house to build together

$15–30📦 Needs shipping

An evening of icing, candy and arguing over the roof. Everyone at home gets a job, from toddlers to grandparents.

Watch out: Kits with pre-built walls are far easier with small kids; build-from-scratch kits end in collapsed roofs.

See options on Amazon ↗

A cookie decorating kit

$11–25📦 Needs shipping

Baked cookies, icing and sprinkles in one box: the fun part of Christmas baking without the baking. The ornament shapes can go on the tree.

Watch out: Cookies break in the mail. Buy them locally and hand them out in person.

See options on Walmart ↗

A family card game

$10–20📦 Needs shipping

A game kids can learn in a minute and adults don’t get bored of. It comes out again every holiday.

Our pick: Spot It! Classic

Round cards, five quick games, playable from age 6 with two or more players.

★ 4.8 from 426 Walmart reviews

What 1–2★ reviewers say: 15 of 426 ratings are 1–2★; a couple point out the eco packaging has smaller cards than the classic tin.

Watch out: Families with teens only may want something longer, like Codenames (ages 14+).

$10.47 at Walmart ↗Compare on Amazon ↗Price checked Sep 24, 2026. Prices change often.

Lamplig 1000-Piece Puzzle, Lakeside Cabin Moonlight

A jigsaw for the dining table

$15–22📦 Needs shipping

It lives on the dining table between Christmas and New Year, and everyone in the house adds a few pieces.

Our pick: Lamplig 1000-Piece Puzzle, Lakeside Cabin Moonlight

1,000 pieces with letters printed on the back to help sort, plus a poster of the image.

★ 4.6 from 72 Walmart reviews

What 1–2★ reviewers say: 4 of 72 reviews are 1★, citing missing pieces and darker colors than the box; one found it too difficult.

Watch out: Too hard for young kids on their own. For families with little ones, pick 300–500 pieces.

$16.99 at Walmart ↗Compare on Amazon ↗Price checked Sep 24, 2026. Prices change often.

Christmas Movie Night Gourmet Popcorn Gift Set (Pop ’N Dulge)

A family movie night kit

$20–35📦 Needs shipping

Popcorn and seasonings for a Christmas movie night at home. Add a streaming gift card and it’s a whole evening.

Our pick: Christmas Movie Night Gourmet Popcorn Gift Set (Pop ’N Dulge)

Three heirloom popcorn kernels and five seasonings in a Christmas gift box; you pop it at home.

★ 4.4 from 155 Walmart reviews

What 1–2★ reviewers say: 13 of 155 reviews are 1–2★; the one with details got an empty box and needed a replacement.

Watch out: Gift cards added to it are taxable wages in the US; the popcorn alone isn’t.

$24.99 at Walmart ↗Compare on Amazon ↗Price checked Sep 24, 2026. Prices change often.

Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows, 8 packets

Hot cocoa for the whole family

$3–10📦 Needs shipping

Cheap, festive, and it gets made on a snowy afternoon with the kids. Tape a candy cane to the box.

Our pick: Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa with Marshmallows, 8 packets

One box holds eight 1.38 oz envelopes, enough for a family’s snow day.

★ 4.8 from 6,921 Walmart reviews

What 1–2★ reviewers say: Of 6,921 ratings, 98 are 1–2★; most describe delivery problems, and a few say the marshmallows were sparse.

Watch out: On its own it’s small. Pair it with a game or a note.

$3.58 at Walmart ↗Compare on Amazon ↗Price checked Sep 24, 2026. Prices change often.

Dinner delivered, one evening in December

$40–75📧 Arrives by email

One night off cooking in the busiest month of the year. It arrives by email and works for any family size.

Watch out: Delivery apps don’t cover every town, and gift credit is taxable in the US. Check coverage first.

Tip: Pick an evening in the week before school breaks up, and name it in the note.

See options on Amazon ↗

A personalized family ornament

$12–25📦 Needs shipping

An ornament with the family’s name and the year goes on the tree every December after this one.

Watch out: You need each family’s name spelled right, and personalization adds one to two weeks. Let employees fill in a form.

See options on Etsy ↗

A Christmas picture book

$8–18📦 Needs shipping

A new book to read on Christmas Eve is a tradition in many families, and it’s cheap to buy in bulk.

Watch out: Only works for families with young kids. Give the others something else of the same value.

See options on Amazon ↗

A cozy throw for the couch

$18–25📦 Needs shipping

It ends up under whoever is watching the Christmas movie, and it gets used all winter.

Our pick: Bare Home Microplush Fleece Blanket

Microfleece, 300 gsm, washable; choose the throw size from the size menu.

★ 4.6 from 5,292 Walmart reviews

What 1–2★ reviewers say: 374 of 5,292 ratings are 1–2★, mainly shedding and a thinner feel than the photos suggest.

Watch out: It’s polyester, so expect some shedding at first; wash it once before wrapping.

See sizes at Walmart ↗Compare on Amazon ↗

A charity the kids choose

$10–50📧 Arrives by email

A charity gift card lets the family pick a cause together: an animal shelter, a food bank, a school. It teaches something and costs whatever you choose.

Watch out: Some kids will be disappointed next to a toy. Works best as an add-on, not the whole gift.

See charity gift cards (TisBest) ↗

An extra day off before the holidays

A day’s pay, no extra cost💚 Free or almost free

Time with the family is the one family gift nobody can buy themselves. A day off in mid-December is when school plays and shopping happen.

Watch out: Give shift workers an equivalent day they can actually use.

Printable “golden ticket” (PDF) →

♡ Your shortlist

Tap the heart on any idea, then send the list to your manager for approval.

Physical vs digital gift

Family gifts go to the home, not the desk. That makes digital gifts the easy option: no home addresses to collect, and nothing that has to survive the mail.

Criterion	📦 Physical	📧 Digital
No shipping or packing	✗	✓
No home addresses to collect	✗for remote staff	✓
Works for remote and international teams	✗customs, delays	✓
Can still order in mid-December	✗order by mid-Nov	✓
Something to unwrap	✓	✗depends on the gift

Why you should trust us

Who writes this. Andrei Zhizdra builds Santa AI, which made more than 14,000 Santa greetings for families last Christmas. HR teams asked us what to give instead of another mug, and this guide is the answer.

How we choose. We favor gifts people use every day, gifts that reach families, and gifts that don’t create shipping headaches. Prices are typical ranges at major US retailers. Our six tests

What we skip. Logo merchandise, scented products and anything that ends up in a drawer by January. Idea #1 is our own product, and we say so. How we make money

Questions HR teams ask

What is a good Christmas gift for an employee’s family?

Something the household shares: a call from Santa for the kids, a gingerbread or cookie kit, a family game, a movie night or dinner delivered. Shared gifts reach more people than a desk gift and get talked about at home.

What about employees who don’t have kids?

Give everyone the same value and let people choose. Most family gifts here also work for couples, roommates or someone living alone, and Santa for Teams has a grown-up version employees can pick for themselves. Never make a gift depend on someone telling HR about their family.

Do I need employees’ family details to send a family gift?

No, and you shouldn’t collect them. Send each employee a link or a code and let them fill in names themselves. That keeps children’s data out of HR records.

Are family gifts taxable?

In the US, small non-cash gifts such as a cookie kit or a game usually count as tax-free de minimis benefits. Cash, gift cards and delivery credit are taxable wages whatever the amount. Check with your payroll provider.

More gift guides

Remote employeesDigital gifts, no shippingRead the guide →Your work teamGifts from a manager to the teamRead the guide →Under $25The sweet spot for most teamsRead the guide →Office staffDesk upgrades and shared treatsRead the guide →

Or browse all our christmas gift ideas for employees.