Christmas Gifts for Remote Employees (No Shipping)

Food delivery credit

Dinner delivered on a busy December evening. It arrives by email and works in most cities.

Where it disappoints: Delivery apps cover cities, not everywhere, and service fees eat a small credit. Check coverage in every country and town on your list.

Tip: Check that the service operates in every country your team lives in.

An audiobook membership

A few months of audiobooks for walks and commutes that remote workers don’t have anymore.

Where it disappoints: Many people already have one, and non-readers never redeem it.

An online course subscription

A year of classes on anything from cooking to photography. It’s a generous gift for a small team.

Where it disappoints: Most course gifts are never started. Pair it with a team challenge or leave it for self-starters.

A virtual cooking or cocktail class

It’s a shared experience for people who never share a room. Pick one that sends an ingredient list, not a kit, so there’s nothing to ship.

Where it disappoints: Time zones make it awkward for global teams, and cocktail classes exclude people who don’t drink.

A home office stipend

Let people buy the chair cushion, lamp or headphones they actually need. It’s practical, and nobody gets the wrong size.

Where it disappoints: Without clear rules, people ask what counts. Write two lines on what it covers.

Tip: In the US a stipend is taxable like a bonus. Some companies reimburse receipts instead.

A meditation or wellness app

A year of a meditation or fitness app for people whose office is also their living room.

Where it disappoints: It can read as “we noticed you’re stressed” without fixing why. Don’t send it after a year of crunch.

A custom digital pet portrait

An illustrator draws each person’s pet from a photo and delivers a file. Every video call has a pet in it, and this gift gets used as a background.

Where it disappoints: Not everyone has a pet. Offer a portrait of a family photo or a favorite place instead.

A coffee subscription

A roaster ships fresh beans to the employee’s home. It needs an address, but the roaster handles shipping and timing.

Where it disappoints: It needs home addresses and doesn’t ship everywhere. Check countries before you promise it.

A charity donation of their choice

Send a code people use to donate to a charity they choose. It’s a gift that works in every country.

Where it disappoints: Unclaimed codes are common. Send a reminder, and decide what happens to unused funds.

An e-gift card they can spend anywhere

It never misses, and it arrives in seconds. The downside is that it’s impersonal, so pair it with a real note.

Where it disappoints: It feels transactional and is taxable in the US. Without a note it reads like a bonus that got smaller.

Tip: Gift cards are taxable wages in the US.

A virtual team party with a game host

A hosted trivia or game session is far better than another video call where someone shares their screen.

Where it disappoints: After a year of video calls, some people dread another one. Keep it short and optional.