Happy Box Blog — Holiday Gifts

Our gift to all employers this holiday season is not gate-keeping this critical gift-giving truth nugget. So here it is: the one thing that takes a team gift from lame to LOVE IT is personalization. Here’s why:

1. By customizing a gift to their preferences, you’re making your team feel like you really see and appreciate them (which is so critical in a remote-work world). Plus, it means avoiding the dreaded, “I’m allergic” and “oh…I don’t drink,” convos. So you’re welcome.
   
   
2. Personalizing shows you’ve spent time and were thoughtful. Unlike, say, a digital gift card which screams, “I spent 2 minutes thinking about this.”
   
   
3. It may be the thing that keeps them from job hunting in the new year. 80% of employees who quit their jobs say lack of appreciation was a core reason, even above salary and bonus (Source: OC Tanner). In remote environments the feeling of appreciation and being “a part of the team” is hard to accomplish, which is why moments like these are the perfect opportunity to make a real difference.

It’s the holiday season - show your team you love them and appreciate them in the most professional and seasonally appropriate way with something unique this year. Happy Box is a great place to start. We’ll help you curate the PERFECT personalized gift, and we’ll handle all the details (like handwriting your cards for you and shipping to each doorstep). Think of us as your personal gifting assistant. What’s more, we’re certified women and minority owned and we source many of our gifts from other diverse-owned businesses, so you can feel great about gifting with us.

Ready to get gifting? Shop all holiday gift offerings here. You can build an individual care package in a few clicks or let them pick their own gift with Gift Instantly. Want bulk orders and robust branding on items and packaging? We do that too: reach out to our team about custom corporate gift offerings for the whole team. 

Amanda Green, Content Writer

With holiday shopping close to reaching its peak, it’s important to remember to shop small this holiday season--and every season! As a small, women-owned business that invests in other small businesses, Small Business Saturday is very important to companies like Happy Box as it gives local businesses increased exposure to help consumers find new, great brands and companies.

For this year’s Small Business Saturday we wanted to highlight just a few of the amazing small business vendors we source some of our products from, and we wanted to hear from them why it’s important to shop small this holiday season!

Wax Cabin Candle Co.
Founded in 2016, Wax Cabin Candle Co. seeks to light up the room – your room – with your favorite scents. Scents that make you feel lovely, cozy…and even boozy! 

Jennifer Gunn, founder and chandler of Wax Cabin Candle Co. says it’s important to shop small because “Small businesses build products with sweat and yes… sometimes tears! They have heart and hope in each product and a sale contributes directly to the strength of my business and family.” You can shop her candles on our Build a Box option and on her website here! Fun fact: we started a podcast about business and beyond with Jen called the Totally Happy Podcast. We’d love it if you had a listen!

Gumball Poodle
Just in time for the winter season, Gumball Poodle creates fun and creative socks that “lets you tell the world what you think without saying a word.” Their snarky sayings on their socks are what differentiates them from other brands and makes them so popular. 

According to Gumball Poodle’s founder Erica Easley, “Independent brands are led by artists, hustlers, and dreamers. They are the vibrant connection between humanity and industry. There is no better way to support creativity and community than shopping small!” Shop Gumball Poodle on our Build a Box option or on their website here!

Copper Cow
Copper Cow is on a mission to bring you barista-free lattes that are made with carefully vetted Vietnamese coffee beans and whole, natural ingredients.

Debbie Wei Mullin, Founder, says “Small-business founders are passionate about what they do and how their work makes a positive impact. When you support Copper Cow Coffee, you’re supporting a woman-owned business and sustainable coffee farms in Vietnam.” 

Shop Copper Cow on our Build a Box option AND Curated Gift Boxes or on their website here!

Faithwaites
Faithwaites is a York, UK-based design shop making fun stuff for you, your home or the people you love. They have the cutest products that are perfect for anyone on your list this year from totes, to tee-shirts, and children’s clothing! 

Cat Spilman, founder of Faithwaites says, “Supporting a small business isn't only about financially supporting someone's hard work, it's about making interpersonal connections that are too often overlooked today. You're connecting with a maker, and helping to build a chain of thoughtful interaction which is rewarding on so many levels.” Make sure to include some of the onesies we offer in your next gift box when you build your own or shop them on their website here!

Astor Chocolate 
Astor Chocolate is a family owned business that began in 1927 in Czechoslovakia and moved to the US in 1950. Four generations of chocolate making! What makes them so successful is that their chocolate is a combination of European quality and American innovation!

Tori Halfon, Director of Sales and Operations believes supporting a small business is important because “small businesses are the lifeblood of our nation. Small businesses employ over half of the total workforce in the US and supply half the GDP for our nation; yet they are more fragile and reliant on support than mega-companies. Small businesses can’t survive long in the face of disaster, and the past 2 years have been disastrous for most small businesses in multiple complex ways. It’s more important than ever to shop small”. Make sure to include one of their many Moodibars when you Build a Box with us or you can shop their products on their website here!

Binnie & Clode
Binnie & Clode is a small startup with both a passion for creating candles and home products with a minimalist design and for giving back to the earth and its inhabitants. They create beautifully designed and scented candles. Did we mention that a portion of proceeds from every product is donated to animal rescue and environmental organizations? 

Federico Schauvinhold, owner, says he loves running a small business because “it allows me to give back to my community. I enjoy connecting with my customers and hearing their thoughts on my products. As a small business, I'm able to pivot much more easily based on customer feedback.”  Shop their products with our Build a Box option or view them on their website here!

We hope this list has given you some gifting suggestions if you are trying to shop small this year! 

Read more:

• A Letter from the Founders: Why it's so Important to Shop Small this Holiday Season

Client gifting for the holidays is easy, if you know the right “formula.” Luckily, at Happy Box, we’ve curated and shipped tens of thousands of corporate gifts, so we have seen what gift thematics and what types of gift combinations work best.