Corporate Holiday Gift Ideas: Custom Apparel & Swag Your Team Will Actually Use

Every December, somewhere in America, an employee opens a company gift, finds a stress ball shaped like a lightbulb, and quietly puts it in the drawer with last year's stress ball shaped like a lightbulb.

Don't be that company. The best corporate gifts are things people would have bought themselves — a jacket they wear every cold morning, a tumbler that rides in the cupholder all year. And every time they use it, your logo comes along for the ride. That's the whole trick.

What are the best corporate holiday gifts for employees?

Things that get used weekly, not once. Here's what we see work, with real starting prices for the blank item before your logo is added:

Gift	Starting Price	Why It Works
Performance quarter-zip (Team 365)	$12.80	The office uniform of every Southern company. Light, washable, layers over anything.
Engraved glassware (Polar Camel)	$14.99	Rocks glasses, wine glasses, beer mugs — laser engraved, never fades.
Stretch quarter-zip (Devon & Jones Raleigh)	$24.80	The dressier step up — client meetings, sales teams, leadership.
Soft shell jacket (Team 365)	$27.30	Wind- and water-resistant, embroiders beautifully, worn all winter.
20 oz. tumbler (Polar Camel)	$29.99	Engraved, insulated, lives on the desk and in the truck.
Garment-dyed quarter-zip (Comfort Colors)	$38.80	The soft, lived-in feel younger teams love.
Puffer jacket (Independent Trading Co.)	$54.50	The "wow, they went all out" gift.

For apparel, the logo is priced instantly: open any item in our apparel collection, use the Add Decoration tool, pick Embroidery, enter your quantity, and the total appears. Drinkware and glassware live in our personalized tumblers and laser engraved gifts collections.

How much should you spend per person?

• Under $25 (big teams, clients): an embroidered performance quarter-zip or a piece of engraved glassware.
• $25–$50 (core employees): a stretch quarter-zip, a soft shell, or a tumbler-plus-glass combo.
• $50+ (leadership, top clients, milestone years): a puffer or heavyweight fleece jacket with a clean embroidered logo.

One tax note worth knowing: the IRS has long capped the deduction for business gifts at $25 per recipient per year, while gifts to employees follow different rules. We print shirts, not tax returns — so check with your accountant before you finalize the list.

How do you make logo gifts people actually wear?

• Go small and classy. A 3.5- to 4-inch left-chest logo beats a giant back print every time on a gift. People wear it to dinner, not just to work.
• Tone-on-tone looks expensive. Black thread on charcoal, navy on navy. Subtle reads premium.
• Get sizes first. A jacket that doesn't fit is a jacket in a closet. Send a quick size survey before you order.
• Make sure the logo embroiders well. Tiny text and thin lines don't stitch cleanly — our guide on designing a logo that embroiders well covers the fixes.

When should you order corporate holiday gifts?

Earlier than you think, because collecting sizes takes longer than production. Embroidery also needs your logo digitized before the first stitch. We laid out real lead times in Holiday Gift Ordering Starts Now: Lead Times Explained — and if your date is tight, call us before you order so we can tell you straight what's possible.

Sending something to clients too? A printed holiday card goes a long way — see our holiday card designs. And if you've already got artwork for a gift insert or card, upload it here.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good corporate holiday gift for employees?
Embroidered apparel like quarter-zips and soft shell jackets, plus engraved tumblers and glassware, are top choices because employees use them all year. Performance quarter-zip blanks start at $12.80 before the logo.

How much should a company spend on employee holiday gifts?
Many businesses spend under $25 per person for large teams, $25 to $50 for core employees, and $50 or more for leadership or top clients. Apparel and drinkware fit every one of those budgets.

Are business gifts tax deductible?
The IRS generally limits the deduction for business gifts to $25 per recipient per year, and employee gifts follow separate rules. Check with your accountant for your situation.

How big should a logo be on a gift jacket or quarter-zip?
A left-chest logo about 3.5 to 4 inches wide is the standard. It looks professional, embroiders cleanly, and makes the item something people wear outside of work.

How early should I order custom holiday gifts?
Start early enough to collect sizes and approve your logo, since those steps take longer than production. If your date is close, contact the shop before ordering to confirm what's possible.

Can you engrave tumblers and glassware with our logo?
Yes. We laser engrave Polar Camel tumblers, water bottles, and glassware with your logo, starting at $14.99 for glassware and $29.99 for a 20 oz tumbler.