Best Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas For The Boss (That Don’t Look Tacky)
Appropriate Christmas gifts for a boss should not be too personal, nor too expensive. The challenge becomes finding inexpensive Christmas gifts that don’t look cheap and tacky, as though bought straight off the discount store sales rack. Ideally, the whole office would pool their cash to buy the office manager or supervisor a more expensive present than any individual coworker could afford.
But when an employee must buy a gift individually, he or she can use these ideas to buy the best cheap Christmas gifts for the boss to avoid that holiday hurdle. Each of these holiday gifting suggestions is suitable for either a woman or man.
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Christmas Gift Book for Boss
A gift book for Christmas is a classic and fun gift that works well for a female or a male boss. A book gift will usually fall into one of four categories:
A humorous, funny gag gift book, such as:
- It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols by Michael P. Spradlin
- Santa Responds: He’s Had Enough and He’s Writing Back by Santa Claus
- Funny Poems for Christmas by Paul Cookson
A festive Christmas book, or one with a general holiday or winter theme, such as:
- The Hand-Carved Crèche and Other Christmas Memories by James Kilgo
A book on topics of interest to the boss, with perhaps a sports or hobby theme.
A beautiful book on a general topic, such as a coffee table book on Classic Christmas movies or another winter-themed topic that can be found for less than $20.
Homemade Christmas Gift Basket for Boss
Make a cheap Christmas gift basket by either buying a small basket like this one or simply filling in a decorated, plain shiny or frosted gift bag with tasty goodies. Toss in leftover Halloween chocolates, pretzels and homemade Christmas cookies to bulk up the bag, and a small bag of roasted nuts to add gourmet flavor without too much extra expense.
If care is taken, a homemade gift basket for the boss can cost less than $20. And if giving the boss a gift basket, it’s a good idea to spread the goodwill around and make another larger one, or separate mini-baskets for the rest of the staff. Buying holiday basket fillers in bulk like this one can save significant money.
Christmas Poinsettia Gift for Boss, Either Man or Woman
A plant for Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa is a warm, pleasant, neutral, and not-too-personal present suitable for a manager or supervisor of either gender and any faith. The traditional Christmas gift plant is a red poinsettia. The cost of a poinsettia ranges from $15 to $50.
A peace lily is another indoor plant that is available around the winter holidays and can survive for years in low light with minimal care, making it an excellent office plant. Present the peace lily plant to the boss with a red flocked bow or a star ornament to add a holiday theme.
Affordable Christmas Gifts for the Boss Don’t Need to Look Cheap
Modest, classic gifts are the way to go when gifting to managers and supervisors. In most cases, the boss appreciates any gift from the employee, however inexpensive, as long as it’s appropriate to give in a professional setting.
Etiquette says the gift should not be too expensive, anyway, and in many offices, giving a nice greeting card to the boss is good enough. These Christmas gift ideas for the boss are simple ways to reduce holiday spending and stress and brighten up the workplace beyond the Christmas season.
