Holiday gifts for a team that celebrates differently

Every November, someone in HR opens a spreadsheet and starts planning holiday gifts. And every November, the same question comes up a little later than it should: which holiday are we celebrating, exactly?

On most teams, the honest answer is “several, and some people celebrate none.” A program built around Christmas quietly tells part of the team that the company was not thinking of them. A program that tries to cover every holiday by name can turn into a calendar nobody can keep up with. There is a better middle path, and it starts with changing what the gift is for.

Make it an end-of-year thank-you

Frame the gift as an end-of-year thank-you. You are recognizing what the team did together over twelve months, and the timing happens to be December.

That framing works for everyone. It does not ask anyone to adopt a holiday that is not theirs, and it does not single anyone out. Many companies already do this with their party: an end-of-year celebration instead of a Christmas party, chosen specifically because the team comes from many backgrounds. The gift can follow the same logic.

Practical details that make the framing land:

• Name it plainly. “A thank-you for this year” in the card, not a holiday greeting that assumes one tradition.
• Pick neutral packaging. Winter colors work. Ornaments, trees, and Santa do not.
• Time it for the first half of December. Arriving then reads as an end-of-year gesture for everyone, regardless of what they celebrate after.

Let people opt in to the holidays they do celebrate

Some companies want to go further and mark specific holidays: Hanukkah, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Eid, Christmas. That is a generous instinct. The risk is assuming who celebrates what based on a name or a background, which is how well-meant programs end up awkward.

Ask once, and let people choose. A short opt-in at onboarding or at the start of the year (“Which of these, if any, would you like us to mark?”) turns a guessing game into a list. It also gives you a clean answer for the people who would rather not be celebrated at all.

Plan for the people who don’t celebrate

Not every employee wants a birthday gift or a holiday gift. Some decline for religious reasons, some for personal ones. They still want to be part of the team.

Two habits keep those employees included rather than excluded:

1. Opt them out of the occasion, not the program. Someone who does not celebrate birthdays can still receive a work anniversary gift or an end-of-year thank-you.
2. Never make the opt-out public. No “everyone except” announcements. The less visible the exception, the better.

Watch what’s in the box

A gift that works for most of the team can still miss badly for one person. The common misses we hear about:

• Alcohol. Wine and spirits are a classic year-end gift, and a poor one for someone who does not drink, is pregnant, or is in recovery. Many companies remove alcohol from the options entirely.
• Food with restrictions. Kosher, halal, vegetarian, and allergy needs are common. Choose items that are clearly labeled or offer a non-food alternative.
• Religious imagery. Even small decorative touches can shift a neutral gift into a holiday one.

Give people a choice

Let each person pick from a short, curated set. A curated choice respects differences without requiring you to know everyone’s preferences in advance. It also means a single program can serve a team spread across many backgrounds, because nobody is receiving a gift chosen on their behalf by someone who guessed.

A good set has five to ten options at one price point, mixes categories (a treat, something practical, something to do), and includes at least one option with no food or alcohol in it.

A simple year-end plan

If you are starting now, here is a plan that fits most teams:

1. Decide on one end-of-year thank-you for everyone, with a fixed budget per person.
2. Send a short opt-in for specific holidays and record the answers.
3. Remove alcohol and anything with religious imagery from the default options.
4. Offer a small curated choice so people can pick what suits them.
5. Send it in the first half of December, with a card that thanks people for the year.

Thankscrate runs holiday gifts the same way it runs birthdays and anniversaries: you turn on the occasion, set the budget, and each person picks from a curated set. You can see how it works on our holidays page.