I have three direct reports and want to get them each a small gift for the holidays - they are all female jr staffers aged 22/23 recent grads. My front runner idea is a bottle of veuve or a nice candle, but open to other ideas. Hoping to stay in 50-100 range for each + know they all drink alc. Would love other suggestions or ideas if anyone has any experience!

I bottle of veuve is a good idea — something special they might not get themselves and is festive. Candles are so subjective, could be a miss if a scent isn’t their fav. In the past I did Lush gift sets (lotion, bath bomb, etc) and they were pre-wrapped really cute

I do something from the list of high end candle / chocolate/ cookies / olive oil / teas / champs. Consumables generally, and the posh sort they might not buy for themselves.

I used to give Starbucks gift cards or Amex girt cards

Diptyque candles or Veuve are expensive and connote luxury. Don’t get coffee table books for 22/23 year olds.

Gift of choice IMHO… Think back to that age.. I’ll speak for myself I would rather have a gift card than a candle… I dunno if I was irresponsible or super underpaid or a combination of both but I was genuinely always teetering on the edge of starvation 😭😭😭 I would get gifted random things I’d always wish I could sell just to buy
basic necessities 🫠🫠 A gift voucher to what I think are called “department stores” your side of the world… In South Africa we typically gift mall cards so they’re not limited to one store but whatever is in the particular mall

You can get them a gift on Goody. Then they can exchange it for something else on Goody if they don't want what you picked. It's kinda fun because you can shop for your own little gift or keep what you got.

I have given nuts.com gift cards to my sr leads since covid (theme of buy your own “office snacks”). I no longer have to tell them alllll the things they have in the email, but do still make a joke about the URL. Spices, snacks, grains, pasta, coffee, tea, powders. They often share what they get and the. You get to debate chocolate covered orange rinds.

Coffee table book! You can definitely find some cool ones on advertising history/role related (design, creative, UX, digital…) or if you wanted to make it more personable tailor it to their interests (I.e, fashion, sports team, city, food,art)

Granted this did come from Ogilvy corporate and was the paperback version, but they gifted staff Ogilvy on Advertising coffee table-like book and I love it

I had a boss that did lunch + mani/pedi. I loved the unplugged time with her and was a nice pre-holiday treat if you have that kind of relationship

One year our team leader got her team Sugar Wish gifts and we all got to pick what we ordered and they shipped right to us. We couple pick between wine/cocktails, chocolate/candies, snack mixes, spa baskets. As a recipient, I thought it was a nice idea/best of both worlds!

This tea brand is based in Kenya and all proceeds put young women through school there. They also employ women. The tea is amazing and the box is also hand painted banana leaves. Here’s a box set: https://ajiritea.com/collections/all/products/gift-box

Anything self care. Travel size samplers gift type sets anywhere: Sephora, Nordstrom Rack, etc. Sephora is easy. Even Target.

I got really pretty notebooks for mine

Google fancy chocolate penguins by LA Burdick

i think you’re on the right track. candle might be tricky bc people don’t always share what kind of candles they like etc. also, it’s more obvious when everyone gets the same thing. bottle of champagne (something they can enjoy) + two champagne flutes (something they can have for a long time) from like a crate and barrel-priced store would be a thoughtful combo. it’s festive, consumable and won’t go bad if they don’t bring it with them over the holidays. i’d assume almost everyone in that age range is flying home for xmas

if you know they’re into fragrances, a sample set from a brand like le labo could be another good option. monogrammed LL bean boat and totes could be nice too as long as it doesn’t get super bridesmaid-y (not a script font, in a nice deep color) . silk scarves let you choose different patterns for each person (might feel a little old lady ish? depending on their style), cashmere touchscreen gloves from aritzia or nordstrom if you live somewhere cold. i was thinking maybe a nice aritzia hoodie? but knowing someone’s size (and preference for how the like their clothes to fit) is precarious

i think if you’re going to give a gift cert, uber is a really good one. whether they use it for food, it helps them out with getting to the airport for the holidays, or it can make it easier for them to get home safely. i’m not on a junior salary anymore and i still find it tough to cough up 40 for an uber when the subway is right there (even though it means being alone for another hour at like 3am) .

Try and find something that they can tell their friends and family that they were given - and which demonstrates how they are valued to everyone who they tell…

Thank you all!!!

For that price range, a nice candle from Le Labo would be nice. Santal 36 is THE BEST scent! A vendor got me this candle and it was life changing!