The Christmas campaign is one of the few times of the year when a company can say «thank you» without needing a corporate excuse. Choosing the right Christmas gifts for employees It’s not just a nice gesture: it’s a real lever of motivation, retention, and workplace climate, provided it’s done with discretion and not as a last-minute procedure.
Beyond tradition, giving a gift at Christmas has a measurable effect: It strengthens the sense of belonging, closes the year on a positive note, and communicates that the team's effort has been appreciated.. The current context reinforces this idea: according to the Study on Occupational Well-being and Health in Spain 2026 by Edenred And Savia (MAPFRE), wage dissatisfaction has grown significantly over the past year, but more than half of the talent surveyed say that their company’s well-being measures — flexible compensation, emotional wage, Workplace health—it helps them accept that salary.
Wellbeing has ceased to be an extra benefit and has become the main factor that balances the perception of salary in Spain; this has a direct correlation: a large proportion of professionals consider changing jobs if their compensation does not improve, a trend that is intensifying among the younger generation. In this scenario, A well-thought-out detail at Christmas —even if it’s small— is part of that perception of care that weighs increasingly on team retention.
There is no one right formula. The best option depends on the size of the team, the available budget, and whether you work in an office, remotely, or in a hybrid model. These are the most common categories:
Gourmet baskets, local products, household items or low-cost technology. They work well in small and in-person teams, But they lose strength the more diverse the group is: what excites one person may not interest another at all.
Tickets for shows, weekend getaways, dinners, or wellness activities (spa, yoga, massages). They create memories, but require more logistics and do not always fit with teams spread across several cities.
It gives the employee complete freedom to choose what to buy and where, something that no other gift format achieves. Instead of the company deciding for the entire workforce, It is each person who decides what to spend it onClothing, technology, restoration, leisure, travel... according to their own tastes and needs at the time.
This makes them the An option that best addresses the diversity of a team, especially when different ages, personal situations, or very different interests coexist among departments.. In addition, they greatly simplify management: there’s no need to choose a single product for everyone, calculate sizes, manage individual shipments, or deal with returns if the gift doesn’t fit. The company charges the amount to a card or digital storage device, and the employee themselves takes care of the rest.
They are also the most practical alternative in Hybrid teams, Remote or multi-location systems, as they do not depend on coordinated physical delivery: they can be activated and used from any location, without logistical delays or additional shipping costs.
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If the goal is to achieve the expected results, here are some ideas that work well without spending the budget:
| Team situation | Recommended option |
|---|---|
| Small and in-person team | Physical gift or shared experience |
| Large team or with very different profiles | Gift card |
| Hybrid or remote team | Gift card or digital benefit, due to its ease of delivery |
| Adjusted budget | Additional free day or small detail accompanied by a personalized message |
In practice, the more people and the more diverse the profiles of the workforce are, the more the gift card becomes attractive compared to other options: it simultaneously solves the problem of personal taste and the logistics of delivery.
This is one of the most common tax questions at this time of year, and it is important to be precise because the treatment varies depending on the tax:
In a nutshell: Yes, the company can deduct the expense in Sociedades, but not the VAT, and the employee must pay tax on the value received.. This is an indicative summary; for the specific case of each company, it is advisable to confirm it with tax advice.
There is no single date, but there is a practical rule: it is better to deliver it before the holidays start and the office pace drops completely, usually. between the second and third week of December. Delivering it too late (the last week before Christmas Eve) makes many people not be able to enjoy it before they go to bed.
The moment of delivery is just as important as the date:
In large or distributed teams, this is precisely the point where choosing a format that is easy to manage centrally, without depending on sizes, shipping addresses, or individual preferences of each person, becomes more important.
Of all the alternatives, the gift card is the one that It manages to better balance two goals that sometimes seem opposed to each other.: give real freedom of choice to each person and simplify management for the HR team, without depending on sizes, individual preferences or shipping addresses.
With the Edenred Gift Card, Each employee can choose their own gift from a wide network of stores, and the company manages the delivery. centralized form with no logistical complications, This is especially useful in large, hybrid or distributed teams across multiple locations. If you’re looking for an option this year that works equally well for the entire team, regardless of their profile, it’s one of the simplest alternatives to set up before the key December dates arrive.
Throughout my HR career, I've learned that the true engine of any organisation is its people. My focus has always been on supporting individual and collective development, creating spaces where talent can grow and shine. I'm passionate about building organisational cultures based on trust, inclusion, and authentic commitment, convinced that when we care for people, we unlock real and sustainable success. Leading teams and projects with this vision drives me to keep learning and to inspire others to develop their full potential.
