Gift Ideas for People in WordPress

Office Signage

Managing the work-life balance can be a major struggle when you work from home. Design your own reversible “Open/Closed” sign, or send your team these classic signs with a custom message space. While it may not be a cure-all for the workaholic, the signs do provide a visual reminder of the importance to step away from the MacBook (at least to use the restroom and grab a Mountain Dew).

Float Tank Sessions

Who wouldn’t love the opportunity to float in a dark pod of highly salinated, skin temperature water? Float tank spas are springing up everywhere, and our founder Jason Coleman is a major fan. The experience, usually referred to as “sensory deprivation,” allows the floater to turn off every external stimulus and rest the entire body. I’m sure there are a few people on your list that could use some downtime. So if a week on the beach in Mexico isn’t possible, treat your stressed-out team lead to an hour of escape.  

Survival Garden Seeds

These days, the passing thought that “we’re all gonna die!!!” has become more common. Give the doomsday-ers on your team some peace of mind with these seed kits for the apocalypse. No prepper’s stash is complete without a collection of preserved, non-GMO, self-pollinating, heirloom seeds. I mean, how could we survive without Dragon Kale and Kohlrabi? Check out Open Seed Vault or the Legacy Premium Basic Garden. Hopefully they’ll never have to use the gift.

Smart Speakers

Assistive devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home offer a variety of features, from streaming your music, helping you build to-do lists, making quick purchases online, or setting an alarm hands-free. We’d like to take the features a step further and give you, the gift giver, something in return. After gifting everyone on your team your preferred device, host a hackathon among the team to code a new app for the device. When doing this, try to get their device access keys. Now you can “measure their productivity” (i.e. spy on them) and they’ll never suspect a thing!

Movie Theater Tickets

All joking aside, building community and rapport in a distributed team can be a major challenge. Why not sync up and go see the same movie in your area (at roughly the same time) then hop on a Hangout to share your thoughts (I laughed, I cried, I fell asleep).

Send each team member a gift card or give them a bump in pay that week so the event is covered. This could become a quarterly or bi-annual event, or just timed when that hot new film hits theaters (Star Wars, anyone?).

Next-level Notepads

These quirky sticky notes and note pads from Knock Knock will get you ROFL. Check out the Today’s Plan of Attack notes for the overachiever on your gift list. Or, for the customer-facing person that needs to get their frustration out, see the Paper Tantrum notes. Need to brighten someone’s day? Grab yourself a Notes for Grumps Fill in the Love® book and get ready to share little pick-me-ups throughout the year.

Wine

What do you do when you’ve lost your faith in humanity? When you’re unable to unplug, stop, and let go? Some people meditate or do Yoga, but in a pinch a great glass of wine is all that’s needed to put one right again.

Gift a bottle (or four) of your friend’s favorite wine in a nifty gift bag—like this Harry Potter “Accio Wine” bag on Etsy. Or, for the gift that keeps on giving, check out a wine club such as Rewined by Traveling Vineyard or the Winc Wine Club. There’s also a new-ish subscription service called Vinebox that sends wine by the glass in an elegant tasting collection every month. Go this route if you’d like to extend the enjoyment of wine with a bit of wine education. It’s a win-win.

Groovebook Photo Prints

Groovebook is a subscription service that sends photo books generated from your mobile device’s library. This is a super cool gift for almost everyone, but particularly for the people on your list that work with visual art. The monthly photo book (hopefully) reminds us that, hey, we aren’t just working all the time, right? I did actually go outside one day this month. Go me.

Meditation Tools

If you’re gifting to an avid meditator, or someone that should start, gifts to support meditation are a great idea for any client- or customer-facing person on your team. While you don’t need any physical items to participate in mindful meditation, there are a few cool gifts that support finding your zen. Check out this Zafu Meditation Cushion by Gaiam, available in a variety of colors and doubling as the perfect pet bed. Or, help them to focus and become more monk-like with a set of Mala beads for meditation—Etsy has loads of options.

Prints on Metal, Wood, or Canvas

We mostly work on digital products, so how can we turn these virtual work products into reality? Print them! First you’ll need to find a beautiful wireframe, mockup, website, ad, campaign, or other design that the recipient was particularly proud of. Then, find your favorite printing company such as these Shutterfly Metal Prints, WoodSnap Prints on Wood, or Canvas Prints by Canvas Champ.

Note: this works with code too. Why not print a beautiful block of code—that 100% meets the WordPress Coding Requirements—out for your developers, too? It’s an interesting piece of wall art that your developer can place on the wall in their office (or bedroom, basement, or garage depending on the individual).

Felt Letter Boards

Everyone who is anyone is getting in on this retro letter board trend. These throwback boards allow your recipient to set the tone for their workspace with a pertinent message just for them. Search your favorite online shopping marketplace for “Felt Letter Boards” to see loads and loads of options. I like this simple “The Poet” option from Letterfolk. Ship the gift directly to your recipient, or deliver it to yourself so you can customize with the first message just for them. Some classics: “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”, or “Coffee: Because crack is bad for you”.

Pixel Pictures Coloring Books

If you know someone whose motto is: “A place for everything and everything in its place,” then a pixel coloring book is for them. Think graph paper + map legend + awesome. Each pixel block maps to a specific color, and the image reveals itself as you complete the coloring page. I’m a fan of the Pixel Pictures collections available on Mudpuppy and possibly a limited selection at your local Target. This gift is also recommended to treat PTSD when dealing with a problem client, customer, boss, or maybe even the day’s political news.

Coffee for Fancy Adults

Ditch the tired K-Cups and perform a system upgrade for the coffee lover on your list. Check out the Chemex line of pour-over coffee accessories or transport them to Italy with a classic Bialetti Stovetop Moka. No coffee gift is complete without…coffee. Round out this gift with a subscription to Bean Box, gift card to Starbucks, or a few bags of your personal favorite roast.

Beard Support

Let’s face it—beards are here to stay. I’ve spoken to our resident beard guy, Andrew Lima, and got the lowdown on his favorite grooming products. Check out the Honest Amish line of Beard Balm and Beard Oil. If you’re looking for an easy gift for your bearded bud, check out the subscriptions from The Beard Club and Badass Beard Club.  

Bozo Bop Bag

It’s generally frowned upon to punch another person in the face. So, why not punch a bop bag? Frustration in the workplace is a real thing, and I believe in finding a safe way to destress. For some, stress is reduced through mediation, for others it’s something more physical. Check out the classic Bozo Bop Bag, available in a full size 46” height or more respectable table-top version at Amazon. You can also opt for a more staid version of a punching bag (just search your favorite shop for options) and design your own custom theme.

Rush Hour (puzzle game)

This is the gift for any person that loves a big picture challenge—and the sheer joy that comes with positive outcomes. Rush Hour® by ThinkFun presents “traffic jam” scenarios where the goal is to get your car through the puzzle by only moving other cars forward or back. Feed your endorphins with a “quick win” when other work stress may not be so easily resolved. Similar mini-games like this include Kanoodle®, Cat Stax and Flexi Puzzle™. Or, go classic with a Tangram set. I like this twist on the classic Egg Tangram set from UncommonGoods.

Boogie Board Tablets

When you’re a visual person, note taking on a traditional mobile device or laptop can be a bit lacking. Check out all the products from Boogie Board—from the Original Jot™ to the Blackboard Letter™. Gone are the loads of scrap paper notes and notebooks (Jason, I’m talking about you). Plus, the boards double as both a functional work tool and an on-the-go board for family games of tic tac toe or pictionary. Parenting small children FTW.

WordPress Swag

Joking aside, the WordPress Swag Store does include some pretty neat stuff. Check out the Accessories tab for some alternatives to the classic WordPress t-shirts. You’ll find a WordPress beach towel, cell phone cover, scarf, pennant, and even a stuffed Wapuu.