When to Order Corporate Holiday Gifts (Hint: Not December)

The Call We Got on December 1

A couple of years ago, right around December 1, we got a call about corporate holiday gifts gone wrong. A client had just received the custom ornaments they ordered for their staff. They looked great, with one problem. They said “Merry Christmas 2023,” but it was 2024.

They’d sent their vendor last year’s holiday graphic to work from. Nobody updated the year. The vendor said that was the client’s problem.

So they called us. We found a new ornament, updated the year, and delivered it in one week. It was close. Their staff got their ornaments in time for the tree, and nobody had to explain why the gift was a year old.

We can pull off saves like that sometimes. You don’t want to need one.

The Real Deadline Is Earlier Than You Think

Most companies start thinking about corporate holiday gifts in December. By then, the best options are gone.

Most holiday parties happen in the first two weeks of December. Count back from there and the real deadline lands in November. For some of the best stuff, it’s November 1.

How Long It Actually Takes

Every custom order goes through the same steps: proof, approval, production, shipping. Here’s what that looks like.

Standard apparel and promo products

• Art proof (or sewout approval for embroidery): about a day
• Production: about 2 weeks
• Shipping: a couple of days
• Total: roughly 3 weeks from approval

Factory-direct products (mugs, cutting boards, flashlights)

• 30 to 60 days, depending on production and shipping
• Sea freight saves a lot of money, but plan on 40 to 45 days
• This is why the November 1 deadline exists

Custom name-brand products

• Usually longer. Only a handful of decorators in the country can brand some of these, so we’re on their schedule.

Can we rush simple items in a few days? Sometimes. It’s stressful, it costs more, and in December it’s a gamble. If you plan ahead, you don’t need it.

Don’t skip the proof. That’s where somebody catches “2023.”

Corporate Holiday Gifts at Three Price Points

Around $10: The annual ornament. Do a new design every year and only at Christmas. After a few years, people start collecting them.

Around $25: The holiday shirt. We make Christmas t-shirts or sweatshirts for our staff and families every year, with a new design each time. People look forward to it. A name-brand gift set like a Burt’s Bees kit works here too.

$50 and up: The one they remember. This is where branded holiday gifts really pay off.

• Name-brand outerwear, like a North Face or Carhartt jacket with your logo embroidered
• A high-end backpack. Offices are moving away from messenger bags and toward backpacks.
• Electronics, like a JBL speaker paired with a portable charger
• A Solo Stove for the back porch
• Something unexpected. Last year we did custom Crocs for a client. People still talk about them.

What People Actually Keep

The most common mistake we see is buying trade show giveaways and calling them gifts. A logo pen is fine at a booth. As a gift, it tells people you grabbed whatever was cheapest, and they can tell.

The gifts that last are things people use at home: blankets, drinkware, outdoor gear, a nice cutting board, a jacket they wear on weekends. If it ends up in their kitchen or on their back porch, your logo is there every day.

Two rules we follow:

• Don’t skimp. Name brands cost more, and they’re worth it. People notice quality.
• Make it a Christmas-only thing. Don’t use the same item you hand out all year. A gift should feel like a gift.

Ordering early helps with both. More time means more options and better pricing, especially on factory-direct items.

Order Dates for Corporate Holiday Gifts

Whether you’re in Mooresville, Charlotte, or anywhere else, here’s when to have your order wrapped up:

Gifts for your staff (holiday party in early December)

• November 1 for factory-direct and overseas items. That’s when you get the best pricing.
• Mid-November for custom apparel we decorate in-house

Gifts you’re shipping to clients

• Plan to have them in your hands by December 5. That gives you four or five days to pack and ship them before the holiday shipping crunch.
• Don’t want to deal with shipping? We can ship directly to each of your clients. It costs more, but we’ll handle it end to end.

After those dates, we’ll do what we can, with no promises.

Send us your logo, and we’ll mock it up for free. No catalogs, no guessing. You’ll see what your gift looks like before you spend a dime.

Call us at 704.664.8337 or visit brandspeed.us to get started.