Christmas gifts for coworkers in India: small year-end presents for the people at the next deskChristmas gifts for coworkers in India: small year-end presents for the people at the next desk

December at work, and who you are actually buying for

In an Indian office, Christmas gifting between coworkers is usually small and informal. Someone brings plum cake, a few people hand out little presents before the year-end leave, and there may be a Secret Santa on top. You are not the company buying for everyone; you are one person giving to three, five or ten people you like working with. That changes the rules: keep it light, keep it equal, and keep it cheerful.

Three handmade soy wax candles from Raajkosh carry our Christmas tag, and they fit this well:

• Spiral Pillar Candles, Rs 179 each, or Rs 799 for five colours (ivory, pink, blue, yellow, navy). A twisted pillar is the most Christmas-looking shape we make.
• Braided Candles, Rs 849 for four round candles with plaited rims in pink, blue, butter yellow and peach. Grouped on a table, they read like a small wreath.
• Vanilla Reverie, Rs 549: an amber glass jar with a black lid and gold flakes. Vanilla is the classic winter smell, and this is our only scented candle.

Planning gifts for a whole group of colleagues

The trick with a group is to buy once and split. A few worked examples at today's prices:

Splitting a set is fine as long as you wrap each piece. Use the gift packaging option on the product page for the box, then tie each candle in tissue with a name tag.

Cheap, easy and still festive

If the budget is under Rs 200 a head, a single spiral is the one piece we make at that price. Tie it with a red or green ribbon and a two-line card and it looks like more than it cost.

If you want it to feel a bit more planned, give each person one round candle from the Braided set and a slice of plum cake from your local bakery on the same day. The candle stays after the cake is gone.

Avoid anything romantic for coworkers at Christmas: our heart, rose and teddy candles are made for partners, not the person in the next cabin.

Secret Santa and holiday gifting are not the same job

If your office runs a Secret Santa, you buy for one person you drew, usually to a set budget. Our Secret Santa guide under Rs 500 covers that. This page is for the gifts you choose to give on top, to the people you work with every day.

If HR or the founder is buying for the whole company with a logo, that is a company order with a GST invoice: see Raajkosh corporate gifting.

Other holiday presents coworkers like

Candles are not for everyone. Plum cake or cookies from a good bakery, a box of hot chocolate or coffee, a small succulent, a winter mug, or a nice notebook for the new year are all easy, safe holiday gifts for colleagues. Gifting portals and local bakeries do these well, often with same-day delivery in big cities. Choose a candle when you want the gift to look like a decoration and last into January.

Ordering in time for the office party

We dispatch in 24 to 48 hours, and delivery takes 2 to 7 days after dispatch across India. We cannot promise a date, so order early in December and check the delivery estimate for your pincode on the product page. Orders of Rs 999 or more ship free; below that shipping is Rs 79. Payment is prepaid only, with no cash on delivery. Report damage within 24 hours of delivery and we replace or refund it.

A line for the card: these are for home. Trim the wick to about 5 mm, keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours, and never leave a lit candle alone.