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It can be really difficult to shop for people you don’t know super well, so I wanted to put together a list of gift ideas for your village – the ones that keep you sane, help you out, and make your life run a little bit smoother. Bonus – the whole list shows gifts for under $25!
This gift guide has 25 of the best gifts for under $25 (mostly from Amazon!), all perfect for neighbors, coworkers, mail carriers, hostesses, UPS/FedEx drivers, hair stylists, nail techs, cleaning people, pet groomers, and babysitters. You could easily add a gift card or cash tip to many of these gift ideas as well!
I use this guide from Real Simple for tipping etiquette for stuff I have zero clue about (a doorman isn’t really a thing in suburban St. Louis, MO) so it’s a great resource if there’s someone super tricky you want to gift this season.
Everything on the list is under $25 and anything that’s over $25 comes in multiples meant to be split for several people on your list! And all of these gifts for under $25 are cute yet useful – because they don’t need another coffee mug or plate of cookies 😉
Here are 30 gifts for under $25 for your village for Christmas + tipping recommendations for all kinds of support staff 🙂
The Best Gifts for Under $25
2 // Stainless Steel Water Bottle
This brand is top-rated + love that it’s stainless steel and not plastic. Tons of prints and colors too!
3 // Wine Cooling Stick / Pourer / Aerator
this is a great inexpensive gift for a hostess or wine-lover – gift it alongside a bottle of wine.
5 // Cheese Knife
Pretty much the Cadillac of cheese knives – this one works on soft & hard cheese. My mom bought one for me and it’s amazing. Gift it with a good block of cheese if you’re heading to a party.
6 // Reusable Silicone Coffee Cup
Insane to me that 300 billion single-use cups are manufactured each year and only 1% are recycled SO I try to go reusable when & where I can. These are darling, silicone, come in 8 colors in various sizes, and would be great with a coffee gift card attached.
7 // Key Tags
These handmade leather key tags would be great for their keys – use code VALGIFTGUIDE5 for 5% off
8 // Tea Towels
A beautiful set that you could separate and use to wrap around wine bottles with a ribbon.
11 // Mini Measuring Spoons
Did you know there’s an actual measurement for ‘dash’ and ‘pinch’? True story! Would be cute with a little ribbon attached.
12 // Set of 14 Bath Bombs
anything with scents is pretty subjective so gift at your own risk but you can grab a set of 14 bath bombs for seriously a fraction of the cost of LUSH bath bombs – separate and gift in these bags – add a gift card/tip where needed :).
13 // Holiday Hand Soap
Buy a 6 pack of these and wrap them up with a cute string + sprig of rosemary to give as a gift! Add a gift card if necessary!
15 // Skinny Can Case
SO cute for the seltzer lover! Great reviews, great price – gift with a pack of Seltzer of her choice!
17 // Live Succulents
Another ‘bulk’ gift that you can separate and gift as smaller tokens of appreciation.
18 // Cheese Knives Gift Set
This is SO cute – love that all the knives stick to their little magnetic block!
20 // DIY Christmas in a Mason Jar
One of my very favorite gifts to make each year – I know the button below says ‘shop now’ but tap it for the how-to 🙂
21 // Unpaper Towels
Another gift to ‘split up’, these would be cute wrapped in a ribbon with a gift card. I’m grabbing a set for our house, too, to try to ditch paper towel waste!
22 // Knives
ok I know this gift seems weird… but it’s a great gift for coworkers or neighbors – the knives are great to keep at work for slicing fruit and each comes with a sheath so they’re secure!
23 // Silicone Wine Glasses
These are great for ANYTHING – they are super flexible, cannot break, dishwasher safe & stain-proof.
24 // Silk Pillowcase
Simply the best luxury gift at a bargain price point that you could buy. MAJOR love for these!
26 // Olive Oil
This bottle is gorgeous, the olive oil is delish, and it makes the perfect gift wrapped up in a bow! Easy peasy! shoutout to my friend Mika for the idea 🙂
27 // Scrubbies
My grandma used to make these and they’re a great little alternative to a sponge + would be cute added onto a gift card!
28 // Wine Opener
A great price on a foolproof wine opener! Would be nice to gift with a bottle of their fave wine.
29 // Reusable Grocery Bag Set
SUCH a great price on this set of 5 reusable bags that fold up TINY to store in a purse or car. Would be a cute gift to split + gift with a gift card!
30 // Perfect Pint
this has great reviews and was designed by beer scientists to be the best beer glass for optimal flavor. Gift it with a 6 pack of craft beer.
Wrapping Essentials for Gifts Under $25
White Gift Bags
One of my favorite ways to gift-give is to toss it into a white bag + slap a sticker label & pretty ribbon on and go! You can use them throughout the entire year too 🙂
Holiday Tipping Recommendations
What to tip a Nanny/Au Pair for Christmas?
One or two weeks pay as a bonus + a small personal gift… aka any of the above ;).
What to tip Daycare Staff for Christmas?
$25-$70 each per person who cares for your child. You could also order pizza or have lunch catered for the staff one day, or bring in bagels & coffee in the AM.
What to give a Teacher for Christmas?
Pooling money to buy a big gift certificate is always a win and I have a HUGE list of teacher-approved gifts here. If you’re gifting money or a gift certificate, I always attach them to these mason jars.
Do I need to tip Mail Carriers / Delivery Drivers?
Our mail delivery people and UPS/Fed Ex/Amazon drivers change regularly so I set out a snack basket full of goodies for them. If I had a steady person, I’d probably give a small gift card with one of these attached. Fun fact: the USPS prohibits gifts over $20 and FedEx allows a tip/gift up to $75 in value and UPS has no policy.
What are some good ideas for Hair Stylist and Nail Tech tips for Christmas?
Tip the cost of one entire service and I add one of these as well.
What do you tip a Cleaning Lady for Christmas?
The standard is a week’s worth of pay and we add one of these as well.
Tip ideas for a Pet Groomer?
Cash or gift equal to a grooming session.
Do you give the Dry Cleaner a tip for the holidays?
Do a group drop off, like a fruit basket or box of bagels + coffee.
What should I gift a Babysitter as a holiday bonus?
Cash or a gift equal to a night’s pay + a small personal gift.
Any other great ideas for gifts for under $25? Tell me in the comments!
More Gift Guides
Stacey says
Thank you for this! I feel like no one ever does a gift guide for the “village” and I have been stumped!
Kim says
Your gift guides are by far the best. I find at least 1 item in each list that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own or haven’t seen in other gift guides. Thank you for sharing!