Church Staff Christmas Gifts Under $30, and How to Order Them for the Whole Team
The church office on the second Tuesday of December smells of coffee and toner. The treasurer is working on the budget. The secretary is on the phone with the furnace repair company. The youth leader is looking at a spreadsheet of who is bringing what to the Christmas Eve service, and the board chair has put his head in the door to ask what the church is doing for staff gifts this year.
The honest answer, most years, is that someone remembers the week before and runs to the store.
Short answer: a good staff Christmas gift under $30 is one that is useful, has a person's name on it and was chosen early. Our mugs and prints run $25 to $29, and a church can order 10 to 200 at once.
This guide is for the person who got handed the job. It's built around a budget of $30 a person or less, because it's an amount a board can usually agree on quickly. Seven ideas follow. Four are gifts you can order from us, priced in Canadian dollars and checked on 24 Oct. Three are free or close to it, and a couple of those are worth more than the others.
Four gifts from our shop
Names of Christ Mug, $25 for the 11 oz size. Isaiah 9:6 names, stacked around the mug in graded type, with an optional name at the base. It's a Christmas mug that's still a good mug in February. Best for: the secretary, the custodian or the music director. Not for: a staff member who has told you, kindly, that they have enough mugs.
Your Labour Is Not in Vain Print, $25 for 8x10 in and $29 for 11x14 in. It's 1 Corinthians 15:58 with a name and a church beneath, meant for a study or an office. Frame not included. Best for: a pastor, an administrator or a long-serving volunteer coordinator. Not for: a team member who has just started and may not want a wall decided for them.
The Word Became Flesh Print, $25 for 8x10 in and $29 for 11x14 in. John 1:14, with plenty of margin around it. It is a quiet piece that goes with almost any room. Best for: the staff member who likes plain things. Not for: anyone who wants a picture of the manger.
Pastor Appreciation Mug, $25 for 11 oz. It carries the pastor's name, the church's name and Paul's words from Philippians 1:3. If the pastor is on staff, this is the one that makes it from the board to the office desk. Best for: the senior pastor or an associate. Not for: the rest of the team, since the name field is the pastor's.
A church order of 10 to 200 pieces can carry a different name on every mug and print. You send us the list, we send back a proof of each one, and nothing is made until you have approved it.
Three that cost less
A handwritten card from the whole board. One sentence per person, signed. It costs a stamp and ten minutes at a meeting, and it's what a staff member will remember. Best for: every team. Not for: a card that is signed with initials only.
A pooled gift card from the congregation. Collect a few dollars at coffee hour and give the total to the staff member's favourite local restaurant. We don't sell gift cards, but they work for a lot of people. Best for: a team member you don't know well. Not for: a congregation that can't give anonymously, because then it stops being a gift and starts being a poll.
An extra day off. If the office closes the Monday after Christmas, say so out loud and put it in the card. It costs a church nothing it wasn't going to spend. Best for: anyone whose Christmas week is the busiest of the year. Not for: a team with a funeral on the books.
What $30 buys across a team
Say a church has six staff members and a small budget. Six single mugs at $25 come to $150 before shipping and HST. If the board orders ten or more pieces through our church page, the price per piece comes down, and the exact number is in your quote, not in this guide. If your team is under ten, you can order the gifts one at a time from the shop. Either way, give yourself a few days for printing and shipping, and look at the order-by dates on the church page before you set a date.
The verse for staff
Paul wrote to a church that was tired, and he finished by telling them the work had a point.
Always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:58, KJV)
A staff gift is a small way of saying that out loud.
How we chose
Every gift here is one we sell, so there are no affiliate commissions in this guide. Prices are in Canadian dollars and were checked on 24 Oct. Our shop ships across Canada with no duties, and each item is printed to order by our production partner. A church order of 10 to 200 pieces gets a quote and a proof within one business day, and nothing is made or charged until the church approves. You can read how we choose on our disclosure page.
Questions people ask
- How much should a church spend on staff Christmas gifts? That's the board's call. The mugs and prints above fit a $30 limit, and whatever you choose, it's kind to give the same amount to everyone on the team.
- Can we order the same gift for the whole staff? Yes, from 10 to 200 pieces on our church page.
- How long does it take? Printing takes a few business days, and shipping is on top. The church page lists order-by dates.
- Do the prices include shipping? No. Shipping is one shipment to one address, quoted for your postal code, plus HST.
- Is $30 enough? A card and a mug that someone chose on purpose usually go further than a gift that cost more and was bought in a hurry.
Browse more in our pastor and staff gifts.