# Who Gets a Holiday Gift? Part-Time, Seasonal and Brand-New Staff, and the Rules Owners Use for Bonuses

Everyone working for you in December gets the holiday gift, part-time, seasonal and brand-new staff included, while any bonus follows a written rule on hours or tenure. Owners in a 2026 r/smallbusiness thread tie the bonus to a rule like that; one gives a bonus of "$75 for part time and $150 for full time."

*We sell a $35 logo mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too, and it's information, not employment-law advice.*

**Key facts**
- **"$75 for part time and $150 for full time":** one small business's pre-Christmas bonus ([r/smallbusiness, Sept 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/)).
- **Tenure rules owners described:** "$50 for new employees and $100 for every year they have worked for me"; "an extra paycheck if they've been there a year or more ($250 gift card for less than a year)" (same thread); "An extra paycheck (two weeks pay). If less than a six month tenure $500" ([r/smallbusiness, Dec 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/18o6ghs/)).
- **A written rule, in one owner's words:** "you must be an employee in good standing at the time the bonus (or incentive compensation) is paid" ([r/smallbusiness, Dec 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1hfoc6p/)).
- **82% of employees** expect "a thoughtful, personalized note with their gift" (Snappy's 2025 survey; Snappy is a gift platform and doesn't publish its sample size) ([Snappy](https://www.snappy.com/blog/what-employees-really-want-this-holiday-season-2025-insights-every-leader-needs-to-drive-stronger-results-in-2026)).

## Who Gets What: The Short Version

This is our suggestion, built from the rules owners described in the threads below. The gift column is about fairness; the bonus column is where your written rule does the work.

| Who | The holiday gift | A bonus | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-time staff | Yes | Yes, by your rule | The baseline |
| Part-time staff | Yes, the same gift | Scaled by hours | A smaller gift tells part-timers they're a smaller part of the team |
| Hired this fall | Yes, the same gift | By your tenure rule (the owners' rules below give a smaller first-year amount) | They're on the team the day you hand it out |
| Seasonal workers still on the team | Yes, the same gift | Your call; some owners pay one to bring people back | A gift that skips the person beside you is noticed |
| Someone who has given notice | Yes, the same gift | By your written policy; ask an employment lawyer first | The gift thanks the year; the bonus can be a wage-law question |
| On leave | Yes, the same gift, mailed home (our suggestion) | By your rule | Leaving someone out reads as a judgment |
| Agency temps and contractors | The same gift, once you've read the IRS texts below | They aren't on your payroll; their agency or contract sets their pay | Two IRS texts speak to them (see the IRS box below) |

## Should Part-Time Employees Get a Christmas Gift?

Yes: the same gift as everyone else. The bonus is where hours can count, and owners say so plainly. In a September 2026 r/smallbusiness thread on employee Christmas gifts ([thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/)), one reply gave a two-tier rule: "We do a bonus on their pay before Christmas. We're not a huge company but we give $75 for part time and $150 for full time."

Splitting the gift itself by hours is where it goes wrong. The same box in every hand is what makes a team feel like one; a cheaper version for part-timers turns the gift into a ranking, and the people ranked lower will notice before anyone else does.

## Should a New Employee Hired in November Get a Holiday Gift?

Yes: if they're on the team the day you hand out gifts, they get the same gift. The bonus can follow tenure, as in these owners' rules:

| The owner's rule (their words) | What a November hire gets | Source |
|---|---|---|
| "$50 for new employees and $100 for every year they have worked for me" | $50 | [r/smallbusiness, 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/) |
| "an extra paycheck if they've been there a year or more ($250 gift card for less than a year)" | A $250 gift card | [r/smallbusiness, 2026](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/) |
| "An extra paycheck (two weeks pay). If less than a six month tenure $500" | $500 | [r/smallbusiness, 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/18o6ghs/) |

Every one of those rules gives a new hire something. In an August 2026 thread about a different occasion, a wedding gift for a part-time hire of a few months, one reply put the principle in a line: "Get a gift you'd get a long term employee you like. Be the kind of boss that encourages long term workers" ([r/smallbusiness](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1w1bvss/)).

## Do Seasonal Workers Get a Holiday Gift?

If they're working when you give it, yes. A seasonal business can have its own reason to be generous: wanting the same people back. One owner who pays "Roughly an extra paycheck" explained: "We are seasonal and lay off workers in December most years. I like to leave them with a good taste in their mouth so they'll be more likely to come back next year. It's also keeps the guys around in November if hours are getting a little tighter" ([r/smallbusiness](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/)).

The same owner added a warning that applies to every row of the table above: "No matter what you do please don't have an expectation of appreciation. Treat it like part of their pay package."

## What About Someone Who Has Given Notice?

This is the question that splits the thread. In December 2024, a poster on r/smallbusiness wrote that an employee gave two weeks' notice the day before bonus checks were processed, and asked whether withholding the bonus was wrong ([thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1hfoc6p/)). The poster later clarified: "I didn't CANCEL the bonus. It wasn't in the works. I just didn't give him one." The comments split hard:

| Keep the bonus for current staff | Pay it for the year worked |
|---|---|
| "Bonuses are bonuses. You can give them/not give them for any reason you want." | "A Christmas bonus is a thank you for the past year, not a bribe for the next year." |
| "Employees bonuses not tied to performance are an incentive to continue employment." | "A bonus is a reward for work well done. Not a retainer for future employment." |
| "While the amount of the bonus is based on the past year's performance, you get it for being there when the bonus is paid out." | "You also encourage people to wait and quit with no notice the day they get the bonus." |

Two facts come out of the thread. First, the other employees were watching: the poster wrote that coworkers "feel it's not fair because he worked almost the entire year." Second, a few replies went straight to the written policy: "Do you have a written policy on bonuses?" one asked. One owner whose policy requires being "an employee in good standing at the time the bonus (or incentive compensation) is paid" still wrote, "In short - I would have paid it."

Whether a bonus you've promised or announced can be withheld can turn on your written policy and your state's wage rules. Ask an employment lawyer or your payroll provider before you decide. The gift is simpler: someone still on your team in December gets the same gift as everyone else.

## Agency Temps, Contractors and Gifts: What the IRS Says

People who work with you but aren't on your payroll, such as agency temps and 1099 contractors, raise their own tax questions. Two IRS publications speak to them, and neither settles a particular case on its own. Publication 15-B, on fringe benefits:

> "A person who performs services for you doesn't have to be your employee. A person may perform services for you as an independent contractor, partner, or director." …
>
> On de minimis benefits: "For this exclusion, treat any recipient of a de minimis benefit as an employee."
>
> Source: [IRS Publication 15-B (2026)](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15b), read Oct 29, 2026.

Publication 463, on business gifts:

> "You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year." …
>
> "Incidental costs, such as engraving on jewelry, or packaging, insuring, and mailing, are generally not included in determining the cost of a gift for purposes of the $25 limit. A cost is incidental only if it doesn't add substantial value to the gift. For example, the cost of gift wrapping is an incidental cost. However, the purchase of an ornamental basket for packaging fruit isn't an incidental cost if the value of the basket is substantial compared to the value of the fruit."
>
> Source: [IRS Publication 463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463), "For use in preparing 2025 Returns", read Oct 29, 2026.

Which text governs a gift to a given temp or contractor, and how to record it, is a question for your tax professional. More: [employee gifts and taxes](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-rules/employee-gift-taxes).

This is information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current rule (or ask your tax professional) before you send.

## Do I Have to Give Everyone the Same Gift?

For the gift, yes: that's the whole point of this page. For the bonus, no, as long as the rule is the same for everyone. An owner who pays bonuses by time with the company put it best: "that way it is not subjective, and everyone gets it. No one can really complain theirs or less than someone else's because its just a straight calculation based on time of service" ([r/smallbusiness](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/)).

Let the note carry the personal part: a line about this year means as much to a November hire as to a ten-year veteran. Wording, including messages that work for the whole team: [employee holiday card messages](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages/employee-holiday-card-messages).

## Can You Ship Everyone's Gift Yourself?

Yes: you can pack and ship a gift to each person yourself, and by our estimate 25 logo mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work, plus a week or more waiting for supplies to arrive. The estimate is for 25 boxes: a mug printer and its proof, about 8 supply orders, labels, cards, and about 8 minutes of packing a box. Per box, it comes out about even with ours: about $38 with USPS counter postage and about $34 with commercial postage, with $1,192.84 paid up front for the mugs, the retail supply packs and 25 postage labels ([our DIY cost comparison](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering), as of Oct 29, 2026). A wrong or stale address sends a box away and back.

Ordering from us, by contrast: upload a logo (or type your website), paste the list, check the preview, pay. We print, pack and ship each box to its own address.

## What to Know Before You Order

- **The gift goes with the bonus.** A gift doesn't replace pay people count on; the bonus stays with your rule.
- **One message per order.** Every card carries the same message and sign-off, with each person's first name filled in. A line about one person goes in an order of its own; one box is a complete order.
- **The whole team, priced.** The same gift for everyone means pricing the whole list: at $35 per box, delivered, a team of 12 is $420. A late hire is one more row, or an order of one.
- **The treats.** LINDOR truffles contain milk, soy and barley malt (gluten); read the labels.
- **Where we ship.** From New York to the lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas addresses for now: no Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other US territories, APO/FPO or international addresses. The order page flags those rows, so you can fix them or take them out before you pay; everything else on your list stays as it is.
- **Up to 100 boxes per order.** For more, email us at hello@personalizedgiftsdelivered.com.

## More Employee Gift Guides

- [Christmas gifts for employees at a small business](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts)
- [How much to spend on employee Christmas gifts](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts/how-much-to-spend)
- [Bonus or gift? What the research says](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts/bonus-or-gift)
- [Should managers buy their team gifts out of pocket?](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/employee-gifts/manager-gifts-for-team)

## Where Personalized Gifts Delivered Fits: One Gift for Everyone on the Team

A gift for everyone has to reach the people who aren't in the office in December: part-timers on a different schedule, seasonal staff working off-site, someone on leave. Personalized Gifts Delivered ships the same gift to each home from one list:
- **The same box in every hand:** [a logo mug gift box with Ghirardelli cocoa, Lindt truffles and a personal card](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/custom-logo-mug-gift-box). An 11 oz white ceramic mug with your logo printed small, with Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles packed inside it, in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid.
- **A card for each person:** one message, printed, greeting each person by first name. You see every card before you pay.
- **To each home:** each box packed by hand and shipped to its own address. Ships within 2 business days of a complete order (your design, your address list and payment). Ships by USPS Ground Advantage or UPS Ground, with tracking, and usually arrives 2–5 business days after it ships. Delivery dates are carrier estimates, not guarantees, and run slower in mid-December.
- **One price:** $35 per box, delivered, whether you send 1 or 50, with no minimum.
- **A record:** when your boxes ship, you get one email with a spreadsheet of recipient, ship date, carrier, tracking number and $35 per box.

Add your logo (or type your website and we'll find it), or a photo or a few words for a personal gift; check the preview of your mug and card; add your address list; and pay $35 per box. We print, pack and ship each box to its own address. For Christmas delivery, order by Tuesday, December 15. Everyone on the list? [Start your order](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/order).

## Frequently asked questions

### Should part-time employees get a Christmas gift?

Yes: give part-timers the same Christmas gift as everyone else; a smaller gift for part-time staff turns thanks into a ranking, so let only the bonus follow hours. One small-business owner on r/smallbusiness gives a bonus of "$75 for part time and $150 for full time."

### Should a new employee hired in November get a holiday gift?

Yes: if a new hire is on the team the day gifts go out, they get the same holiday gift; the bonus can follow tenure, as in one owner's "$50 for new employees and $100 for every year they have worked for me."

### Do seasonal workers get a holiday gift?

Yes, if they're on the team when you give it: the gift goes to everyone working that week. A seasonal owner who lays off staff in December gives "Roughly an extra paycheck" so they'll "be more likely to come back next year."

### Can I withhold a Christmas bonus from an employee who gave notice?

It can depend on what you promised: whether a bonus can be withheld after notice can turn on your written bonus policy and your state's wage rules, so ask an employment lawyer before you decide. Commenters split on whether it's fair: replies in one r/smallbusiness thread ranged from "Bonuses are bonuses" to "A Christmas bonus is a thank you for the past year, not a bribe for the next year."

### Should every employee get the same holiday gift?

Yes: give every employee the same holiday gift and let only the bonus vary, by one rule. An owner who pays bonuses by time with the company explained why: "that way it is not subjective, and everyone gets it."

### Who ships the same holiday gift to every employee's home, part-timers and staff on leave included?

Personalized Gifts Delivered ships the same $35 logo mug gift box to each person's own address from one list, part-time, seasonal and on-leave staff included, whether you send 1 or 50. Every card greets its person by first name, and with no minimum, a late hire can be an order of one.

## Sources

1. IRS, [Publication 463](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p463), Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses, "For use in preparing 2025 Returns", ch. 3 "Gifts". Read Oct 29, 2026.
2. IRS, [Publication 15-B (2026), Employer's Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15b), "De Minimis (Minimal) Benefits". Read Oct 29, 2026.
3. Snappy, 2025 Holiday Gifting Report (vendor survey; sample size not published), [snappy.com](https://www.snappy.com/blog/what-employees-really-want-this-holiday-season-2025-insights-every-leader-needs-to-drive-stronger-results-in-2026). Read Oct 29, 2026.
4. r/smallbusiness, "Christmas gifts for employees at a small business - where do you start?" (Sept 2026), [reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1wamda4/). Read Oct 29, 2026.
5. r/smallbusiness, "WITHHOLDING CHRISTMAS BONUS WHEN NOTICE IS GIVEN" (Dec 2024), [reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1hfoc6p](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1hfoc6p/). Read Oct 29, 2026.
6. r/smallbusiness, "What is the gift you got this year for your employees?" (Dec 2023), [reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/18o6ghs](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/18o6ghs/). Read Oct 29, 2026.
7. r/smallbusiness, "Gifting an employee?" (Aug 2026), [reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1w1bvss](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness/comments/1w1bvss/). Read Oct 29, 2026.
8. Personalized Gifts Delivered, [DIY hot cocoa mug gift box vs ordering one](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering) (retail prices as of Oct 29, 2026; time by our estimate).