The Festive Corporate Gifting Checklist: Start Six Weeks Out

Festive gifting fails for scheduling reasons far more often than for taste reasons. The gift gets chosen quickly and then waits three weeks for a list of recipient addresses. Here's a timeline that holds up.

Six weeks out — decide the shape, not the product

Settle three numbers first: headcount, per-head budget, and whether gifts are handed over in person or shipped individually. Shipping individually changes both the packaging and the cost far more than most people expect.

Five weeks out — shortlist and get samples

Narrow to two or three options and order samples. A flask feels different in the hand than in a photograph, and a notebook's paper quality is invisible on screen. Sample cost is trivial against a 300-piece order that disappoints.

Four weeks out — lock artwork

This is the step that slips. Get the vector logo, confirm whether it's the company mark or a festive lockup, and decide whether anything is personalised per recipient — individual names multiply the production time.

Three weeks out — approve the mockup and confirm quantity

Approve the mockup in writing. Add 5–10% spare pieces: there will be people you forgot, and a damaged unit shouldn't mean a reprint run.

Two weeks out — collect addresses

If gifts ship individually, this is the real bottleneck, not production. Chase the address list early; it's always slower than expected.

One week out — production and dispatch

With artwork locked and quantities confirmed, most orders print and pack within about 48 hours. The remaining week is transit buffer — courier networks are congested before every major festival, and that congestion is the one variable nobody controls.

Things worth deciding early

• One gift or tiered? Many companies run a standard gift for staff and something more considered for key clients.
• Greeting card or note? Cheap to add, disproportionately noticed, and it must be printed alongside the gift.
• Dietary and cultural fit if there's anything edible in the set.
• Will it survive the courier? Glass and ceramic need real packaging, not just a box.

If you're reading this later than six weeks out, it's still workable — but call rather than email, and be ready to decide from a shortlist.