The Best Holiday Gifts for Your Freelancers

Do you have some amazing freelancers on your team? You know, those people who you can count on to take things off your plate and make work easier for you to manage. Those standout gems who never miss a deadline and go out of their way to get you what you need, sometimes even on short notice.

The holidays are right around the corner, which means now is the time to start thinking about how you can show them your appreciation. Especially because extending other company benefits like healthcare to freelancers can be tricky and out of reach, holiday gifts are a great opportunity for showing your freelancers that you care.

Gift ideas for your independent contractors

The best freelancers are always sought-after. If you want to make sure that your best freelancers don’t go anywhere, here are a few of the best ideas for holiday gifts for your freelancers. This list is far from exhaustive, so think about it as inspiration and see what it sparks for you.

Online classes

Even freelancers need to keep their professional development flowing. From Skillshare to Lynda, there are plenty of options for professional development gifts for freelancers. If you know exactly where and how your freelancers are looking to level up, you can gift them specific courses like coding classes.

But if you’re not sure or just want to let them decide for themselves, then give them a subscription to services like Masterclass that have a suite of different classes to take across industries. The best part about Masterclass is that it doesn’t have to be work-related.

Maybe your freelancing web designer has been interested in getting into cooking or baking. There are classes for that!

Audiobook subscription

Perhaps your freelancers are looking to consume their favorite reads on the go or in the car. Maybe they’re on the hunt for skills-based reads or those written by the pros in their industry. Whatever your freelancers are looking for in books, subscriptions services like Audible deliver.

New users can use the gift to start a subscription while those who already have an account can bank more credits and buy more audiobooks. A win-win!

Music streaming services

Almost everyone uses some type of music streaming service these days. Especially if you have creative freelancers, there’s a very high chance that they’re listening to music while they work.

So help them out! Find out what music streaming service they use and gift them a couple months or even a year’s worth of subscription fees.

Screen and keyboard cleaners

As anyone who works from home knows, keyboards have a way of collecting all kinds of dust and crumbs and screens are constantly covered in fingerprints no matter how hard you try to prevent them. If you’re looking for a functional gift, give your freelancers top-of-the-line keyboard dusters and screen cleaners.

These things might seem simple, but they come in handy when you’re trying to work.

These things might seem simple, but they come in handy when you’re trying to work. Keyboard and screen cleaners are always useful, but they’re something most freelancers won’t think to buy themselves even though they help a ton.

Coffee mug warmers

We all fall victim to the cold coffee problem. We make a fresh pot of coffee or a warm cup of tea to start the day, take a few sips, and before we know it the day has run off with us and the coffee has gone cold.

Enter mug warmers! Whether you want to go with the fancy, self-warming mug model or the warming plate option, there are a few solid choices to pick from — all of which will be adored.

Fancy headphones

Chances are, the freelancers in your life already have headphones. But what about top-of-the-line headphones like wireless AirPods or Beats? These stellar options make all of the difference, whether it’s call clarity or the best music-listening experience on the market.

Lap desk

With a study lap desk, freelancers can turn any space into a workspace. The best part is that there are a number of choices on the market. This means that you can skimp or splurge depending on the route you want to go.

There are simple wood ones to choose from as well as fancy ones with little carve-outs for everything from a laptop to an iPad and drink holders.

Clip-on ring light

No one likes having to be on a video call when it’s a struggle to look your best. Clip-on ring lights — little round lights that snap onto the top of a computer — are a game changer.

These are the lights that influencers can’t get enough of when making quality content. Simply clip the light to your computer, turn it on, and you’re camera-ready for the rest of the day.

Tomato timer

The Pomodoro Technique — working in 25-minute intervals with a 5-minute break in between them — is a popular work method, freelancers included. Whether you know that your freelancer loves to work this way or they’re interested in trying it out, a tomato timer is a cute nod to the technique and a thoughtful holiday gift.

2023 planner

Freelancers are nothing if not excellent planners, charting deadlines and deliverables across clients. While Google Calendar is tough to replace, sometimes it’s nice to have a physical planner that can be used offline. (Don’t we all spend a little more time glued to screens than we’d like?) Marie Claire did a great job of rounding up some of the best planners for 2023.

Plants plus delivery

Have freelancers with green thumbs? Maybe your favorite freelancer has bought a new home and is looking to fill it with plants. Whatever the reason, a gift card to a place like Bloom Box or The Sill will bring plants right to your freelancers’ doors.

You can always go the local route and look up a greenhouse in your freelancers’ areas, but these nation-wide services are available to make gift giving a breeze.

Coffee or tea subscription

Caffeine keeps many of us going, freelancers included. Whether you have freelancers who love coffee or those who prefer tea, there are plenty of coffee subscriptions and tea subscriptions that make excellent gifts for freelancers.

Not only does this take care of having to buy the drinks that are practically work staples, most coffee and tea subscriptions are also focused on offering selections that are hard to find elsewhere.

Extra ways to brainstorm gift ideas for freelancers

Don’t see anything that’s quite right for your freelancers on this list? Get creative! These are just a few ideas to get your freelance gift giving creative juices flowing.

If you’re stuck, start local. Are there local offerings like coworking spaces or coffee shops that your freelancers are always talking about? If so, gift them a month or two’s worth of a membership at their coworking spot. Pay for them to attend an upcoming conference they’ve been talking about.

If you’re not quite sure what your freelancers will be into, ask their managers to help you out. Take a look at their social media — that should give you some clues about their interests.

If nothing else, just be sure to tell them how much they matter to your business and how much you appreciate them. A little gratitude goes a long way during the holidays and every day.