At The Expressory, October kicks off one of our favorite seasons. Holiday planning season! For years now, we’ve tracked what kinds of gifts businesses send to their clients, teams, and partners during the holidays. This includes any touchpoints mailed in that festive window between Halloween and the New Year.

Why do we track this data? Because it reveals how businesses are choosing to show appreciation, and it guides the design of memorable touchpoints. When gifting becomes strategic, it does more than just express appreciation. It helps you build stronger relationships, foster loyalty, and ultimately, grow your business in a way that feels meaningful for everyone involved.

This year, we’re combining our historical insights with the 2025 Gift Book Consumer Survey’s top gifting trends to help you plan a holiday approach that stands out (for all the right reasons).

Top Trends from The Expressory’s Holiday Tracking

Across the holiday seasons, here’s what stood out from all the projects we've executed:

• 46% of gifts were consumable treats, snacks, things to enjoy in the moment.

• 29% were shareable—meant to be experienced with family, friends, or a team.

• 27% were not tied to Christmas, Thanksgiving, or New Year’s—a growing trend of sending during alternate or social holidays.

• 22% of gifts were related to the giver’s work in theme or purpose.

• Only 2% were branded with a logo (and yes, that’s a good thing).

These trends are signals of a shift from transactional gifting to something more meaningful and lasting.

Let’s Break It Down

Before we explain what made each of these categories powerful, it might help describe part of our process for designing these touchpoints for our clients.

To bring these ideas to life, we like to map gifts back to one of The Expressory’s Six Strategic Storylines™. Once a gift idea is selected, we find it helpful to look through these proven storylines to help create messaging that drives the gift home. It creates deeper emotional connectivity when you leverage one or more of these concepts.

You can learn more about the Six Strategic Storylines here

Consumables Are (Still) King

Almost half the gifts we sent on behalf of our clients were things you can eat, drink, or use up quickly. Think luxury chocolate, small-batch snacks, and specialty popcorn.

Why? They’re universally appreciated, indulgent without being over-the-top, and leave a pleasant memory without cluttering someone’s space.

Plus, they offer a chance to connect through the Shared Experience storyline if the items are something that most of us are used to enjoying around the holidays. For example – Sugar cookies and baking goods were a huge hit one year. It evoked memories of holiday baking with family members. And who doesn’t love the smell of fresh baked cookies?

Shareable Gifts Create Community

We’ve seen a growing number of businesses think beyond the individual. Almost 30% of gifts were designed to include the recipient’s support system. Whether that’s family, friends, or a team at work.

This works because it acknowledges that your recipient doesn’t live or work in a vacuum. You’re not just thanking one person. You’re thanking their whole orbit. Part of the power of this type of gift comes through the messaging of a Relationship Related storyline. You’re thanking a community of related people, creating a collective sense of belonging. This is also done well if the consumable is maybe something related to tradition from the giver. Now you’re bring them into your world.

An added bonus for this type of gift is that when someone brings a treat into the break room or shares it around the holiday table, your message of appreciation spreads even further.

Not Everything Happens in December

This one’s a bit of a wake-up call: 27% of projects skipped the traditional holiday windows of Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving altogether.

Instead, clients chose to give gifts during lesser-known or social holidays (hello World Smile Day!) or simply picked a date that better fits their messaging. Valentine’s Day and Earth Day have also become big hits.

The takeaway? You don’t have to fight the noise of December. Strategic gifting often works better when it isn’t expected.

The World Smile Day experience worked well because it tapped into the storyline of transitional moments. It helped people transition to feeling happy!

Work-Related Gifts Can Still Feel Personal

Roughly 1 in 5 gifts we sent were chosen to reflect something about the giver’s work. That might look like a business coach sending a reflection journal, or a CPA gifting an organizer with a calming message during tax season.

In the case of both of those examples, you can tie the gratitude message to having them use the gift to help them achieve that goal they’ve been working on. This is using the future Goal Acknowledgement storyline and makes it feel inspirational.

These gestures make the gift feel purposeful and aligned with the relationship without branding.

Speaking of which…

Branded Gifts Rarely Make the Cut

Only 2% of our holiday projects included branded merchandise. That’s not a mistake. We often advise clients not to include logos.

Why? Because a gift should be about the recipient, not the sender. People are much more likely to remember a gift that felt personal than one that felt like a walking billboard.

If you want your name to stick, choose something that feels like it was picked just for the recipient. The emotional connection does more for brand loyalty than any logo ever could.

Last Year’s Favorite? A Deck of Party Questions

Every year we see a few items climb to the top of the charts. In 2024, the breakout hit was a quirky, conversation-starting card deck called “Not Your Mom’s Dinner Party.” 19% of the projects we worked on included this gift.

Why did it resonate?

It tapped into the season’s most relatable moment: gathering with others and having to make small talk. Again.

These cards helped people laugh, connect, and break through the awkward silences. It was an experience gift, not just a physical one. And it used the Shared Experience storyline to perfection because we all experience it at some point or another during that time of the year.

When a gift makes someone say, “This is so me,” you know you’ve nailed it.

Thinking About This Year’s Gift? Here’s Another Layer

If your wheels are starting to turn about what to send this year, you’re not alone. But before you hit “add to cart,” let’s go one layer deeper.

This year, we looked at the latest consumer research and layered it with what we know from our own gifting results. What we found is that certain 2025 trends pair beautifully with the most successful holiday gift strategies and they give us new ways to make your appreciation moments more memorable.

Here are three trend-inspired approaches we think are especially relevant this holiday season:

Personalization: Still the Fastest Way to Show You Care

In 2025, personalization is the top priority for nearly half of gift buyers. People want to feel seen. That could mean adding a name or custom message, but it could also mean choosing a gift that reflects something you’ve remembered about them.

Storyline Pairing:

DIY Gifting – A personalized touch says, “This was made just for you.”

Milestone – Tying the gift to a major moment they have achieved reinforces the bond because it says, “I see you.”

Wellness: Because Everyone’s Carrying Something

We’re seeing continued momentum behind wellness gifts. Especially those that promote rest, calm, and self-care. Whether it’s a luxe eye mask, a cozy tea set, or a “breathe easy” aromatherapy kit, these gifts communicate more than care. They offer a reset. And this gift certainly isn’t just for women!

Storyline Pairing:

Transition – Acknowledge a season of change or busyness.

Goal Acknowledgment – Support someone’s commitment to self-care or balance.

Playfulness: Tap into the “Kidult” Joy Factor

One of our favorite 2025 trends? Gifts that inspire a little fun. Puzzles, nostalgic games, or creative kits. They’re not just for kids anymore. These gifts invite a brain break, spark laughter, and create bonding moments.

Storyline Pairing:

Shared Experience & Relationship related (2 stories in one gift!) – Invite them into a fun moment with something you grew up with, not just a gift.

Transition – Use play to symbolize fresh starts or new energy.

Bringing It All Together

When you combine what’s worked in the past with what’s trending now, you create something powerful. It’s a gift that doesn’t just impress but solidifies relationships.

That’s what makes gifting strategic. You’re not just choosing an item. You’re choosing the emotional impression it leaves behind.

And when you build that moment on the right storyline, it becomes more than a box in the mail. It becomes a memory.

5 Questions to Ask Before You Hit “Order”

1. What message do I want this gift to send?

2. Is this about them? Or is it purely all about me?

3. What storyline supports this moment: Relationship Reminder, Transition, Shared Experience…?

4. Am I using a trend (like personalization or wellness) to make it even more meaningful?

5. Will they still be thinking about this gift a week, or a month, from now?

Not Sure What to Plan This Year?

That’s what we’re here for. Whether you need a little inspiration or want someone to handle the whole thing (yep, we do that too), we’d love to help.

Schedule a call to chat ideas

Or pop into an upcoming Q&A