Do you get gifts for your team before taking off for winter break? I love to show appreciation to my staff at any opportunity I can, but I can understand why people can’t, because the costs can add up quickly if you have upwards of 10 staff in your room! I am huge on making sure I give gifts that are likely useable/functional to the person I am giving them to. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good candle and body lotion, but those gifts get kinda old after a while (and I now have 10 year supply to make my home smell good and keep my skin hydrated). Kidding… kinda.
Anyways, in my search for something inexpensive, yet thoughtful and fitting for the winter, I came up with the idea of providing my staff with 12 days of different-flavored ramen – a little surprise and meal for 12 days! Continue reading for a FREE editable template of the card I made to go along with this gift!
This blog post contains affiliate links which earns me a few pennies.
Supplies
This gift can be very simple and inexpensive by not getting all of the supplies I mentioned. It can be as simple as just getting the 12 days of ramen, or you can make it a full supply-filled gift (maybe more reasonable if you only have a few staff or a big budget to spend).
I personally love eating soup in the winter (specifically ramen), and there are SO MANY different flavors out there! If you are as fortunate as I am to live near Japanese or Asian markets (such as Mitsuwa, H-Mart, Tokyo Central, Daiso, 99 Ranch) that carry ramen, non-perishable toppings & seasonings, and ramen bowls, then this will be your best place to get them in more flavors and for less money. Many of the supplies I list below you can also find on Amazon if you don’t have access to stores that carry these items!
12 Different Ramen Flavors
You’ll want to get dry/bag ramen, such as Top Ramen, that can easily fit in a paper bag. You might be able to use some smaller bowl-packaged ramen, but for the purposes of this gift and how it is wrapped, it will be easier to use the ramen that comes in bags. Find them in-store for cheaper prices, but if you can’t, here is an assorted 12 pack.
Paper Bags & a Sharpie
I purchased these paper bags at the Dollar Tree. Each pack comes with 30 bags. You will need 12 bags per person you are gifting. So at the time when I made this gift I had 5 staff, so I purchased two packs of these bags. If you can’t find them in person, here are paper bags on Amazon.
I put a number on each bag for numbers 1-12 to indicate each day/ramen. If you have the time and resources, you can totally make this cuter by using your Cricut machine or decorating each bag with stamps/drawings.
Ramen Bowl (or Chop Sticks)
This is totally an optional addition to the gift, dependent on your budget and what you have access to. It was really easy for me to find ramen bowls this year (and bowls that were specifically tailored to my staff’s interests) because it is a trending item in stores. If you happen to be reading this blog and ramen bowls are no longer in “style”, you can find them at your local Asian market such as Mitsuwa, H-Mart, Tokyo Central, Daiso, 99 Ranch, or online at various stores such as Amazon. Some of the stores (that you might not expect) I found them at (in person and online) this year included Tj Maxx/Homegoods, Marshalls, Ross, Hot Topic, Box Lunch, and 5 Below. If you are searching online, you can also find them under “noodle bowl”.
Another alternative that is inexpensive is if you don’t want to spend the money on ramen bowls, you can just get a nice pair of chop sticks! Check out this beautiful and inexpensive set of 6 pairs of Japanese Chopsticks.
Toppings, Seasonings & Sauces
This is also another optional add on depending on your budget and access. Many asian markets will have a variety of dry toppings you can add to ramen. I was fortunate to find these cute spices & sauces gift set at TJ Maxx this year. Here is a dry mix of topping I found online. Another idea that is more cost effective is you can buy cute jars at the Dollar Tree and fill them with this large bag of dehydrated vegetable flakes.
Gift Bags & Thank You Card
I got these cute bags at Tj Maxx. They were roughly 20x10x15. If you are including a ramen bowl & any sauce bottles, make sure to get bags that are sturdy enough at the bottle to avoid the bag breaking and ruining a Christmas.
And ofcourse, I love puns or gifts with a themed twist. Aside from a heartfelt thank you card telling my staff how much I appreciate them, it concludes with “WISHING YOU A HOLIDAY AS WARM, SATISFYING, AND JOYFUL AS A PERFECT BOWL OF RAMEN. MAY THE NEW YEAR BRING YOU PLENTY OF MOMENTS TO SAVOR!” I also included a 12 days of ramen card which has a fun twist to the 12 days of Christmas song.
DOWNLOAD THIS EDITABLE CARD FOR FREE HERE
Thanks for reading!
