Small Gifts with Personality: Creative Ideas for Colleagues and Secret Santa
A box of folded slips of paper appears on the office table. You reach in, carefully unfold one and read a colleague’s name.
You know how they take their coffee. You remember they went to the seaside in the summer, and that last week they were showing someone a funny cat photo. That’s about it.
Now you need to choose a small gift.
There’s a quiet pleasure in this: noticing a little more about someone you usually talk to about work. Remembering an offhand comment, spotting the picture on their phone, asking about their weekend.
Then finding a small box and thinking, “I can see them enjoying this.”
A creative kit might be just the thing. A little tree in blossom, a painting, a tiny desk companion: each offers someone the chance to make it themselves. Here are a few ideas to start with.
A little blossom tree for someone who notices every new leaf
This is the colleague who always has something growing on their windowsill. A new shoot earns a photo. If a cactus flowers, you’ll be getting several.
A wooden cherry blossom tree would fit right into that little world.
At first, there are separate pieces on the table. A curved trunk takes shape, branches spread out from it, and clusters of pink and white flowers begin to fill them. At some point, you find yourself moving the instructions aside to have a proper look.
Sakura Bonsai has 263 pieces and a listed difficulty rating of 2 out of 5. The finished tree is about 17 centimetres tall, so there’s room for it on a shelf or windowsill alongside the real plants.
It’s an idea for someone who enjoys fitting pieces together and looking closely at miniatures. You could attach a short note to the box: “I think there’s room for one more tree in your garden.”
A ginger kitten for the person who always spots a cat
They’re the person who pauses on a walk whenever there’s a cat in a window. They lean a little closer, try to catch its attention, then eventually carry on.
In Ginger Kitten, a young ginger cat gazes upwards from among lilac blossoms. You can make out fine whiskers, pricked ears and a blue eye. Among the green leaves and flowers, its face fills almost the whole of the small canvas.
Picture the first patch of lilac appearing on the canvas, then another. A brush follows the edge of a leaf. The painter moves the work a little further away to take it all in and notices how much more alive the kitten’s expression looks.
This is a 20 × 30 centimetre paint by numbers kit. It includes a canvas stretched over a wooden frame, acrylic paints and three brushes. The picture is already marked out, and the numbers show which colour goes where.
Fur, whiskers and flowers bring plenty of fine detail. Choose it for someone drawn to careful brushwork. This small canvas leaves plenty of room for patient painting.
A surprise capybara for someone who loves little characters
Sometimes you can tell a lot about a person’s taste from their desk. A tiny figure keeps company with serious paperwork. There’s a funny sticker on their notebook. In the team chat, there’s that one sticker everyone gets.
For this colleague, there’s Capybara Sports.
Each box hides one capybara from the sports-themed series. The character is selected at random, so you won’t know who’s inside until you open it. That’s part of the gift: first meeting your character, then decorating it with the little sparkling gems.
You place the gems on the marked wooden base. Little by little, the surface begins to catch the light. When it’s ready, your capybara can sit on the stand included in the kit.
It’s a lovely idea for someone who enjoys little characters and the fun of a surprise. You could also get a box for each colleague and open them all together. Someone holds up their little athlete, someone leans over to see their neighbour’s, and suddenly a tiny capybara team is gathering on the table.
A sailing ship for someone who likes figuring things out
Some people instinctively turn a new object over in their hands. How was it put together? What holds it in place? Where does that part fit?
A wooden sailing ship gives that curiosity a project of its own.
Separately, the pieces barely suggest a ship. Then a hull takes shape, masts rise above it and sails appear. Fine rigging details make the outline more recognisable with every step. The finished model sits on a decorative stand shaped like a wave.
Imagine turning it side on, holding it at eye level and considering where it might go on the bookshelf. Tucked among books about travel, this ship would look quite different from the picture on the box.
Sailing Ship has a listed medium difficulty rating. It’s a gift idea for a colleague who enjoys construction kits, models or the process of putting things together. The nautical theme adds a personal touch if you know about their interest in ships and travel.
A small Christmas mosaic for a festive gift exchange
Sometimes you’re looking for a very small gift: for an exchange in a large group, to go with a card, or simply as a little gesture before the holidays.
Christmas Lollipop brings together familiar festive details: a candy cane, a blue bow, little bells and a green sprig. The gems go directly onto the marked wooden base, and the finished piece can be hung as a decoration.
Part of the appeal is watching such a small thing change. First, there’s the printed design. Then a few sparkling dots appear, then a few more. Turn the decoration slightly, and the finished sections catch the light.
With a listed difficulty rating of 1 out of 5, it’s an option for someone who would like to try placing gems on a small festive project.
The person receiving it makes the decoration themselves. That little moment is theirs to enjoy: opening the kit, choosing a first colour and watching the small bow begin to sparkle.
Choosing within the agreed budget
For Secret Santa, it helps to agree on a budget in advance and stick to it. Even a small selection offers different kinds of making: placing gems, painting or assembling a model.
| Gift idea | For someone who enjoys | Kit price |
|---|---|---|
| Christmas Lollipop | Trying a small festive mosaic | €6 |
| Capybara Sports | Surprises and collectible figures | €10 |
| Ginger Kitten, 20 × 30 cm | Brush painting and cat pictures | €18 |
| Sakura Bonsai | Assembling miniatures and flowering plants | €19 |
| Sailing Ship | Wooden models and nautical themes | €20 |
Prices checked on 8 November 2026 for our Estonia store; any delivery charges are additional. Check the product pages for current prices and availability.
If you’re ordering online, allow for delivery in the overall budget. When choosing the kit, look at the finished size, difficulty and how it’s made. Think about what the person would enjoy doing.
A few words that make the gift personal
A short note can explain why this particular kit made you think of them.
“For your windowsill garden.”
“I saw this ship and thought of your stories about the sea.”
Or simply: “I think your desk’s missing a capybara.”
A note can bring back an ordinary conversation you remembered. For a colleague you’ve only recently met, a simple wish is enough: “Hope you find an evening to try something new.” For someone you’ve worked with for years, there’s room for a shared joke, too.
Perhaps one day you’ll notice a small capybara on the desk beside yours.
“Finished already?”
“Yes. Look how it sparkles.”
Outside the window, the working day goes on as usual. On the edge of the desk sits a cheerful little athlete who, not long ago, was still hiding inside a small box.