What's the Best Corporate Gift for Employees? An Admin Buyer's Honest FAQ on Enesco Figurines, Ornaments & Snow Globes

If you're the person who gets asked to find "a nice, not-too-expensive" employee gift, this is for you. I've managed corporate gifting and office purchases for a 400-person company across three locations for the past five years—roughly $30,000 a year in gifts and supplies, give or take. I've ordered the cheap logo swag and watched it disappear by February. I've also found the keepsakes people actually keep. Here are the questions I used to type into Google myself, answered the way I wish someone had answered them for me.

• What does Enesco make, exactly?
• Are Enesco figurines collectibles worth giving as corporate gifts?
• What's the best corporate gift for employees?
• Should I worry about shipping snow globes and ornaments?
• Can personalization turn a gift from "nice" into "kept"?
• How do I convince finance to spend more on gifts?

What does Enesco make, exactly?

If you've ever searched "Enesco Corporation figurines," you probably noticed the Disney and Harry Potter collections, plus names like Cherished Teddies and Heartwood Creek. Enesco is a giftware company that makes collectible figurines, ornaments, snow globes, nativity sets, home fragrance, and crystal gifts. (Should mention: they also do promotional products and corporate gifts—which is how I came across them.)

Why does this matter for an admin buyer? Because "Enesco" is less useful as a category and more useful as a shortcut. If an employee tells you they love The Wizard of Oz, there's probably an Enesco ornament or figurine for that. If the CEO wants a classy holiday gift for the leadership team, a nativity set or crystal piece is a step up from a bottle of wine.

I initially assumed Enesco was just one of those "old-fashioned collectible" brands your grandma liked. But their IP portfolio is broad enough to work for real corporate gifting. At least, that's been my experience—your mileage depends on your team's taste.

Are Enesco figurines collectibles worth giving as corporate gifts?

Personally, I think yes—with a caveat. Enesco figurines collectibles have a built-in advantage: they're not disposable. A lot of their figurines are literally made to be collected, which means people keep them on shelves, not in a drawer. If you're picking a gift for a longtime employee or a specific interest, a figurine says "we paid attention to you" in a way a branded tumbler doesn't.

The caveat: not everyone is a figurine person. That's why I look at Enesco's full range before committing. Ornaments work for the holiday crowd. Snow globes are a bit more whimsical. Crystal gifts are for formal occasions. The point isn't "buy a figurine for every employee." It's "don't assume a used-car salesman's logo pen is good enough."

My rule: if the employee will see it or use it at home within the first month, it's a good gift. That rule has saved me from a lot of wasted budget.

What's the best corporate gift for employees?

The best corporate gift for employees is the one they don't immediately resell or toss. Sorry, that's not a cute answer. I've seen the "cheap fleece blanket with logo" end up in a donation pile. I've seen a $15 personalized Enesco ornament stay on a tree for years. The difference isn't always price—it's whether the gift feels like it was chosen for the person.

If you need a one-size-fits-all gift, here's what I'd do: choose a quality ornament (names/dated if possible) or a small snow globe. Both feel like keepsakes. Both work across most ages. And you can swap in a license-themed figurine when you know the person's fandom.

In my experience managing this exact search for the last five years, the best corporate gift for employees comes down to value over price. That $2 logo pen is not a bad purchase—it's just not a gift. A $15-20 keepsake is not an expense; it's a retention reminder that sits on a desk or shelf. To be fair, budgets are real. But the hidden cost of a forgettable gift is the message that the company didn't care enough to try.

Should I worry about shipping snow globes and ornaments?

Yes, but you should worry smart. Snow globes are heavy, glass, and liquid-filled. Ornaments are fragile. If you're shipping them individually to remote employees, the shipping cost can equal the gift cost—and the breakage rate will not be zero.

I learned this the hard way in 2024. We ordered 40 snow globes as remote-worker holiday gifts. We got a great price per unit, then decided to save on packaging. Three arrived cracked because our mailing boxes didn't have enough cushioning. We re-sent three replacements with express shipping because we were already late. The "savings" on packaging disappeared completely.

Check USPS rules before you commit. According to USPS Business Mail 101 (usps.com), a standard letter has a maximum thickness of 0.25 inches—a snow globe obviously won't qualify. You're shipping a package, so plan for the higher rate. As of January 2025, a First-Class Mail letter costs $0.73 (usps.com/stamps), but packages start at several dollars depending on weight and zone. If you're doing 100 individual shipments, that's real money.

Practical tip: Snow globes and ornaments are great for in-person events and office handouts. For home shipped gifts, either budget for sturdy packaging and possible replacements, or choose a less fragile gift. (Note to self: I still haven't written our official gift-shipping policy. This is this year's project.)

Can personalization turn a gift from "nice" into "kept"?

Yes. From my perspective, a personalized gift is worth 20% more to the recipient—maybe more. We've ordered Enesco ornaments with employee names and years of service printed on them. People actually take them home and hang them. That wouldn't have happened with a generic "Happy Holidays" mug.

Enesco offers personalization and customization on select products. If you want a company logo on the base, ask your account rep or check the product page before ordering—not every ornament can take a logo without cracking the design. I made that mistake once with a different vendor. We approved a batch of "customizable" mugs, and the logo covered the illustration. They were unusable.

Oh, and "customization" can be as simple as a printed thank-you card in the box. Sometimes the box matters as much as the product.

How do I convince finance to spend more on gifts?

Finance doesn't respond to "but it's nicer." They respond to math. Use cost per kept gift instead of cost per unit.

Let's say a cheap promo item costs $2 and gets thrown away in a month. That's $2 for zero lasting effect. A $15 Enesco ornament that gets used every December for 5 years costs $3 per winter of goodwill. I actually built this table for our VP of finance when I asked for a higher holiday gift line. It worked.

Also know the FTC ad-claim rules if you're talking about "eco-friendly" packaging or materials. Per FTC Green Guides (ftc.gov), environmental claims need substantiation—so if the vendor says "recyclable," make sure it's true before you print it on the gift tag. That's a small compliance step, but it shows finance you're not just being sentimental.

When I first started this job, I assumed "best corporate gift" meant "biggest thing the budget allows." Three gifts cycles later, I'd rather buy one quality piece that gets kept than a box of promotional junk that gets recycled. Price matters. Total value matters more.