In this article, we detail the best 20 Pollyanna gifts ideas for you to refer to. Learn all about Pollyanna gifts and how to present them.
Pollyanna gifts ideas
What is a Pollyanna gift exchange? The word “Pollyanna” literally is defined as a person who is extremely cheerful and optimistic. It is a customary and fun gift exchange between people without knowing the identity of the person providing the gift.
You will be acquainted with fun Pollyanna ideas, generic gift exchange ideas, secret Santa exchange gift ideas, unisex gift exchange ideas, and many more.
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History of Pollyanna gifts
What is a Pollyanna Gift? Pollyanna gifts is another name for the White Elephant gift exchange. There is a belief that the gifting tradition started in 1828 by Ezra Cornell, a renowned American politician, and businessman. He introduced the concept in his social gatherings.
From then on it is being celebrated by people during holidays where various Pollyanna gift ideas are brainstormed. The gifts are then exchanged between the team members during office parties, gatherings, and meetings. Different countries celebrate Pollyanna on different dates. Some celebrate during Christmas, some eve of Christmas and some even at the beginning of December. But the concept of Pollyanna gift giving is similar across all the regions.
The Polyanna gift giving tradition is known by various names, “Dirty Santa”, “Yankee Swap” etc. In Phillippines, it is popularly known as “Three Kings” whereas people in the UK sometimes refer it to as “Father Christmas” or “Kris Kingel”. There are different Pollyanna rules and Pollyanna themes followed for the gift exchange.
One interesting fact is the phrase “white elephant” is said to have been originated from an ancient practice followed by King Siam. He used to gift his courtiers, elephants as a punishment to bear their maintenance for displeasing him.
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How are Pollyana gifts given?
What are the popular and customary Pollyanna gift exchange rules? Well, different companies and teams follow varying rules while exchanging Pollyanna gift among the participants. You can select some Pollyanna theme ideas for purchasing the gifts. The basic Pollyanna Christmas rules or Pollyanna party rules are,
- The moderator must specify the type of gifts to be bought, set the price limit too. He or she can provide some Pollyanna gift ideas to select from
- The gifts are all kept at a central place without the names of the gift giver or the giftee
- The names of the participants are written in separate papers and kept in a bowl or a hat
- Each participant is provided with a turn to pick up their names. The moderator decides the turns and sequence.
- The participants have to pick up one gift from the pool and it must be visible to others. They need to unwrap the gift and show it to others.
- Now the fun part is the participants can either select any unwrapped gift or decide to steal some other person’s gifts. You can define the rules for gift swaps. Either it can be a maximum of two or three swaps.
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Top 20 pollyana gift ideas for your team
By now, we have understood the concept and history of Pollyanna gift ideas. In this section, we will focus on the top 20 Pollyana gifts ideas that one can select from. Each of the sub-sections will cover various interesting, useful and fun-filled gift ideas for gift exchange.
1. Pollyanna gift exchange idea above $25
If your budget is flexible and you can spend above $25 then the perfect Pollyanna gift exchange idea is a personal blender. It helps to blend smoothies, fruit juices and milkshakes directly inside a travel bottle; one of the best Pollyanna gift ideas for your peers. The price is near USD 35.
2. Gift exchange ideas $25 and below
One of the unique gift exchanges ideas $25 and below is a Salsa grow kit. It comes with seed packets for tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno etc. The sprouts can grow in the planter provided and then transferred to bigger pots; one of the good gifts for gift exchange and one of the interesting pollyanna gift ideas for plant lovers.
3. Pollyanna games idea
One of the pollyanna games idea can be arranging a fun quiz session in the office. It is better to conduct the game in groups. So instead of just following the traditional approach for work pollyanna gift ideas, it is good to organize the quiz and then handing over the gifts.
4. Interesting office gift exchange ideas
If you are looking for interesting office gift exchange ideas i.e. Pollyanna gift ideas, the French press can be a good option. Coffee is the preferred drink for many. It is one of the best office gift exchange ideas $20, it that is the budget set by the moderator or the organizer of the Pollyanna celebrations.
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5. Unisex gift exchange ideas
For unisex gift exchange ideas, the suggestion is to gift a coffee mug with some best wishes message engraved on it. The price varies between USD 12 to USD 30; one of the preferred Pollyanna gifts ideas one can think of. The mug can be kept at home or office at your work desk.
6. Funny Christmas polyanna gift ideas
Looking for funny Christmas polyanna gift ideas? Buy a t-shirt with a funny Santa message printed on it. You can couple it with a cap as well; one of the funny Polyanna gifts for coworkers. The best is to ask them to wear it after receiving the gift, as part of fun-filled celebrations.
7. Office Christmas gift exchange ideas
The best among the office Christmas gift exchange ideas is a desk organizer. The person can arrange his or her pen, pencil, papers, stationaries and important stick-on notes inside it. You can get the within USD 30; one of the coolest and useful office Christmas party gift exchange ideas.
8. Good gift exchange ideas for women
Wondering which are the good gift exchange ideas for women?
The choicest office party gift exchange for the womenfolk of the company is a bottle of perfume. The best part is perfumes are available in varying price ranges depending on the brand and the quantity. Hence you can easily fit them into your budget and list of Pollyanna gifts ideas.
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9. Work gift exchange ideas for men
Among the various work gift exchange ideas for men, a wallet is the best fit. The price starts from USD 10 to USD 50 for wallets of different sizes and material. It is one of the best Pollyanna gift ideas, useful and quite preferred by guys.
10. Cheap gift exchange ideas for work
Microfiber cloth and screen cleaner are one of the good and cheap gift exchange ideas for work. The price is below $10. Due to the organic material used, it acts gently on electronic devices, laptops and computers; one of the preferred workplace gift exchange ideas.
11. Cute office party gift exchange ideas
You can include scented candles in your list for cute office party gift exchange ideas. Depending on the size and quantity of candles, the price varies starting from as low as USD 6 to USD 30. You can easily keep them as gifts for the winners while conducting Pollyanna Christmas games; one of the good Pollyanna gift ideas.
12. Holiday gift exchange ideas for home décor
If you are looking for a home décor item as a holiday gift exchange ideas for your team members, the best is to gift a decorative flower pot. Succulents, indoor plants and even flower bouquet can be kept on them and kept at the work desk at home; one of the best company gift exchange ideas.
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13. Coworker gift exchange ideas for tech-savvy people
A three-in-one charging hud is one of the best co-worker gift exchange ideas for techies. It helps to eliminate the tangled charging cords. The price ranges between USD 20 and USD 30; one of the best gifts for work gift exchange.
14. Good pollyanna gifts for travellers
For people who frequently travel, a travel sleep mask is one of the good Pollyanna gifts. It takes care of the eye pressure, filters off the light with comfortable fabric. The price varies from USD 10 to USD 20; one of the coolest secret gift exchange ideas for frequent globetrotters.
15. Great gift exchange ideas for artists
Coworkers who love painting will be happy if you gift them a sketch box with paints, pens and brushes. It is one of the great gift exchange ideas and you can even include them in the winners’ gift list in a Polyanna Christmas game. Price varies between USD 20 to USD 40.
16. Pollyanna gift exchange ideas for book lovers
For book lovers, gifting a best-seller literature piece is counted among the best Pollyanna gift exchange ideas. The price depends on the market price of the book. You can even opt for the e-book version that costs less than the paperback; one of the prestigious office holiday gift exchange ideas.
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17. Idea for the best pollyanna gifts
A good idea of the best Pollyanna gifts is to promote green and hence gifting a desk plant. It can be a succulent or an indoor houseplant. A gesture to go green and a thoughtful entry into the list of gift ideas for office gift exchange. Prices are quite affordable and cheap.
18. Unique work gift exchange idea
A unique work gift exchange idea or secret snowflake gift exchange idea is to provide a wireless speaker. You can either a low-cost version that comes in USD 20 approximately or go for a high-cost version if you have the budget, it comes almost in USD 50. It is one of the precious office Christmas party gift exchange ideas for professionals.
19. Fun office gift exchange ideas
One of the fun office gift exchange ideas can be a t-shirt with some entertaining messages printed on it. It can be a great way to bring in some relaxation from the daily work life; one of the jovial thoughts for an office Christmas gift exchange.
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20. Pollyanna ideas for gifts to a team
For a team, one of the best Pollyanna ideas for gifts is to provide gift cards for shopping. They can purchase products of their choice from any store or outlet. It is one of the popular and preferred options among gifts for office gift exchange. You can decide the amount according to the team strength.
Kuntala is a versatile writer with a focus on diverse areas around work, productivity, collaboration at work, hiring, management, HR, and training. Her background of past experience in technology and consulting helps in molding razor-sharp insights into the research and user-focused content she creates. Professionally she is an IT consultant in a sales role and also a writer of short stories and poems, travel blogger, and fashion influencer.
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