Most lists of holiday gifts for clients leave out the date, which in November matters more than anything else on the list. Hampers and other stock gifts can be ordered on a Tuesday and delivered that Friday. A gift drawn from scratch around your firm's colors and story has to be designed and sampled before anyone starts making it, so it needs weeks of notice. Count the weeks between today and the day you want the gift opened, and choose from there.
Below we go through what can still arrive before the holidays and what is better sent in January. The last part is a planning calendar for 2027, so that next December you have time for the gift you would really like to give. For the range we make, see our luxury corporate gifts for clients.
Your order date decides what clients receive this year
If you are reading this in November or December, a gift designed from scratch is unlikely to reach clients before Christmas 2026. Most Harris Made projects take 8 to 16 weeks, which puts a bespoke project started in November into the New Year. Earlier in the year there may still be time for December, and we can tell you how much once we know what you have in mind.
3 options for this season
- Send a ready-made gift that still ships before the holidays.
- Send a bespoke gift in January, when it arrives on a clear desk.
- Send a card in December that tells clients a keepsake is on its way.
Most firms use more than one. The wider list gets something ready-made in December, while the top tier gets a card saying a gift is on its way and then the bespoke piece itself in January. The same timing applies to holiday gifts for employees.
Ready-made gifts still arrive before Christmas 2026
Anything that has to arrive this December will need to come from stock. Every seller's list covers these gifts, and when time is short they do the job well enough.
Food and drink suit a long client list
Chocolates, a hamper, good coffee, flowers or a plant can go out to hundreds of addresses, and an office can share them. Check dietary needs before you order, and leave the alcohol out for anyone who cannot accept it.
Ready-made desk and travel pieces suit senior clients
A good notebook or a travel piece with a small monogram lasts longer than a box of sweets and is likely to get used, though it will say very little about your firm.
3 checks before anything ships
- Timing. Find the seller's last order date for shipping to many addresses, and ask whether each client will be at the office or at home in late December.
- Policy. Many organizations cap what their people can accept, and a quick word with your contact's assistant can save an awkward return.
- The note. A handwritten line from the person who actually knows the client often means more to them than the gift does.
A bespoke gift in January stands out from the December pile
By the middle of December most clients have a desk covered in baskets and cards, and they open them in a hurry. A gift that turns up in the 2nd week of January usually has the desk to itself, so the client remembers who sent it. It can be a New Year gift, or you can tie it to the client's 1st meeting of the year or the anniversary of the relationship. For clients who mark Lunar New Year, that is a good date too.
At 8 weeks, a project started in early November 2026 lands in early January 2027. At 16 weeks it lands in late February, and most of our projects finish somewhere in between.
A New Year gift should be something the client keeps, such as a silk scarf or tie in the firm's colors or a set of brass coasters for the desk. A bridle leather card holder works for the same reason, and a merino throw is one for the client's home.
A December card can announce the gift to come
If January feels too late to say thank you, send a holiday card in December telling the client that a keepsake is being made for them. You can say what it is drawn from, perhaps the firm's founding building or its crest, and still keep the design a surprise.
Dear [Name],
Thank you for another year of working together. We are having something made for you in Britain, drawn from [our founding building, our crest, the city where we first met], and it will reach you in the New Year.
With warm wishes for the holidays,
[Signature]
Every Harris Made gift is hand-wrapped in a foil-embossed presentation box branded for your firm. Inside is a notecard with your thank-you message printed on the front and the provenance of the gift on the reverse, so the client can read where it came from.
The best client gifts are lasting and exclusive
The usual advice is sound: match the gift to the person and buy fewer, better things. From our own work we would add 2 points. Each Harris Made gift is drawn from scratch around one client's colors and crest and is never sold to anyone else. It is also made in Britain by Royal Warrant holders, the mills and foundry whose warrants are the highest mark of British quality.
3 institutional projects show the method
Our client stories come from universities rather than firms, but a client gift is designed the same way. For Columbia University's cufflinks and brass coaster, Emma worked from details on the campus. MIT Sloan's leather passport holder and luggage tag are plainer pieces, embossed for the School's top donors, and the pattern on The New School's scarf and tie came from the windows of its Manhattan building.
Senior clients prefer a quiet mark
Senior clients tend to want the logo small. A crest can be blind-embossed into bridle leather with no foil at all. On a tie, the firm's colors can go into the tipping inside the lining, and a devoré scarf only shows its pattern when it is held up to the light.
"Harris Made designs are made with such precision, sophistication, and embody a rich story of tradition. They are the perfect recognition gifts for our most loyal alumni and friends." Emily Abrahamson, Donor Engagement, University of Chicago
A budget per client tier keeps the list fair
Sort the list into tiers by the value and length of each relationship, and give each tier a budget. The prices below are the "from" prices in our catalog, and each design is priced once it has been drawn.
Top clients receive a bespoke keepsake
A silk scarf or tie in the firm's colors
A Bespoke Silk Scarf starts from $65 and a Bespoke Silk Tie from $48, each carrying the firm's story in the pattern.
Enamel cufflinks
Enamel Cufflinks start from $45, hand-forged with the color set by hand. Our guide to custom cufflinks shows how a crest becomes a pair.
A throw or a cashmere wrap for the home
A Merino Throw starts from $88 and a Cashmere Wrap & Pashmina from $95. Both are gifts for the household as much as for the client.
A wider list receives a smaller piece in the same colors
A leather card holder
A Card Holder starts from $32, hand-stitched in vegetable-tanned leather and embossed to order.
Brass and nickel coasters
A Brass & Nickel Coaster starts from $40, engraved with your mark and presented as a set.
A lapel pin
A Lapel Pin starts from $15, the lowest price in our catalog, and still carries the firm's colors exactly.
The minimum and the rules shape the numbers
Our requested minimum is 125 per design, so a single design suits a list of 125 clients or more, or a firm that keeps pieces back for new clients through the year.
Check the rules that apply to you and to the client. A business can deduct no more than $25 per recipient per year for business gifts, as Internal Revenue Service Publication 463 sets out, so confirm the treatment with your own tax adviser. Our guide to whether client gifts are tax deductible works through the numbers. Some clients also have caps of their own. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's gifts rule limits gifts to people at other firms, given in relation to their employer's business, to $300 per person per year. Our guide to client appreciation gifts for law firms, financial advisors and private banks covers those rules.
Plan 2027 client gifts on a backward calendar
To give a bespoke gift in December, start in the summer. Most projects take 8 to 16 weeks, and the design stage comes first, with Emma's hand-drawn sketches and then samples made for your approval. The table counts backward from the day you want the gift opened.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January to March 2027 | Note who received a gift this season and what they said about it. |
| April to June 2027 | Settle the client list, the tiers and the budget for each tier. |
| July 2027 | Brief us on your colors, your crest and the story to tell. Emma starts the sketches. |
| August 2027 | Approve the samples and the notecard message, and place the order. |
| Autumn 2027 | Your gifts are made in Britain, and Emma inspects every piece. |
| November 2027 | Confirm the client list and addresses, and who signs each covering note. |
| Early December 2027 | Gifts reach clients in a presentation box branded for your firm. |
Branded stock items can often be ordered as late as the autumn, while a gift drawn from scratch needs a longer run-up because the design and samples come before any making starts. Every project is different, so ask us about timing for yours. Our page on how a Harris Made project runs goes through each stage.
Harris Made can start next season's gift now
A project started now can become a New Year gift for your top clients, or an early start on the 2027 season. We have made 585 bespoke projects for over 300 institutional clients. See what we make for firms on our corporate gifts for clients and executives page, or read the client stories. When you are ready, start a project and tell us who is on your list.
"Thank you Harris Made for providing remarkable quality silk scarves and ties that were gifted with pride; recognition gifts that are still being talked about with excitement and enthusiasm!" Hadley Thomas, Director of Alumni Relations, College of Engineering, Purdue Research Foundation
Read the Purdue University story the quote comes from.
Frequently asked questions
Is it too late to order custom client gifts for the holidays?
For a gift designed from scratch and meant for December, often yes, since most Harris Made projects take 8 to 16 weeks. Ready-made gifts can still ship in December, and for top clients a bespoke gift in January is the stronger choice.
What is the best corporate gift for clients?
Something well made that the client would not buy for themselves, with your mark kept small. A bespoke silk tie from $48 or enamel cufflinks from $45 would suit, and a leather card holder starts from $32.
What are some good corporate Christmas gift ideas?
Food and drink work for a long client list, and desk or travel pieces suit senior clients. For the top tier, send a bespoke keepsake such as a silk scarf or a merino throw.
How much should you spend on a client holiday gift?
Spend in line with the relationship, with a budget for each tier of the list. A business can deduct only $25 per recipient each year for gifts, and clients in regulated industries may have gift caps.
Are client gifts tax deductible?
Up to $25 per recipient per year for business gifts, with exceptions such as branded items costing $4 or less. Read Internal Revenue Service Publication 463 and confirm with your own tax adviser.
When should you send client holiday gifts?
Send in early December if the gift needs to arrive before offices close. A bespoke gift often does better in January, when the client's desk is clear, and should be planned backward from the day you want it delivered.