One question we get asked all the time is, “What does an executive assistant do?”

While the most common tasks include calendar management, scheduling, email wrangling, and day-to-day business tasks, there is one (often dreaded and stressful) area your EA can make things easy – personal and corporate gift giving.

Whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, the end of the year is stuffed with holidays, parties, and gift-giving obligations. And if you're a busy executive trying to keep your Q4 on track, planning, finding, and wrapping gifts is not the best use of your decision-making skills or time.

What’s the perfect gift to get your mother-in-law? Or to hand out at the corporate holiday party? Handing the planning task off to your executive assistant ensures that it gets done, looks good, and makes for a jolly time.

At Lisa & Co. we thrive on creating special memories by dreaming up and curating a selection of gifts for every person on your list. From personalized cutting boards to gourmet marshmallows and everything in between. Your executive assistant should, too.

Here are a few things to keep in mind –

Make sure you give your EA plenty of notice about when and what you’re looking for.

This can be handled early on and put into your calendar so you don’t have to think about it again. Your EA will know when to start looking for a gift, who it’s for, and will let you know what they picked. Or, if you have something specific in mind, they can handle the details for ordering and wrapping.

Establish and allot a budget.

Once your EA knows who they’re buying for and a few ideas around what that person/group of people might like, it’s important to establish a budget. This will allow your EA the creative freedom to research and compile a list of gift ideas that are in taste and within budget.

Give them a heads up about any allergies or other considerations.

This is another task that only needs to be done once. After your EA gets this information down, they’ll be able to pick out and order the perfect gift for your colleagues, spouse, or anyone else on your list. If you’re planning corporate gifts, they can brainstorm and gather those, too.

We’ve curated a list of our go-to vendors for gift giving. Most of them are based in Oregon, Idaho, or California, where founder Lisa Nicholls has lived. We love to support local, small or family-owned businesses.

Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters

Founded and based out of Boise, Idaho, this locally-owned coffee company takes their coffee seriously. Their brews and flavors are hand-crafted (for real — they use European-style drum roasters and have coffee cuppings to decide on all their coffees). And they are passionate about what they’re doing. Just listen to the loving way they talk about their brews, “Like a fine wine, coffee can provide an amazing flavor experience from fruits and berries to chocolates and beyond. It’s with this knowledge that we take great pride in intentionally sourcing coffees and taking care to profile roast each and every batch. We continue to roast coffees hands on with European-style drum roasters, ensuring the farmer’s hard work shines on in each cup.”

**LISA’S PICK - Dawson’s House Blend**
Make it a subscription!

Farmgirl Flowers

Few things brighten a space and a mood like a bouquet of fresh and vibrant flowers. Farmgirl Flowers crafts gorgeous bouquets based on the flowers that are in season and bloom in your area. Their mantra is “You Order. We Pick. They’re Happy.” We love bouquets for celebratory events and holidays, but Farmgirl also allows you to set up recurring deliveries to bring your office space to life. If their speedy process and gorgeous arrangements weren’t enough, they ship everywhere in the U.S. Just make sure you check their holiday dates!

**LISA’S PICK - Fun Size Burlap Wrapped Bouquet**
Make it a subscription!

Creekside Mallow Co.

Our inner kids are shouting for the genius that is Creekside Mallow Co. The brilliant idea to create a gourmet s’mores experience came from their daughter and they’ve continued to include their family and community in this business. We love that they test every new flavor with family, friends, and locals to make sure it’s delicious (spoiler: they all are) before sending it out into the world. They have locations in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, but they can ship orders, too. Each batch is small so the flavors are just right. Any foodie coworker or friend will LOVE this thoughtful, surprising gift.

**LISA’S PICK - S’mores To Go Kit**
Comes with a campfire in a can - perfect for city dwellers!

Cranberry Sweets & More

For more than 50 years, Cranberry Sweets & More have been turning cranberries from Bandon, Oregon (the cranberry capital of the world) into delicious treats you can enjoy year-round. They’ve expanded in the years since to include cookies, caramels, brittle, toffee, and more, so you’ll be able to find something for every person on your list. Because you can order a variety, they’re perfect for table toppers or as a corporate gift where everyone can pick what they love. (Oh, and those businesses get 10% off to boot!).

**LISA’S PICK - Sea Salt Caramels in Dark Chocolate**
Highly recommend ordering a batch for yourself, too!

Courson Designs

If you’re not sure about dietary needs or just want to get something truly beautiful and custom, Courson Designs is the way to go. They’re a veteran and family-owned business that creates gorgeous bespoke engraved cutting boards. Add a logo, name, grandma’s recipe, or kiddo’s drawing and make it a useful, personalized gift for clients or bosses. Made from sustainable, lightweight, and biodegradable bamboo making it easy on your knives and the planet.

**LISA’S PICK - Anything from The Customizable Collection!**

Box Fox

We love them because you can create curated, personalized gifts without the hassle of the post office. They also specialize in on-brand corporate gifting to make your holidays a snap. Their concierge “brings the BOXFOX aesthetic and human touch to scale” which is perfect when you need something meaningful for the whole team. They’re another woman-owned company and we love their mission to create stronger relationships through intentional gifting.

How Your Virtual EA Can Make Corporate and Personal Gifting Easy (+Our 6 Favorite Vendors With Recs)