By Chen Deng · Founder, LAMOSE · Calgary, Alberta
Last updated: October 8, 2026
The year-end client gift that fails usually fails on the calendar, not the catalogue. It arrives December 23 at an office that closed on the 18th, sits in a mailroom until January, and by then nobody remembers who sent the chocolate.
The short answer. Send each key client one engraved piece with their own name on it, timed to land between December 7 and 18, before offices close. Call it a year-end gift, not a Christmas gift, so it fits every client. Skip food baskets: they're gone in a week, and Canadian tax law treats food and drink differently.
Year-end client gifts, compared
Page one of Google for this topic is gift-box and basket companies. They're good at what they do. Here is how their format stacks up against one engraved piece, judged on whether the client still has it in February.
| Gift | Still around in February? | Tax note | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food or chocolate basket | No. Shared and eaten in the office within days. | Food and beverages fall under the 50% rule in s.67.1 | A whole team at one client |
| Wine or spirits | No, and some clients don't drink. | Same 50% rule | A client you know well |
| Curated box of five items | One item, maybe. The rest gets sorted into a drawer. | Ask your accountant about the food part | A wide list at one price |
| Logo mug or bottle | Sometimes, in a cupboard. | Not food or drink | Trade shows, not thank-yous |
| One piece engraved with the client's name | Yes. It's on their desk or in their car. | Not food or drink | Your top 10 to 50 accounts |
If you do want a box company, we compared the Canadian ones fairly in Corporate Gift Companies in Canada: Who to Hire for What.
Send it before the shutdown, not Christmas week
Most offices thin out after the third week of December. Christmas 2026 falls on a Friday, so the last full working week is December 14 to 18. A gift that lands then gets opened at a desk, by the person whose name is on it.
Work backwards from that week. Our own published holiday dates:
- 25 pieces or more: order by Friday, November 20.
- A short list of personalized gifts: order by Friday, December 11.
We'd order earlier than December 11 for clients, because you want them to arrive in that last full week, not squeak in after it. Our holiday ordering guide has the full calendar.
Call it a year-end gift
Your client list doesn't all celebrate Christmas. "Thanks for 2026" works for every one of them, and it ties the gift to the work you did together instead of to a holiday. It also gives you room: a year-end gift that lands on December 15 is on time, while a Christmas gift that lands on December 28 is late.
Engrave the client's name, not your logo. Their name makes it theirs. Your logo makes it an ad they now have to store. Put your company name on the card.
The tax line nobody selling baskets mentions
Section 67.1 of the Income Tax Act deems an amount paid "in respect of the human consumption of food or beverages or the enjoyment of entertainment" to be 50 per cent of what you paid, or of a reasonable amount if that's lower. Accountants apply that rule to food and wine gifts. A steel tumbler is none of those things.
We're not your accountant, and the deduction still has to be reasonable for your business. Ask yours how it applies to your books. Gifts to employees follow a different set of CRA rules, which we cover in our CRA gift rules guide.
What we'd send
We engrave every order in Calgary. Three that work as client gifts, with prices from the live product pages:
- Grouse 16 oz ($35). Wide-mouth tumbler, 18/8 stainless steel, 6 hours hot, leakproof flip lid. The default for a full client list.
- Robson 21 oz ($40). Bottle, 18/8 stainless steel, 12 hours hot, 24 hours cold, leak-proof sport cap. For clients who spend the day on site, not at a desk.
- Emerald 16 oz ($40). Tapered tumbler in 316 stainless steel, 6 hours hot, 24 hours cold. For the five clients you most want to keep.
Engraving is included in the price. Our holiday buy-more pricing takes 45% off at 10 or more pieces, which puts a Grouse 16 at $19.25 each.
"Lamose's products are very high quality. … All of my clients rave about how nice the mugs are!"
Verified Etsy review, 5 stars, August 28, 2026
How many clients to gift
Don't gift the whole book at one tier. Pick the accounts that sent you the most work or the most referrals this year, and give each of them a named piece. Everyone else gets a card. Since 2022 we've filled more than 900 orders of 12 pieces or more for over 400 organisations, and the lists that land well are short and named.
Your client list
Send us the names. We'll quote it in 24 hours.
From one piece, bulk pricing from 12, a free proof before anything is engraved.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good year-end gift for clients in Canada?
One useful item engraved with the client's own name, sent to arrive before offices close in mid-December. A named steel tumbler or bottle stays on a desk for years; a food basket is gone in a week.
When should I send year-end client gifts?
Aim for delivery between December 7 and 18. In 2026 the last full working week before Christmas is December 14 to 18. For 25 or more engraved pieces, order by November 20.
Are client gifts tax deductible in Canada?
Business gifts can be deductible when they're reasonable. Food, beverages and entertainment are deemed 50 per cent under section 67.1 of the Income Tax Act. A non-food gift isn't caught by that wording. Confirm the treatment with your accountant.
How much should I spend on a client gift?
$20 to $45 a client covers a named, engraved steel tumbler or bottle. At 10 or more, our holiday pricing puts a Grouse 16 oz at $19.25.
Should I put my logo on client gifts?
Put their name on the gift and your name on the card. A logo turns a thank-you into advertising.
What if my clients don't celebrate Christmas?
Frame it as a year-end thank-you. "Thanks for 2026" fits every client, and it ties the gift to the year you worked together.
Chen Deng founded LAMOSE in 2017 at a mall kiosk in Edmonton. Every order is now engraved in Calgary, whether it's one tumbler or a full client list.
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