Holiday Gifts for Nurses That Survive a Twelve-Hour Shift
A holiday food gift for nurses usually ends up in a break room, shared by people on day and night shifts, some of whom you may never meet. That changes what to send. Food that keeps at room temperature, comes sealed in single servings and carries its own label works for a room full of people who eat at different hours and may have different allergies.
Below: what to check first, a break-room box, a smaller gift for one nurse, a card, and a price table. For gifts to coworkers in other workplaces, see the guide to holiday gifts for employees and coworkers.
What to check first
- Shelf-stable. The USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service defines shelf-stable foods as those that can be safely stored at room temperature, and it advises a cool, dry place with temperatures below 85 °F. A box that sits on a counter through a shift needs food like that.
- Sealed and labeled. The FDA's first tip for people with food allergies is to always read food labels. Packaged food keeps its ingredient list and allergen statement with it, so each person can check before eating.
- Single servings. A mini bar, a honey straw or a small tin can be taken on a break and finished there.
The FDA names nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame, with sesame added as the ninth on January 1, 2023. Labels name them in the ingredient list or in a separate statement next to it.
The break-room box
The listing says Mayana Chocolate makes its mini bars by hand in Spooner, Wisconsin, and Mayana's label lists each 1.5-ounce bar as one serving. Mix flavors so people can choose. The Kitchen Sink mini layers peanut butter, pretzel, crispy rice and fleur de sel caramel in dark chocolate; Mayana's label says it contains peanuts, milk, soy and wheat and may contain traces of tree nuts and eggs (shop the Kitchen Sink mini, $4.49). The Peppermint mini has mint marshmallow, fleur de sel caramel and crushed candy cane (shop the Peppermint mini, $4.49), and the Coffee Break mini has coffee marshmallow, salted caramel and coffee grounds on top (shop the Coffee Break mini, $4.49).
Savannah Bee Company's Acacia Honey Straws come 30 to a pack; the listing says each straw is BPA-free plastic filled with acacia honey sourced from Hungary (shop Savannah Bee Acacia Honey Straws, $17.00).
For a savory option, Varah Gourmet's Tikka Masala Nut Mix is roasted nuts in a tikka masala spice blend (shop Varah Tikka Masala Nut Mix, $13.00), and its Masala Cranberries are dried cranberries coated in a masala spice blend (shop Varah Masala Cranberries, $13.00). The nut mix is made with roasted nuts; check the bag for the full allergen statement before setting it out.
Pack it all in a navy gift box with a magnetic flap lid, 14 by 9 by 4.3 inches, which the unit can keep for supplies afterward (shop the navy magnetic gift box, $13.00).
A gift for one nurse
For a single nurse, think pocket-sized. Les Anis de Flavigny pastilles are an anise seed coated in sugar syrup and flavored, in this case with lemon; the listing says they have been made at the Benedictine Abbey in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, in Burgundy, since 1591, and they come in a 50 g oval tin (shop Anis de Flavigny Lemon Pastilles, $8.00). Pastiglie Leone's tangerine pastilles list sugar, gum arabic, tragacanth, tangerine juice, natural flavors, tartaric acid and cochineal extract (shop Leone Tangerine Pastilles, $6.00).
Add a box of Makabi & Sons' Kriti cookies, shortbread butter cookies with rosemary and Maldon sea salt, six to a 3.6-ounce box (shop Makabi & Sons Kriti cookies, $8.00).
The card
Add a card. Ginger P. Designs' floral Thank You card is 4.25 by 5.5 inches folded, blank inside, with a latte envelope (shop the Ginger P. Designs Thank You card, $4.00). For a unit, address it to the whole team and name the shift or the stay you are thanking them for.
Two gifts with totals
The break-room box: one each of the three Mayana mini bars ($13.47), Savannah Bee honey straws ($17.00), Varah Tikka Masala Nut Mix ($13.00), Varah Masala Cranberries ($13.00), the navy gift box ($13.00) and the Thank You card ($4.00). Together: $73.47.
The one-nurse gift: Anis de Flavigny Lemon Pastilles ($8.00), Leone Tangerine Pastilles ($6.00), Makabi & Sons Kriti cookies ($8.00) and the Thank You card ($4.00). Together: $26.00.
Holiday gifts for nurses, by price
| Gift | Use | Listed price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger P. Designs Thank You card | Card | $4.00 | Blank inside |
| Mayana mini bar (each) | Break room | $4.49 | One 1.5-ounce serving |
| Leone Tangerine Pastilles | One nurse | $6.00 | 0.95 oz |
| Anis de Flavigny Lemon Pastilles | One nurse | $8.00 | 50 g oval tin |
| Makabi & Sons Kriti cookies | One nurse | $8.00 | Six cookies |
| Varah Tikka Masala Nut Mix | Break room | $13.00 | Roasted nuts |
| Varah Masala Cranberries | Break room | $13.00 | Spiced dried fruit |
| Navy magnetic gift box | Break room | $13.00 | 14 by 9 by 4.3 inches |
| Savannah Bee Acacia Honey Straws | Break room | $17.00 | 30 straws |
| One-nurse gift | One nurse | $26.00 | Two tins, cookies and a card |
| Break-room box | Break room | $73.47 | Six items and a card |
Prices follow the listed price on each product page. Products ship across the continental U.S. from theambrosianpantry.com.
Short answers
What food is a good holiday gift for nurses? Sealed, labeled, shelf-stable snacks in single servings, such as mini chocolate bars, honey straws and small tins of pastilles, so each person can read the label and take one on a break.
How do I handle allergies in a gift for a nursing unit? Send packaged food with the label intact. The FDA advises people with food allergies to always read food labels, and labels name the nine major allergens.
What is a small gift for one nurse? A tin of pastilles, a box of cookies and a card: the one-nurse gift above comes to $26.00 at listed prices.
The shop is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver.
