Occasions

What the programme covers

Four occasions, each with a short list approved in advance so the choice is quick and the spend is predictable. Anything outside these is still possible — it is just quoted individually.

A new baby

For a colleague who has had a baby or is about to go on parental leave. Usually sent to the home address, a week or two after the birth rather than the same day.

Gender neutral by default

The standing option is gender neutral. It means nobody placing an order has to ask about, or record, a baby's sex. If a parent has shared it themselves and the team wants to reflect that, the alternatives are there.

Twins are catered for

A single basket for twins reads as an afterthought. There is a dedicated option so it does not happen.

Personalised items take longer

Embroidered blankets and towels carry the baby's name and add roughly a week. Order those earlier, or choose a standard option if the timing is tight.

A birthday

Whether every birthday is marked or only milestones is set by each office rather than centrally — check with your office lead before you assume.

Timing

Order three to four business days ahead for most offices, and a week for remote ones, so it lands on or near the day rather than a fortnight later.

Office or home

Office delivery is the default. For a colleague who works from home most of the week, send it to them directly — the portal takes either address.

Signed by the team

The card message is yours to write. Most teams collect a line from everyone and send it as one message rather than a list of names.

Get well

For a colleague who is unwell or recovering, and for their children. This is the most sensitive occasion in the programme, and it is handled accordingly.

No reason is recorded

You choose the occasion and nothing else. The programme never asks what is wrong, how long someone will be away, or anything that would sit in an HR file.

Built for children too

When it is an employee's child who is unwell, there is a separate range. A hamper of coffee and cheese is the wrong gift for a seven-year-old.

Dietary options

Kosher, vegan and gluten-free options can be chosen directly. The portal offers them as a choice and never asks you to explain why.

The holidays

The annual December send, organised office by office rather than one list for the whole firm. This is the only occasion that runs as a batch.

One spreadsheet per office

Office leads submit a single list — recipient, address, card message, delivery week — rather than placing orders one at a time.

Book the week, not the day

December is the busiest shipping period of the year. You choose a delivery week and the gifts arrive within it.

Deadlines matter

Lists submitted after the cut-off can usually still be filled, but not with a guaranteed December arrival. Your office lead will circulate the date.

Custom gifts

Retirements, long-service awards, bereavements, project-team gifts and client gifting sit outside the standard shortlists and are built to order. Tell us the occasion, the budget and roughly who it is for, and a proposal comes back with options and a price. Allow two to three weeks. Email gifting@cima.boutique.