Kerstpakketten explained: why does your employer give you one?

No need to hang your stockings at the office, but you will receive a Christmas gift from your employer if you work in the Netherlands: a tradition widely known as a “kerstpakket”, or a Christmas box if you like. But what’s typically inside such a box and why do you get one?

What is a kerstpakket?
A kerstpakket can be anything, but it is usually the same for all employees at a company. It is not a bonus, nor a substitute for your salary. It is a thank you at the end of the year. For years it was an actual box filled with food, drinks and little presents, usually with a link to Christmas. Nowadays there’s a lot of variety in kerstpakketten, from gift cards to air fryers and from electronics to board games.

Where does the tradition come from?
The tradition goes back to the 19th century, when it was customary for staff to visit their boss on New Year’s Day to wish them a happy new year. In return they would get a small tip or some food. This evolved into boxes filled with food that were handed out, or sent abroad to soldiers in the Dutch East Indies. Later on companies took up the tradition and made it their own, giving their employees a kerstpakket as a thank you at the end of the year.

Kerstpakketten are also common in the UK, where they are called Christmas hampers, so it is not a purely Dutch tradition.

New types of kerstpakketten
As mentioned before, the traditional box is often swapped for something else. Something very common nowadays is a gift card, which gives employees a sense of ownership over what they get. A common criticism of kerstpakketten is that most of the contents of the box don’t get consumed or used. With gift cards, employees can decide for themselves what they get for Christmas.

Another trend is the possibility of donating to charity. This can be an actual donation, but it can also mean that the kerstpakket itself is given to someone in need, the poor, for instance. Another way to do good with your kerstpakket is to go for a “green” kerstpakket, for instance by planting a tree.

Kerstpakket etiquette: what’s expected of you?
For someone new in the Netherlands, the tradition might be confusing. Do you need to give something in return, can you refuse it, and does it mean you have to actually celebrate Christmas? It is seen as a one-way gift, from the employer to you, so you don’t have to give your boss anything in return. In fact, they’ll probably receive a kerstpakket themselves.

Refusing the kerstpakket is always an option, but it is frowned upon. Nevertheless, more and more companies now ask for preferences, and “no kerstpakket” is often an option. Most of the time the alternative will be a donation to charity in your name, paid for by the employer of course.

For people who don’t celebrate Christmas for religious or other reasons: the kerstpakket is named after Christmas because of when it is given out. In no way does it mean you should be opening it under a Christmas tree. Consider it an “end-of-the-year gift”.

Hiring in the Netherlands?
If you’ve hired Dutch employees at an international company, they might expect you to send them a kerstpakket, since they’re used to it. At least raise this with them or, even better, if you’ve got multiple Dutch employees, introduce the kerstpakket tradition into your company! You can easily order them online: in the Netherlands alone there are dozens of webshops specialising in kerstpakketten, such as kerstpakkettenplaza.nl.