Give them something to do, not just something to unwrap.
The Offline Box, Christmas Edition, is a box of real things to do over the break: a large book nook to build (valued at $89), pearl watercolours, seeds to plant, a Christmas dessert to make, a card game, a scavenger hunt and a weighted eye mask for the rest of it. It’s the gift people open on a slow summer afternoon and remember came from you.
- A $89 book nook to build, not a $12 bottle of wine
- Still being used in January
- Under $300 a head, so no FBT and still deductible
- We handle the wrapping, the addresses and the dates
As featured in
- The Australian
- Network 10
- Channel 7
- Channel 9
- VOGUE
- Herald Sun
- Country Style
You want them to open it and feel something.
Choosing the Christmas gift is a small job with a lot riding on it. It says how your company feels about its people, and everyone notices when it’s an afterthought. Here’s what this box does for you.
It stands out
Everyone has had the hamper and the branded drink bottle. Nobody expects a book nook to build over summer, and it’s the gift people show each other.
It feels personal
Things chosen with care, wrapped by hand, with a card from you. One order and one invoice, and we look after the wrapping, the addresses and the dates.
It gets them off the screen
Something to make, create, grow, cook, play and do outside, and something for actually resting. A summer of doing things with their hands instead of scrolling, which is the whole point of MERRI.
Everyone gets the same box
No alcohol, and no separate version for anyone. Nobody compares, nobody is handed a substitute, and you are not managing a list of who gets what.
Most work gifts are gone by Boxing Day.
The chocolates get eaten in a week. The wine goes to whoever drinks. The branded drink bottle joins the others at the back of the cupboard.
This one gets opened on a slow afternoon in January, when there’s finally time. A book nook to build, a paint set, seeds, a dessert to make, a card game, a scavenger hunt and an eye mask for the quiet part. It says you thought about them, and it keeps going long after the office party.
And before anyone says they’d rather have a gift card: they probably would say that. When researchers tested it, workers said they preferred cash, then responded more strongly to a thoughtful object of the same value.Kube, Maréchal and Puppe, American Economic Review, 2012
Real things to do, all summer.
What’s in the Christmas box
A large book nook to build
A little lit-up world that slides between the books on a shelf. Seven to eight hours of making, so it fills the slow days over summer, and it stays on the shelf long after the decorations come down.
- CreateA large pearl watercolour set and an art printA proper paint set, not a novelty one. Shimmering colours and a print ready to bring to life. No talent required.
- GrowA pot and seedsSomething to plant in January and watch come up. Sourced so it ships to every state and territory.
- CookA Christmas dessert to makeThe ingredient and a proper recipe card, so they can actually make something festive rather than read about it.
- GoAn outdoor scavenger huntA reason to get everyone off the couch and out into the summer, kids or no kids.
- PlayA family card gameSomething to actually play together on the long afternoons when everyone is home.
- RestA weighted eye maskFor the part of the break that is meant to be rest. Twenty minutes of dark and quiet after a year that did not have much of either.
- ReadThe Offline, Christmas issueOur print magazine, with ideas for the holidays and the how-to for everything in the box.
- From youA card from your companyYour message inside every box, so they know exactly who it came from.
Two of them up close. Nothing in this box is a mystery. You are ordering for a hundred people and you should know exactly what every one of them opens.
Want to see our work?
Our smaller monthly boxesAlongside the Christmas Edition we post a smaller box to members every month. Have a peek at the last couple, so you can see how we choose, pack and finish things before you order.
Your Christmas Edition is bigger than these, and every item in it is sourced to post anywhere in Australia.
Wrapped, sealed, and from you.
Every box is wrapped in tissue and sealed by hand, with a card inside that says it’s from your team. You tell us the words. We do the rest.
- A card from you in every box, with your company name and message, printed free.
- Handwritten, if you like. We’ll write each card by hand for $3 a box.
- Co-branded, whatever the size of your order. Your logo joins ours on the seal, the welcome card, and inside a version of the magazine printed for your team.
- Never on the gifts themselves. Nobody wants a paint set with a logo on it.
Simple prices, out in the open.
Per box, plus GST. Every order is co-branded, and delivery to one address is included (we’ll quote for remote areas). No setup fees, no surprises.
The full Christmas Edition, including the $89 book nook, gift-wrapped with your card inside.
Everything, co-branded on the seal, the welcome card and your own edition of the magazine.
Everything, co-branded, with a proof to approve before we print.
Everything, co-branded. For 500 or more, talk to us early so we can hold your stock.
$209 a box + GST is $229.90 with GST, which sits under the ATO’s $300 minor benefits threshold. A staff gift under $300 a head, given now and then, is generally FBT-free, and it’s assessed separately from your Christmas party. Worth a quick check with your accountant.
- Delivered on your day, or the delivery is on us. You choose the date. We work to it.
- Anything damaged is replaced free. Tell us within 7 days and a new box goes out.
- Not right? We’ll fix it or refund it. Tell us within 7 days of delivery.
Order by 16 October and save 5%. It is the only discount we do. Budget won’t stretch? The same box without the book nook is $109 to $139 a box, and you can choose it at the checkout.
Extras, if you want them
- Post a box to each person’s home+$17 per address
- Handwritten cards+$3 a box
- Co-branding with your logoFree, any order
- Custom contents, from 100 boxesNo setup fee
How paying works
- Order onlinePaid in full, by card
- Rather have an invoice?50% deposit, balance a week before we pack
- Purchase ordersJust ask and we’ll set it up
- Either wayTax invoice with ABN
What would it cost?
Pop in your numbers for a rough total. Your written quote confirms it.
Includes gift wrapping, your card and delivery to one address.
Easy for you, and mostly on us.
- 1
Book your boxes
Tell us how many and who they’re for. Pay by card and it’s locked in, or ask us for an invoice.
- 2
Send the addresses and dates
One delivery address and the day you want them, or our simple spreadsheet if we’re posting to each person.
- 3
We pack and send
Every box is wrapped and packed by hand from 30 November, and everything arrives by 11 December. You get a delivery report.
The dates that matter.
We pack every box by hand, so our last order day is a little earlier than the big hamper companies. Missed it? Ask anyway. Spare boxes go first in, best dressed, until 27 November.
- Last day for custom boxes
- Last day to order and pay
- Addresses due, if we’re posting to each person
- We pack your boxes
- Every box delivered, well before the office closes
For your clients, and for something bigger.
A thank-you that doesn’t need a corkscrew. Clients get the same box with a card from you, posted straight to their door, and it works whether they drink or not.
★★★★★
“Thrilled with how it all turned out. Everyone was genuinely surprised, impressed and excited. Can’t wait to do it again next year.”Sophie · corporate client
“Wow! Adore it! Something sort of magical and sentimental and special about it all.”Amanda · member
Build it around your budget
For bigger orders we can shape the box to suit. A fuller one for your best clients, with a hardback and a second project, or something built around a number you have been given.
Custom boxes close on 16 October for Christmas. We also make boxes for onboarding, client milestones and the end of financial year, if you’d like to talk about the rest of the year.
Ask about a custom boxA small Australian team, packing by hand.
MERRI makes the Offline Box, a monthly box of real things to do, posted to members right across Australia. The Christmas Edition is the same care, made for giving. Life is for doing.
Read our storyThe things people ask us.
Anything else, email hello@wearemerri.com.au and a real person will answer.
What exactly will be in the box?
The highlight is a large book nook to build, valued at $89 and about seven to eight hours of making. With it: a large pearl watercolour set with an art print, a pot and seeds, an ingredient and recipe card for a Christmas dessert, an outdoor scavenger hunt, a family card game, a weighted eye mask, the Christmas issue of The Offline and a card from your company. Every box is the same, and we send you photos of the finished box before it ships.
Can you post to each person’s home, and does it go everywhere in Australia?
Yes to both. Posting to homes is $17 + GST an address: fill in our spreadsheet and we check every address first. We deliver to every state and territory, including WA, the NT and Tasmania. The seeds and the dessert ingredient both come from suppliers approved to ship Australia wide, so nothing gets left out of a box because of where it is going. Remote addresses can take a few extra days.
What about dietary needs and people who don’t drink?
There’s no alcohol in the box at all. There’s one food item, the ingredient for the Christmas dessert, which comes with its recipe card. Tell us if that’s a problem for anyone on your team and we’ll work it out with you before we pack.
Can we add our logo?
Your company name and message go on the card in every box, and we co-brand every order whatever its size: your logo sits with ours on the seal that holds the tissue, on the welcome card, and we print a version of the magazine for your team. We never put logos on the gifts themselves.
Do we get a tax invoice? What about FBT?
Yes, a tax invoice with our ABN and the GST shown. Gifts to staff under $300 a head, given now and then, are generally exempt from FBT, and a boxed gift like this isn’t entertainment, so it’s usually deductible. We’re not your accountant, though, so do check your own situation.
How do we pay, and can we use a purchase order?
Order online and pay by card in a couple of minutes. If you’d rather have an invoice, need a purchase order, or want to pay a 50% deposit with the balance a week before we pack, just ask us and we’ll set it up.
When do we need to order, and what if we miss it?
Order by Friday 13 November. Custom boxes close on 16 October, and there’s 5% off anything ordered by then. If you’ve missed 13 November, ask us anyway: spare boxes go first in, best dressed, until 27 November.
What if something goes wrong?
If a box is damaged, tell us within 7 days and we’ll send a new one. If the delivery misses the day you chose, the delivery is on us. If the boxes aren’t right, tell us within 7 days and we’ll fix it or refund it.
Order now, or have a chat first.
Know what you want? Pay by card and you are done in a couple of minutes, with a delivery date locked in. Rather talk it through, or need an invoice, a purchase order or more than 500 boxes? Send us a note and you will hear back within one working day.
If you’re the one choosing it, your name is on it. So: see the whole list before you pay, pick the day it lands, and if anything goes wrong we fix it or refund it.
Need someone else to approve it?
We’re giving the team a MERRI Offline Box for Christmas. It’s $209 + GST a head, which sits under the ATO’s $300 minor benefits threshold, so there’s no FBT. It’s a box of real things to do over the break: a book nook to build, pearl watercolours, seeds, a Christmas dessert to make, a card game, a scavenger hunt and a weighted eye mask. Nine things, no alcohol, and it posts anywhere in Australia. It comes co-branded with our logo and arrives by 11 December.
Prefer email? hello@wearemerri.com.au