Weirdest holiday work gifts listed in Careerbuilder survey

CHICAGO -- There's no party like the workplace holiday party, because the workplace holiday party can get awkward.

CareerBuilder found that 21 percent of workers said they plan to buy holiday gifts for coworkers in 2014, and 20 perfect plan to buy a gift for their boss. Of those who planned to buy gifts for bosses or coworkers, 76 percent expected to spend $25 or less on each gift, 33 percent said they will spend $10 or less and 10 percent planned to spend $5 or less.

Employees aren't the only ones in the holiday spirit: 63 percent of employers plan to throw company holiday parties. Additionally, 40 percent of employers will give employees gifts this year and 42 percent will give charitable donations.

And while two in five workers said they plan to attend company holiday parties, an overwhelming majority - 96 percent - say they would prefer a holiday bonus over a company bash. Lucky for them, CareerBuilder's survey found that nearly half of the surveyed employers, 47 percent, plan to give employees a holiday bonus this year, and 11 percent of employers said they will give a larger bonus than last year.

The annual CareerBuilder holiday survey asked workers to share the most unusual gifts they received from a co-worker during the holiday season. While many stuck with more traditional holiday gifts like ornaments, candy and gift baskets, others' ideas were a lot stranger.

The Most Unusual Holiday Gifts Exchanged at the Workplace

• A box of Hot Pockets.


• A chess piece (just one piece, not a set).


• A fire extinguisher.


• A voucher for a free lawn game of the co-worker's own invention.


• A turquoise leather vest.


• Zombie action figures.


• A Ziploc bag with coffee (enough to make one pot).


• A 'gun of the day' calendar.


• A bag of chips.


• A Christmas ornament with the co-worker's and spouse's photos on it.