A secretarial insider tells me that gifts given on Administrative Professionals’ Day must be “showy”—like flowers—so the gift can sit on your desk for others to admire and see how much you’re appreciated. That’s a lot of pressure for a little, wallet-sized gift card. With some creativity, however, you can make any gift card worthy of display. Here are some ideas:

A gift card for music says, "You Rock!"

• Flowers. If you can’t resist flowers, add a second “card stick” to hold a gift card in addition to your note of appreciation. The gift card poking out of the posies will surely get everyone’s attention.
• Don’t Dessert Us. Get a gift card to his or her favorite lunch restaurant and deliver it with a fantastically decadent dessert. Write on the note, “Please don’t DESSERT us. We’d be lost without you.”
• Hand and Foot. Get a gift card to the local spa or salon plus a sweet smelling candle. Tell your admin thanks for “waiting on me hand and foot” all the time.
• Love Your Style. It doesn’t matter how small the card is, he or will be the envy of the office with a gift card to the mall or a favorite clothing store.  Have everyone write a note, specifically saying why your admin’s style is perfectly suited for your office. Add the heartfelt notes to the gift card and he or she will be all smiles.
• Treat. Get any kind of treat—favorite chocolates, homemade cookies, donuts, etc.—and attach a gift card to a favorite store. Write, “working with you is such a treat” or “life is sweeter with you in the office.”
• Star Treatment. If your admin likes to play a sport, get a gift card to the appropriate sporting goods store (running store, shoe store, tennis store, golf store, etc.) and attach it to a new, reusable water bottle. Write, “You’re such a star!” on the card.
• Team sports. Does your admin enjoy any of the local sporting events? Get a gift card for the event (or a gift card to a sporting goods store) and write, “Thanks for being an important part of the team” on the note. Throw in some event-appropriate snacks like red ropes, cracker jacks, and so forth.
• You Rock! Ok, I’ve said this more than once—but downloadable music is a great multi-use gift card. Attach the music gift card to anything really—chocolates, flowers, donuts for everybody—and write, “You Rock!” on the card. For a more sentimental statement, write, “You make this office sing” or “You’re the heart-beat of the office.”
• You’re a Dream. With a warm cocoa, a soothing cd of music, or some other dreamy product, tell the Admin in your office that “Working with her is a Dream.”

You might also want to check the For Him or For Her sections to get non-admin specific ideas.

If you have an idea of your own, please share it with me.