Crown Victoria police cruiser on a rainy night street beside a cemetery, Nightshift Goons Christmas gifts for cops

Christmas Gifts for Cops and Night Shift Workers

Somebody has to be on the road on Christmas Eve, and a lot of the time it's the night shift. If the person on your list is a cop, or anyone who works while everyone else is asleep, these are gifts that fit the hours they actually keep. There are ideas for under the tree, for their stocking, and for the squad's Secret Santa.

Do cops work on Christmas?

Yes. Police coverage doesn't stop for holidays, so somebody works Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the overnight in between. In many departments holiday shifts follow the regular schedule or seniority, which means newer officers often draw them. If your officer is working, the best gift might be something that makes that shift easier, and a plate saved for when they get home.

Gifts for the officer working Christmas night

  • A hoodie for the end of the shift. Pulling one on after a night in the car is the best part of the drive home.
  • A travel mug or thermos that keeps coffee hot until the end of the shift.
  • Breakfast when they're off. Their Christmas morning starts when the shift ends, so plan it for then.

Hoodies for under the tree

Nightshift Goons is built around the overnight: the graveyard shift, the cemetery patrol and the fictional Zynville PD. Every hoodie has the design on the front and a logo at the top of the left sleeve.

Sizing: the hoodies are Cotton Heritage M2580, unisex, S–3XL. They run small, so order one size up. Delivery estimates show at checkout; order early in December so it's there before the 25th.

Secret Santa and white elephant gifts for cops

For a squad gift exchange, the joke matters more than the price. A tee that only someone on the shift would get goes over best:

  • I Say the Q Word: for the one who says "quiet" out loud at 0200 and gets blamed when the calls stack up. Also a hoodie.
  • Zynville PD tees: the proudly Aggressively Average department, with the Stop n Rob on every call sheet.
  • Goon Energy: Ghosty on an energy-drink can, for whoever keeps the cooler stocked.

Stocking stuffers for police officers

Small, useful and built for long nights:

  • Nightshift Goons Puff Logo Waffle Beanie: our wordmark in raised puff embroidery on the cuff of a waffle-knit beanie, for traffic posts and the walk across the lot at shift change. Black, Navy, Heather Charcoal or Heather Grey, one size, under $25.
  • Hand warmers for traffic posts and perimeter details.
  • Good socks, because boots stay on for the whole shift.
  • A sleep mask and earplugs for sleeping through the day.
  • Their usual coffee or energy drinks, by the case.

Christmas gifts for a cop husband or boyfriend

Give them sleep. Blackout curtains, a white-noise machine or a quiet house on the morning after a night shift help more than most things you can wrap. Add a hoodie for the drive home and you've covered both ends of the shift.

Gifts for the whole squad or the station

Many departments limit what officers can accept from the public. Food for the whole shift is the usual way people say thanks, such as a tray of cookies, a box of coffee or breakfast for the overnight crew. If you're not sure what's allowed, call the station's non-emergency line and ask.

Night shift workers who aren't cops

Nurses, dispatchers, corrections officers and anyone else on overnights keep the same hours. The sleep gifts and stocking stuffers above work for all of them. Our Ghosty and graveyard designs work for anyone on the graveyard shift, too, and so does the puff logo beanie.

Shopping for someone who just graduated from the academy? See our gift guide for a new police officer, or shop all cop hoodies.

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