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I'd go for elegant chocolates; easy to make (really!), store and transport, and if you have any doubts about how 'home-made' will go down in your office, they easily for make a polished presentation. Plus, they don't need to be refrigerated to keep them from spoiling before being taken home at the end of the day, and they can easily be shared with other or re-gifted (for those who don't much care for chocolate or sweets). Depending on how you plan, they can be fairly budget-friendly to make (but it's easy to get carried away and spend more than you intended). Other candies are good choices too (but check to see if anybody is diabetic/dislikes sweets).
These can be made well in advance, which is good, because the first round can be a bit unpredictable, and you don't want the pressure of needing to e certain that they'll be okay 'for tomorrow'.

Bags of home-made potato (or other root vegetable) chips go down well, too. And they're really budget friendly, even if they feature exotic seasonings.

I've tended to stay away from anything with alcohol, as it has always seemed that in any group of colleagues there is one abstainer/AA member.

I get the tiny aluminum loaf pans, and make various quick breads. Pumpkin bread made with canned pumpkin received raves, and was easy. I lost the recipe...sorry...but one should be easy to find. Another favorite in my office is candied walnuts.

my husband and I jointly make a "goody box" for our friends and family each year. usually, we include 2-3 types of cookie, biscotti, some spiced or candied nuts, and chocolate: chocolate covered homemade marshmallows, chocolate dipped pretzel sticks, peppermint bark, nut bark, and a truffle of some sort. This year we're adding mulling spice pouches for adding to hot cider or wine, and Chai teabags - it was a big Penzey's order, but is economical in the long run. And I'm trying to talk him into chocolate dipping some double-stuff oreos...

I love the pumkin bread/gingerbread gifts too, but they don't make it into the boxes because they don't keep very long. Biscotti is good because it keeps well, and if made using a recipe without butter it stays fresh tasting longer. Maybe you could pair up some biscotti and some homemade hot cocoa mix?

If you choose to make chocolates, the easy but less tasty way is to get the disks from your local craft store b/c they don't need to be tempered. But, tempering isn't difficult and yields far nummier treats. The "candy making for dummies" book explains the process with a minimum of stress. Dipping the large pretzel rods in the chocolate then dusting them with some seasonal sprinkles or nuts is easy, cheap, and looks really nice. Wrap a few in some plastic, tie off with a festive ribbon, and Bob Cratchit's your uncle! (sorry, I'm a little short on sleep...)

Jams/ jellies made and processed by you.

A few years ago I did those mason jars with layered dry ingredients and instuctions on how to bake... but I was working with people I knew liked to cook and bake.

What about homemade caramel corn or something like that? Once you spruce it with with some decorative ribbon, it looks fancy.

homemade marshmallows or truffels? what if you did a small jar of hot cocoa mix WITH a couple of homemade marshmallows?

spice blends or sauces (sweet or savory) with recipes attached.

ive also done nut brittles - cheap and easy and a crowd pleaser...

Is anyone going to "go there" before I do? ;-)

this year I'm making truffles for some people---over the summer i found gorgeous chocolate tins on sale--I stocked up.

everyone else is getting a big housemade marshmallow, hot cocoa mix, and maybe a mug if i can find them cheap.

i'm so excited for the holidays!

Ditto the granola and the quick breads in little pans. If you wrap them for freezing, the recipients can pop them in the freezer until January when the cookie and candy frenzy is over.

Here's a link to a board discussion on savory quick breads. They'd be great with soup or stew or as a grilled cheese sandwich. I'm especially curious about the recipe that uses dry soup mix and shredded cheese.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/375960

Cheese straws is another savory idea. They usually have cayenne, but you could put cumin and/or curry powder in as well. I've often used my cookie press to make hearts or seasonal shapes like trees. They're great with soup or as a snack.

Homemade fettuccine or papardelle -- plain, spinach, lemon-pepper. Hang it, dry it, bag it. It can be frozen as well.

@iz--what, you mean like a candy bra or chocolate body paint? Yeah, I went there.

@tinytim ~ you forgot Festivus for the restivthem. Not getting the Dan. Hmmm. Anyway, you could add a ton of cayenne to punish nasty co-workers or bosses. Talk about personalization! ;)

@ Perk even though a bit late we gotta include Ramadan.
I punish my co workers with my mere presence no xtra cayenne needed.

@cybercita ~ I looked it up and I can't believe schnorr is a real word! I am so using it everyday until Christmas.

schnorr
verb
obtain or seek to obtain by cadging or wheedling; "he is always shnorring cigarettes from his friends"

Having that gift every year is great, but if you have the RECIPE, you can be assured of having it whenever you want, and I'll bet she'd be honored that you asked. If you get it, will you share it with us? I promise to schnorr you until you do. LOL out loud!

Drink mixes. Make them so it's a "just add hot water" type of drink. You could do hot chocolate, mocha, chai tea, spiced tea...there are probably others. For a bigger gift, you could add a couple of festive glasses, some cinnamon sticks, mulling spices, a nutmeg...a nutmeg grater...

I do dry baking mixes. You combine all the dry ingredients (including sugar) in a bag and include a recipe card with the measurements for fresh ingredients like butter, eggs and milk. People love them.

I do the same thing with rice and beans for side dishes and pilafs.

Jams - Cran/Orange, Blueberry Star Anise, BBQ sauces, and some confections as well.

Ooops I meant to say IADL.