subject: 10 Tips on Gift Giving Etiquette for Christmas [print this page] 10 Tips on Gift Giving Etiquette for Christmas
Though Christmas is originally a religious festival that marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the year-end gaiety is felt in the air for all. Many big cities worldwide are lit up with decorative lights and sounds from November to early January, open houses are seen during Christmas through the new year and people of multi cultural background rejoice over Christmas parties.
In corporate world, gift-giving is customarilygiven toclients and suppliers topromote goodwill, toacknowledge gratitude and toprevail good relationships; whereas gift-givingto employees is a gesture of recognising an individual's performance and contributiontowards the collective achievement for the company. On a more personal basis, employees may want to exchange gifts among themselves to fosteraffinity.
Here areten timely tips on the do's and don'ts in gift-giving:-
1) No personal nature of gift. Romantic gift such as lingerie is a no no. Conversely, a well-thought-out gift is appreciated. For example, if you know your co worker uses a certain brand of hand cream at office, you may consider buying her a limited edition gift-pack.
2) If you are choosinga different type of gift for each co-worker, make sure the variance is not too obvious so as not to make anyone feel 'less important'. Inevitably, among the co workers, they always compare notes!
3) Be sensitive towards the recipient.While wine may seem a popular gift during Christmas season, it'snot an appropriate gift for Moslems. When gifting a bottle of wine, add a little finesse by using a wine holder that's provided complimentarily from the wine cellars.
4) When gifting, it's important to bemindful ofthe person's lifestyle.Even for non Moslem, wine may not be an appropriate gift if the person's lifestyle does not revolve around wine and dine. Paying attention to details shows your thoughtfulness.
5) If you have formed a close work relationship with your boss and would like to gift her/himsomething of more personal touch, such as agourmet delivery of turkey, do it discretely delivered to the boss' home.
6) While food items are always excellent choice for Christmas, however, do make sure you do not deliver a beautifully roasted whole turkey to your boss whose family is strict vegetarian!
7) When gifting 'tricky' peoplein theoffice, such as your superior whom you aren't very close to,and the gift is to come from only you, consider cookies or a box of rare chocolate that she/he can share with others in the office. Generally speaking, people appreciate gifts which are presented in a nice packaging. If you don't know what to gift, an imported box of chocolate or cookies is appreciated.
8) Whereas for the boss to gift her/hissubordinates, consider gifting departmental store Gift Vouchers. Alternatively, a boss might want to gift her/his Personal Assistant a fine dining voucher treat for two at an upscale restaurant so that she/he can enjoy it with a loved one.
9) For inter-companygift giving,gourmetfood basket which contains a variety offood items makes a good choice.The boss could also show his generosity by having the staff sharing the goodies among themselves.
10) Whatever you choose, remember,present the gift nicely with a hand-written personal message attached.It's the thought that count, after all.
