A Reality Check on Gifts for the Office
For years I'd worry about big presents and get them out of the way, only to realize I'd forgotten my officemates. I'd panic and then go out and spend waaaaay too much money on these little trinkets that would get lost or broken by the end of the year anyway!
Then I started to think about it...did folks really appreciate being given yet one more throw-away, wasteful, effectively useless item? Was my bid to be original and generous actually just coming across as another annoying holiday trinket? What's the point in giving folks stuff if they don't even need it? Odds are, they aren't about to go out of their way to buy me something, so why am I stressing about it? It all seemed so expensive, wasteful and unnecessary. So, I decided to take a less expensive, more realistic look at what co-workers really want.
Reality Check #1 Number of people you buy gifts for
You're buying gifts for HOW many people? If your answer was above five, then tone it down. You don't really NEED to get stuff for every single person in a department of over fifty people. Stick to your boss, your secretary, your office mate, your boss's secretary and the receptionist at the very most. These are the folks that help you most and deserve the little extra something. If you just can't pare down the list to five or less, then try harder. Stick to those co-workers who have really helped you out or whom you work very closely with and support you. Everybody else will just have to live with a regular old holiday card - like in the old days.
If you really get a guilt trip about it, just bring a cake for everyone to share, or a few bags of bagels and a couple of tins of cream cheese - this is a busy time of year, especially in retail and some folks may have rushed out the door without a bite to eat. Your bagle offering may be just what they needed. If your office or department is only around 15-20 people, just buy each person a $1 lottery ticket and tuck it into their holiday card.
Reality Check #2 How much you spend
For those five or fewer people who get little extras, think before you buy. Funny gifts are useful for about ten seconds. Then the laugh dies down and the gift hits the trashcan - wasteful and pointless. Why not give something the person will use and love and that won't bite into the grocery budget? Here are a few ideas:
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