Office Gift-Giving Etiquette

Thoughtful Gifts

Mary Mitchell, author of the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Etiquette," said the single most important thing to remember is that "the gift is about the person you are giving it to. It's not about you."

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"It's got to be something that would please them," Mitchell said. "That supersedes any other considerations."

Not everybody has the financial wherewithal to provide an expensive gift, and Mitchell said we shouldn't feel compelled to, either.

"It's really incumbent on us to be creative about what we can do for other people," she said.

That might mean offering more of a service instead of a physical gift or it might mean writing a very nice note with a token gift.

"It's always an effort to really write down your thoughtfulness," she said. "It takes a few minutes to write down on a card or a note: 'I'm wishing you a happy holiday season,' But you know what, taking those couple of minutes can be so uplifting."

And one final tip from Slabinski: Always have a few extra gifts wrapped and laying around in case somebody surprises you.