Classic Gift Giving Trips to Make the Holidays Carefree
Floridian Etiquette Expert Peggy Post Shares the Secret behind Gift Giving

Every year shoppers struggle to find the ideal holiday present for everyone on their list. As shopper’s ideas run stale, it gets even harder to find the perfect gift while following proper etiquette. Floridian etiquette expert Peggy Post, great-grand-daughter-in-law of Emily Post and author of Excuse Me, But I was Next…, offers tips to help simplify holiday giving:

• Don’t stress about an unexpected gift. The first and most important thing to do is graciously thank the person for the gift. Then, you must decide whether to get the person a gift or not. It’s acceptable to thank the person and leave it at that. Or you could say “I don’t have yours yet!” and buy a gift and deliver it later.
• Stand-by gifts are good to have on hand. It’s a smart idea to keep some nice gifts on stand-by should you receive an unexpected visitor or get invited to a last-minute dinner party. Make sure that your stand-by gifts are gifts that you would enjoy receiving also. Items such as journals, cookbooks, holiday-scented candles, and picture frames serve as great stand-by gift ideas.
• Give the gift of Florida sunshine. Skip calorie-laden holiday cookies and send the gift of health with a beautiful gift basket of Florida oranges, grapefruit and tangerines to friends and family. Juicy, tasty and rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, folate and potassium, Florida citrus offers a gift of good taste. Gift fruit can be conveniently ordered online at www.pickFLA.com and delivered to a loved ones’ doorstep.
• Avoid re-gifting. Re-gifting is dangerous and should be avoided. The potential to cause hurt feelings is the best argument against re-gifting. That said, if you received a beautiful sweater that doesn’t fit you, you can certainly pass it along to your best friend, just be honest where it came from.
• Be cautious when exchanging gifts in the workplace. Don't give a gift to your supervisor that's just from you. Other employees may resent what they see as an effort on your part to curry favor. If you really want to do something for the boss, get together with the others in your department and give a gift from the group.
• Communicate your thanks. Accompany any gift with a hand-written note expressing thanks. If you've verbally thanked someone in person for a gift, technically, a thank-you note isn't obligatory. But, it's never wrong to write a thank-you note because hand-written notes are remembered, and will stand out as warm and personal relationship-enhancers.