Ms. Theologian comments on gifts
Thursday December 22nd 2005, 10:06 am
Filed under: letters
Filed under: letters
Dear Ms. Theologian:My boss bought me a Christmas gift. I don’t celebrate Christmas. I’m not obligated to buy her a Christmas gift, am I? I’m Jewish.
Perplexed
Dear Perplexed:
In the most ideal circumstances, gifts are authentic symbols of our thoughts and are given out of kindness, love, appreciation, or generosity. But workplaces are not necessarily ideal circumstances.
In the workplae, sometimes “Christmas gifts” are really end of the year holiday bonus gifts, so I don’t think you are obligated to reciprocate, especially since the gift comes out of a religious tradition that you do not belong to. I do think you are obligated to write a thank you note.
–Ms. Theologian
As was stated by my manager peers when I asked if they were buying their people Christmas gifts: “Remember to tell them, gifts flow down, not up.”
Of course, this was right after they hit me up for twenty bucks to buy *our* manager a gift.
H
Comment by Anonymous 12.23.05 @ 6:33 amLeave a comment
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