Gift Giving Etiquette

1. You technically never give up the ladder, you always give down.  Thus you technically don't give your boss a present but you do give your assistant a present

2. In North America, presents are generally opened in front of the person who gave it to you! 

3. When you give a present, you should never say to the person open it, let the person receiving the gift do what makes them comfortable

4. Yes you do need to send a thank you note after you receive a gift.  Hand written first, or else email.

5. You can re-gift on one reason and that is you think the person you would like to give the gift to would actually like it

6. If the gift arrives and is broken, it is OK to either go the to the store where it came from or you can tell the person who gave it to you and have them exchange it

7. Remember a gift is not something that you will necessarily like but rather something you think will make the other person happy

8. When purchasing a gift, spend what you can afford, DON'T spend more than you can afford, this is both not necessary nor expected or required

9. When sending a gift or placing it under the tree, make sure you have a card securely attached to the gift so that the person who receives it, knows who to thank

10. When giving at the office, remember to be careful.  What may be a funny gag gift at the time, will not be well positioned for others to think of you at office promotion time!