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QC12172015

10 The Queens Courier • holiday • DECEMBER 17, 2015 for breaking news visit www.qns.com s holiday guide GIFT GIVING AT THE OFFICE By Craig W. Armstrong Nothing says holiday fun like gift giving at the office. It’s a tradition that most of us are forced into. We go along to get along because you don’t want to be the Scrooge who doesn’t want to participate. If you are forced into participating, here are some ideas to make this awkward tradition a little less painful. The classic office gift giving tradition is of course, Secret Santa. Everyone randomly draws the name of a co-worker who then becomes the person that you give a gift. There is normally a limit on the amount of the gift, so things don’t get out of control. In some cases, smaller, less expensive gifts are purchased and left with clues. When the big gift exchange occurs people then try to guess the identity of their Secret Santa. A tradition that is a more cutthroat is the White Elephant gift exchange. Each person buys a gift. When the gift exchange occurs, one person starts. The next person then picks, but has the option to take the previous person’s gift, thus forcing them to pick again. It’s kind of like Let’s Make A Deal, but on a smaller scale. One way to keep the atmosphere light and avoid hard feelings is the make sure the gifts are gag gifts. For the studious office, there is the book gift exchange. Everyone offers their favorite book as a gift. The books can be given randomly or in Secret Santa fashion. The interesting part of this tradition is to see what kind of literature your co-workers like. Maintaining the theme idea, how about a coffee mug exchange? Most people drink coffee or tea at work. Coffee mugs come with practically anything printed on them. This is best used with an assigned recipient. That way you can match the mug to the personality. An altruistic approach would be a charity exchange. This means making a donation to someone’s favorite charity. This is the true meaning of the holidays. To make sure they get what they want, you could do a gift card exchange. Not a lot of surprises here, but most folks like to shop. To keep it interesting, have everyone supply 3 places that they like to shop. Leave it up to the giver to decide from which place to buy the gift card. What about no gifts and a potluck instead? Take the money you would normally spend on each other and put it toward a nice meat and cheese tray or a seafood platter. This is good way to take the pressure of gift giving off and just have a good time. Remembering to buy gifts for your coworkers is just one more thing to do during the holiday season. But if you make it fun and creative, it might not be so bad. PISTOL LICENSING CONSULTANT, SPECIALIZING IN BUSINESS CARRY, HOME AND BUSINESS PREMISE NEW LARGER LOCATION • WALK IN HUMIDOR 14-30 149th Street, Whitestone • 917-563-1101 VIP PRIVATE ROOMS Available For Rent! The Holidays Are Coming… Give Him What He Really Wants! Gift Certificates Available! WE CARRY A LARGE SELECTION OF POLICE EQUIPMENT DUTY BELTS • ACCESSORIES FOR DUTY BELTS • HANDCUFFS KEVLAR GLOVES • TATICAL PENS • ON & OFF DUTY HOLSTERS PREMIUM BRAND CIGARS • CIGAR ACCESSORIES • PIPES PIPE TOBACCO • ACCESSORIES Walk In Humidor Large Selection Of Premium Cigars! Relax & Enjoy A Great Cigar In Our Smoking Lounge! Wishing You and Your Family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Congressman Joseph Crowley 14th Congressional District PAID FOR BY CROWLEY FOR CONGRESS


QC12172015
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