4 THE COURIER SUN • 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 offi ce. 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 offi ce 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 offi ce, 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. Merry Christmas! AUSTIN’S AUSTIN’S FIVE COURSE DINNER | $45 PER PERSON ++ INCLUDES: Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Entrée, Dessert, Coffee or Tea APPETIZERS (CHOICE OF ONE) Lobster Mac and Cheese Croquettes Crispy Fried Oysters with Caviar Crème Fraiche Grilled Zucchini Roll with Goat Cheese Roasted Red Peppers and Capers SOUP Sweet Potato, Corn and Shrimp Chowder SALAD Baby Spinach, Pomegranate and Feta Cheese ENTREES (CHOICE OF ONE) Lamb Chops with Mint Salsa Verde Jumbo Shrimp with Tomato Cream Scampi Sauce Filet Mignon with Truffl ed Mushroom Ragout Red Snapper with Potato-Horse Radish Crust And Roasted Red Pepper Relish Seared Duck Breast with Cherries and Port Wine Sauce Scallops, Shrimp and Lobster with a Sherry Tomato Cream Sauce over Fettuccine DESSERT White Chocolate Raspberry Bread Pudding, Chocolate Mousse Cake or New York Cheesecake 82-70 Austin Street, Kew Gardens, NY 11415 718-849-3939 WITH BOURBON STREET In our brand-new Magnolia Room! 10pm-2am Open Bar, Champagne Toast, Passed Hors d'Oeuvres, Pasta Station, Carving Station, Dessert Station, Live DJ and Dancing. Complimentary Noisemakers with Ball Drop from Times Square! $99.00 per person, inclusive. Reservations must be prepaid upon booking. In the Main Dining Room: A special New Years Eve a la Carte Menu. Reservations Required. At the Downstairs Bar: $40.00 per person for an Open Bar from 10pm-2am. :: 718-224-2200 :: Bourbon Street :: 40-12 Bell Boulevard :: Bayside, NY 11361
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