The Consumer Reports survey examines our least-favorite gifts this year. Specifically, the gifts we might receive outside the office environment. However, we can go ahead and extrapolate that if it's a gift we don't want to receive at home, then we probably don't want to received it at work, either.
So let's cut straight to the chase! Er, perhaps should I say straight with no chaser, because hard liquor in any form is apparently our least-desired holiday gift this year. Of course, we wouldn't buy a co-worker a big bottle of whiskey and present it to him or her at work because we're smart and know better, right? Right. The point is, our friends and family outside of work don't like hard liquor as a gift, according to the survey.
What else is on our "do not want" list? Plants and flowers. Our little flora friends look so nice sitting on the outdoor shelvery at Home Depot, Trader Joe's and everywhere else, don't they? Plants and flowers are an easy gift -- at least for us as the gift giver! All we have to do is offer up a plant paired with a pretty bow, and then we can wipe our hands clean of any involvement. It's the recipient who has to dig deeper, but does our co-worker have a green thumb? Um. Not only is it a plant, it's one of those small, exotic plants with the fragile flowers that needs just the right amount of light, water, food, and perhaps most importantly of all, a plant handler with the right temperament to guide this plant eventually into a larger planter pot. (ProTip: Never ask how the plant is doing.)
Next up: Books. Who has time for the written word anymore? If we wait a year or two, the best full-length books will be made into a bad movie or a two-hour Lifetime special. Besides, we have too many things going on at home after work -- catching up on personal email, shopping, taking care of kids, cleaning up, doing laundry -- to find the energy for a little bit of late-night reading in bed. We'll just surf Twitter on our smartphones with the bedroom TV blaring as the books on our shelf gather dust. Can we simply read the dust jacket and call it good?
What else is on our "do not want" gift list this year? Kitchen items, clothing and food. Kitchen items because fewer people cook from scratch anymore, and in the worst case scenario, cooking items could be taken as a personal insult. You think I have time to cook?! I'm a 21st-Century, modern working professional! I. GET. TAKEOUT!!! Clothing makes the list because, presumably, it will always be the wrong size, material or style. And food? Well, it will probably be the wrong kind, consistency or taste. And have I mentioned food allergies? In other words, these items can be tricky business unless we know someone very, very well, and even then they might not appreciate our gift. Maybe a gift card to our co-worker's favorite take-out place would be more appreciated?
A small percentage of those surveyed (3%) do not want gift cards, either. But that means a whopping 97% do, so it's a good option.
So, there we are. A quick guide to the gift items we should avoid inflicting on our co-workers this holiday season! In summary, avoid gifts that are either remotely distracting or inherently time-consuming, because don't have time for anything anymore. It's something to keep in mind as we debate whether our BIG REVEAL Secret Santa gift will be a clearance rack book or a small plant, or both. For the third year in a row. Shh, we won't tell.
This is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Accordingly, it is difficult to figure out when to end it. But then, this is dummy text. It is not meant to be read. Period.
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon