We all have our holiday traditions, whether it be gathering around the Christmas tree, lighting the Menorah, or grumbling about corporate America’s ploy to take all of our money.
I spend Christmas Eve with my dad’s side of the family, and Christmas day with my mom’s. Two rather large families, both with their roots in the Northwest, and several generations thick. Both families, due to size have the tradition of doing a white elephant type gift exchange, typically with the same general rules. You may think this makes my holiday shopping easier: no personalization, or gift list to acquire from each family member. Just a general gift under $20 that everyone will like. In fact, I can bring the same gifts to both parties, and none will be the wiser. This however would only be true if both families had more in common than size and location.
Family A is environmentally conscious, gracious and creative. Gifts are simple, and either practical, home made, or meant to be funny. Few people “steal” gifts from each other as not to ruffle any feathers or hurt feelings. After the gift exchange we sing Christmas carols around the piano. From this family I was the winner of bacon flavored popcorn, and a new ornament in the shape of a horse’s head. Awesome.
Family B is entirely different. Part of the exchange is to publicly ridicule someone if their gift is not up to snuff. This causes much time spent and stress leading up to the exchange, as well as a blatant disregard for the $20 cap. The constant commentary and cursing over every gift opened is deafening, but at the same time absolutely entertaining. Drinks are overflowing, couples conspire to get the gifts they want, and no one thinks twice about stealing something from my cute 85-year old grandpa. Everyone is fair game. We all leave the party a little tipsy, with scratchy voices, pride potentially hurt, but a solid gift if you played your cards right. This year my husband and I walked away with a bluetooth speaker and a Nordstrom gift card. Suckers.
On my drive into work today, I thought a bit about how the lessons I’ve learned from these gift exchanges relate to my everyday interactions, both business and personal. A few thoughts:
- You can never assume what a client needs based on looks. From the outside, it may seem that both client A and client B need the same solution: same business, same company size, same goals. But it is not until you spend some time with each that you will truly understand the nuances of their needs and wants.
- If you’re not willing to ruffle some feathers, you may end up with bacon flavored popcorn. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion, but be strategic and tactful in doing so, or else the group may turn against you.
- Don’t be a sore loser. There will be times when the cards will not fall in your favor. You want to be remembered for handling the loss with grace, not by throwing a temper tantrum. You will be targeted in the future if you decide to do the later.
- And lastly, at the end of the day focus on what is important. The connections made, the time spent together, and peace on earth (as Family A would remind me).
So, what did I bring to the family gift exchange this year? Family A: a very pretty welcome mat & scented candle. Family B: A fifth of Crown Royal and a card game called Cards Against Humanity. I’m happy to report, The Runnings came out unscathed this year.
Cheers.