My apologies in advance to my UK friends. Wikipedia’s got me all worried about assuming everyone hates a fruitcake.
They state, “In the UK fruitcakes come in many varieties, from extremely light to those that are far moister and richer than their American counterparts. They remain extremely popular.”
Is this true?
Anyway, I’m just attempting to make a point here y’all. Hold on — I’ll get to it eventually.
But first, there are a number of reasons why you don’t want to give someone a fruitcake.
A fruitcake has a reputation as being something that is perpetually re-gifted. Who knows how many decades it’s been passed along? Johnny Carson supposedly quipped, “There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.” That was more or less the end of the fruitcake in the states.
Some people say fruitcakes improve with age. (Well… Wikipedia said it).
Really?
Besides, it’s a seasonal thing… do you really want to look that out-of-touch the rest of the year?
As something traditionally re-gifted, there is no intention behind it… it’s just an afterthought. And, let’s face it, it’s a cheap gift.
And now for my point…
Gift giving should be about authenticity. It should be a genuine expression of gratitude, friendship and respect.
The same is true of leadership. Show gratitude to your team, your clients and yourself.
My research for this post led me to an interesting by article by Kimberley Roberts; The International Business Gift Giving Overview. This is worth checking out, especially if you do business internationally.
Final thoughts: Give a gift without expectations. Give freely. Accept a gift with genuine gratitude. And, keep the fruitcake as the “holiday food everyone can love”.
And this was surprisingly interesting: 7 Ideas for Giving Gifts to Nuns. You never know what you’ll find on the internet.
What about you? Do you have any gift giving stories you’d care to share?
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