Receiving Gifts

Always accept a gift with grace. Accept a gift with a smile. Don’t look for an ulterior motive. Try to separate the act of giving from the specific item being given. If you don’t like what you’ve received, don’t treat it as a loss. Imagine it is something you wouldn’t have had otherwise. It is your gift and you are free to do with it what you like – whether that is enjoying it, returning it, giving it away or putting it in the basement.

If you cannot accept a gift because it is to expensive or extravagant, or because company policy prohibits it, be tactful and tell the giver in person or through a written note "thank you for your thoughtfulness or kindness" but that you cannot accept the gift for whatever reason.

Always acknowledge the gift with a written thank you note. A Social Thank You letter should be written on proper stationery with matching envelope and should be handwritten. It should be sent promptly and should include if possible, a mention of how the gift will be used.

The Business Thank You should be brief and sent as a separate communication. Do not include it as an addendum to a letter about another subject. It should be written on proper stationery, preferably business personal, not corporate. A business thank you can be hand or typewritten.