Oh, the holidays!

A time of joy for some; a time of frustration for others. Navigating through office politics, co-worker gift exchanges, and the holiday party can be tricky – especially for a young professional. This guide will address your burning holiday questions and provide advice for making it through the season unscathed (and unembarrassed).

Should you even participate?

If you’re on more of the bah-humbug end of the holiday cheer spectrum, you may be tempted to opt out of holiday-related festivities. Don’t.

Instead of opting out altogether, make compromises. Maybe participate in the gift exchange, but not in the holiday karaoke contest. Or, ask your cubicle mate if she would only listen to Faith Hill’s new Christmas CD one time in the afternoon instead of all day. You get the idea.

The important thing is that you participate in some way. Why? You want to be seen as a team player. No, your participation level in holiday games isn’t going to be brought up in your annual review. But, your lack of participation could be seen as lack of interest in participating with the rest of the team.

So, relax and participate.  

Different beliefs; different customs: How to deal

Let’s face it; not everyone has the same beliefs. It’s important to be particularly aware of this during the holidays.

It’s up to your administrators to set the parameters around what is appropriate and what’s not appropriate during the holiday season (e.g. putting up a Christmas tree in the lobby) for your office, and, in general, following their guidelines is advised. For many offices, this means either celebrating many different religious holidays (i.e. Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, etc.) or celebrating none at all (leaving religion out of it all together).

Four tips for navigating religion and politics during the holidays:

1. If you aren’t sure about the holiday celebrations of one of your co-workers, talk to him or her about it. Chances are they’d be happy to share their practices with you, especially if you’re open-minded and willing to incorporate their traditions with the other holiday activities.
2. If you make a faux pas, apologize.
3. If you’re on the receiving end of a faux pas, try to be open. An open dialogue or simple correction of a misconception is sometimes all it takes.
4. Bottom line: Be respectful of others and their beliefs.

Who, what, and how to give gifts in the office

If this is your first holiday season at your office, you may have no idea how gift-giving occurs, or even it occurs at all. You don’t want to be the only who doesn’t give the boss a gift. You also don’t want to be the only who does!

You’re going to need to ask someone. Seek out a trusted co-worker and ask, “So, what are the holidays like around here? What’s the gift-giving policy?” Assuming your co-worker has been with the company at least a year and pays attention, he or she should be able to fill you in.

Let’s say you find out that people usually do give gifts to the co-workers in their groups and their bosses. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I really want to give gifts? If you don’t want to give gifts for whatever reason, then don’t. In general, you’ll want to think about as all-or-nothing. You probably shouldn’t give everyone in your group a gift except for Sara because you don’t like her. If you’re giving everyone else a gift, give Sara one, too.
• How much do I want to spend? This is really up to you and the culture of your company. You’ll find a wide array of gift ideas in this guide that will fit almost any budget. Use your best judgment.
• What should I give? See some ideas below!

Gift Ideas for the Boss

Every office is different. In some office, you’d give your boss the same gift you gave everyone else.In others, the department goes in on one nicer gift for the boss. Still some, don’t give the boss anything. The following options assume that in your office, you’ll be giving the boss something a little special:

Digital photo frame
Digital photo frames are a great choice because she can leave it at the office or take it home with her. The downside is they’re still a little pricey. Another option is a digital keychain, which is considerably less expensive.

Insulated coffee mug
If he’s a coffee drinker, he’ll love the way an insulated mug keeps his coffee warmer longer. This is a relatively inexpensive, but useful gift.

Iceless wine chiller
This gift will set you back about $100, but any wine lover will enjoy this great gadget – including your boss!

Grilling tool set
It may be winter, but a grilling set will be much appreciated in the Spring and Summer. This gift can range from about $20 on up to the high $100s, depending on what you’re looking for.

Wireless stock market tracker
What boss isn’t interested in the stock market? This desktop gadget updates every 15 minutes with information from the DOW, NASDAQ, and S&P 500.

Herb garden kit
The herb garden idea offers a wide-range of options and prices, and a wide-range of people will enjoy it.

Pen
You can’t really go wrong with a nice pen. Look for a recognizable quality brand like Cross, or if you want to get really high-end, check out the pens at Tiffany & Co.

Coffee table book
Is your boss into photography? Golf? Antiques? Fashion? There’s a coffee table out there for just about any hobby or interest. This gift can be a little more personal because it shows that you pay enough attention to know what she likes.

Reminders for gifting the boss:

• Don’t go overboard. Spend an amount that’s appropriate to your salary and title
• Be creative. Remember that scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when Clark gives his boss an identical present as everyone else? Try to be different.
• If you don’t want to give him a present, then don’t. (This isn’t one of those “be a team player” times. In this situation, you have to do what you feel comfortable with.)

Gift Ideas for Co-workers

Presumably, you have a lot more co-workers than bosses. This will most likely limit your budget for giving gifts for co-workers. (But, hey, if you can afford to give everyone in your office a stock market ticker, go for it!) These gifts are a considerably less expensive than the ones listed above, but could be a great choice for your boss as well.

Gift cards
A $5 gift card to a place like Starbucks or Qdoba is a great way to acknowledge a co-worker without spending a lot of money.

Candles
Candles are inexpensive and well-liked by most, making them the perfect gift for the co-worker that you don’t know very well.

Throws/Blankets
Offices can get quite cold (in both winter and summer!) and a small throw can be quite handy at the desk. This is another perfect-for-most gifts that can be fairly inexpensive.

Gingerbread house kit
Perfect for crafters, moms/grandmas, and holiday lovers, a gingerbread house kit is a playful way to wish your co-workers a happy holiday season.

Specialty popcorn
The great thing about food gifts is if they don’t particularly care for the item, they won’t feel bad about re-gifting it or putting it out during the holiday season. Popcorn, while somewhat boring, is liked and appreciated by most.

Hot chocolate
Nothing quite says winter like hot chocolate. If you happen to give this gift to someone who doesn’t like (or can’t have) hot chocolate, chances are they will appreciate the gesture.

Reusable grocery tote
Saving the earth has never been so in. This inspiring gift will be used for years to come.

Even though you’ve done your homework and you think you know what to expect, get a couple other small gifts (maybe a box of chocolates and a candle) just in case someone unexpectedly gives you a gift. That way you’re prepared.

If you work in an office that does not exchange gifts, but you’re desperately wanting to spread holiday cheer, think small. The last thing you want to do is make your co-workers feel awkward by accepting a gift when they do not have anything to give. A few small gift ideas (for anyone!):

• A holiday card
• A bag of homemade cookies
• A piece of fruit, such as a Clementine
• A packet of tea
• A homemade CD of your favorite tunes

Making it through the Holiday Party (with no next-day rumors)

You’ve made it through the two weeks of holiday movie quizzes, gift exchanges, and cubicle decorating contests. It’s time for the annual holiday party. The perfect time to break out that new cleavage-bearing black dress and fishnet stockings, right? Um, no. Keep the new black dress in the closet until you get together with friends; the office holiday party isn’t a time to let loose. Bridget Jones, anyone?

So, what should you wear? Well, that really depends on the kind of party your office is having. If your party is during the day, wear your normal business attire. You can always spruce up your outfit with your cute ankle boots and tights or those new gold earrings. If your party is at night, a dress may be the appropriate outfit to wear. You can be trendy without showing too much skin. Remember that your holiday party is an office function. You shouldn’t wear anything to the holiday party that you wouldn’t wear to any other business function.

Just like the party isn’t an open invitation to dress inappropriately, it’s also not a summons to get drunk and crazy. I know. It sounds really prudish. But, it’s truly in your best interest to not get hammered on the night of the holiday party. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t drink if you want to. Again, it’s an office function. Drink like you would drink at any other business function.

Even with those warnings, the holiday party should be fun. It’s actually a great idea to enter the dance contest and to participate in the Rock Band tournament. It is also a chance to socialize with your co-workers in a new setting. Make it point to learn something new about at least five co-workers.

So, there you have it – tips for navigating everything from office politics to the gift exchange. Of course, every business is different. Use your best judgment when it comes to navigating the holidays at your particular office.

Have fun and happy holidays!