It has probably happened to most of us. It is Christmas time and you’re either at work, at a party, or at your relatives’ when you bump into someone who pops a gift into your hands and says “Merry Christmas!” All of a sudden, it seems like everything in the room freezes. Your heart starts beating hard and you feel like you’re going to break out into a sweat… “Um… Thanks…” you mutter. “You shouldn’t have” you continue and think; You REALLY shouldn’t have!!! That’s right, you did not get that person a gift and now you feel very cheap and are put in an awkward position.
Yes there are many Christmas situations like this where people can find themselves feeling very awkward and uncomfortable. How about when you’re invited some place for a Christmas activity and someone you weren’t expecting tells you a day or two in advance that they got you something? It leaves you thinking ‘Well now if I gotta get HIM a present... That means I’ll have to get Jack a present and Cindy a present since they mean a lot more to me than HE does and not getting them something would give them the wrong idea…”
It seems these do-gooder “overgenerous-Christmas-gifters” are out to get us. It seems they are out to make us look bad and to complicate such an otherwise pleasant event. Maybe they take pleasure in messing up our entire Christmas gift system! Or maybe, just maybe, they are simply being nice… Whatever the reason, don’t let yourself get caught with your long-johns down this holiday season and talk to everyone in advance to ensure that this Christmas is gift-awkwardness-free!
