3.手边留几件“万能礼品”。奥利弗说，为了避免突然有人送你礼物、而你手头没有东西可以还礼的尴尬境地，不妨在办公桌里放上一两件早已包装好的礼物。比如，一本简装畅销书，或是在折扣店买到的一副设计感十足的太阳镜。如果你没有时间去购买（或包装）这些礼物，也不要担心：“中午带这个人出去吃饭也是相当好的回礼。”

    4.不要尝试搞怪。你认为有趣的，也许在同事眼里是品味有问题，或者简直就是愚蠢（抑或两者兼而有之）。因此，保险起见，请不要这么做。

    5.永远要给服务和支持性人员送上礼物。包括所在区域的前台、助理等辅助性员工，也包括“收发室员工，可能还有你知道名字的邮递员，晚间或周末的清洁人员以及任何让你每天的生活更轻松、更愉快的每个人，”奥利弗说。

    很多办公室有人会代表整个团队收集送给这些员工的礼品。“在一张漂亮的卡片里塞点钱永远不会有错，”奥利弗说。“这些人往往只赚一点最低工资，或接近最低工资，20美元现钞比一双手套有意义得多。”

    谈到感谢，即便你所在的公司里没有互相送礼的习惯，你也可以给那些在过去一年里给予你鼓励、帮助或带来笑声的同事们送上节日贺卡，亲手写上几句感谢的话，这是绝对错不了的。“人们喜欢听到真心的感谢，”奥利弗说。“相比任何礼物，他们往往更愿意听到一声诚心诚意的‘谢谢你’。”

    反馈：在你工作的地方，人们会相互交换礼物吗？你从同事那里得到过的最好（或最糟糕的）礼物是什么？欢迎在下面留言。

    译者：杨智

    3. Keep a couple of "anybody gifts" handy. Just in case someone shows up in your cubicle bearing a gift you weren't expecting, says Oliver, it's a nice idea to have one or two already-wrapped goodies stashed in your desk -- for instance, a paperback bestseller, or a pair of designer-inspired sunglasses you picked up at a discount store. If you don't get around to buying (or wrapping) these, though, don't worry about it: "It's perfectly fine to reciprocate by taking the person out to lunch."

    4. Don't try to be funny. What one person thinks is hilarious, a colleague might see as in dubious taste, or just silly (or both). So play it safe and don't go there.

    5. Always give to helpers and service staffers. These include support staff such as receptionists and assistants in your immediate area, as well as "other support staff, including the mailroom person, perhaps a frequent messenger you know by name, the night or weekend cleaning person, and anyone else who makes your everyday life easier and more pleasant," says Oliver.

    In many offices, someone takes up a collection for these staffers on behalf of the whole group. "Always give cash in a nice card," Oliver says. "These people often make minimum wage or close to it, and a $20 bill goes a lot further than a pair of gloves."

    And speaking of appreciation, even if you work in a culture where it isn't customary to exchange gifts at all, you can't go wrong by sending holiday cards with short, handwritten thanks to colleagues whose work over the past year has inspired you, or made your job easier or more fun. "People love to get these," Oliver observes. "Often, they'd rather get a sincere 'thank you' than any other present you could give them."

    Talkback: Do people exchange holiday gifts where you work? What's the best — or the worst — present you ever got from a coworker? Leave a comment below.