Home  |  Holidays & Seasonal  |  Christmas  | 

Holiday Gift Giving Etiquette

Is it okay to give a gift card or gift certificate instead of a specific gift?

To properly view this site, javascript must be enabled and Flash version 9 or higher must be installed.
Get the latest Flash player
Nancy Mitchell
The Etiquette Advocate, Inc.
www.etiquetteadvocate.com  
(301) 320-2393

Nancy R. Mitchell is an established protocol and etiquette consultant and advisor with more than 30 years of experience in the field. Currently, she is an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University, where she developed and teaches protocol courses to Event Management Certificate Program students in the School of Business and Public Management, and at Stratford University, Falls Church, VA. She serves also as protocol and special events consultant to the Library of Congress, the world’s largest library and cultural center. For 23 years, Mitchell was Director of Special Events and Public Programs at the Library of Congress where she and her staff were responsible for planning and managing over 400 events each year. She coordinated the institution’s major special events, visits of heads of state and other foreign dignitaries, fundraising galas, conferences and meetings. As the Library’s chief protocol advisor, she served as liaison to the White House, U.S Department of State, the Congress, the Supreme Court and other government agencies, foreign embassies, academia and corporations. Mitchell owns The Etiquette Advocate, Inc., a firm providing etiquette and protocol training to corporations, universities, embassies, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals. She is the etiquette consultant to Engaged! magazine; has been featured on Good Morning America, Fox 5 News, WTOP Radio and National Public Radio; and is quoted on matters of etiquette and protocol by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Washington Business Journal. She is a co-owner of the firm, Protocol Partners-Washington Center for Protocol, Inc., and is a member of the Protocol and Diplomacy International Protocol Officers Association.

Is it okay to give a gift card or gift certificate instead of a specific gift?

 

This expert: 536,843 views

This series: 30,352 views

Download to Mobile Device
Tags:

Holiday

,

Christmas

,

Gift

,

Etiquette

,

Protocol

,

Hanukkah

Comments:

0 (Read Comments) (Add Comment)

Print

Transcripts

Host: Is it okay to give a gift card or a gift certificate?

Nancy Mitchell: Absolutely, in some cases you do not know a person well enough to know what their interests are, you also maybe on a limited budget, gift card is wonderful especially for young people. People love to be able to select the gift that they really want. Here is how you personalize it, you write a note. In the note you say how much you appreciate their friendship, how much you appreciate whatever they have done for you, how much you appreciate having them in the neighborhood, whatever the relationship is, you personalize it with a note. But then it might say here is a card that I hope that you will spend in some way that makes you happy. Buy something that you really would like to have and think of me.

Other Videos

  • Gift Wrap with Magazines

    Gift Wrap with Magazines

    This video will show how to gift wrap with magazines. One fabulous way to recycle your magazines is to use them as wrapping paper. Many magazines use striking art work and a plethora of colors. It is especially fun to use a magazine that goes along with the theme of your gift. In this segment, Christina uses a cosmetic magazine and finds a page with gorgeous colors, adds bright ribbon, and creates a fun wrapped gift within minutes. Meanwhile she shares the importance of recycling and reusing materials that would have been discarded
  • How to Measure for Men's Clothing

    How to Measure for Men's Clothing

    In this video, L.L.Bean’s Greg Towe describes how to buy clothing online. This video series will help you understand how to choose a trusted website, understand clothing product descriptions and sizing information, how to measure for men's, women's and children's clothing, how to add items to an online shopping basket, how to work through the checkout process, how to pick a shipping method, payment option and what to expect after the purchase.
  • Italian Recipes - How to Make Pizzelle Cookies

    Italian Recipes - How to Make Pizzelle Cookies

    This video will show you how to make the ultimate Italian dessert, pizzelle cookies.
  • Romantic Dinner - Beet Carpaccio Appetizer

    Romantic Dinner - Beet Carpaccio Appetizer

    In this video Chef Patrick O'Connell from The Inn at Little Washington demonstrates how to prepare a delicious and romantic three course meal.
  • Festivus - The Airing of Grievances

    Festivus - The Airing of Grievances

    You saw it on Seinfeld, now learn about the greatest holiday of all time. From the Airing of Grievances and the aluminum pole to the Feats of Strength this video has it all! Now stop crying and wrestle your father!
  • Halloween Safety Tips - Avoiding Pranks

    Halloween Safety Tips - Avoiding Pranks

    This video will give parents practical tips on how to keep children safe while trick-or-treating.