The etiquette of gift-giving - who should I buy a present for and how much should it cost?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Counting today, there are 13 shopping days left before Christmas which means it's crunch time.
It also means it's decision time about who you want to give a gift to and while some are obvious, it's those gray areas where the questions begin to arise.
While spouses, children, parents, and siblings are no-brainers, what about the rest?
It's better to give than to receive, especially when it's unexpected, but it can also be incredibly awkward.
"When someone hands you a gift and you don't have anything in return, what we tend to do is make it worse by making an excuse by saying, 'Oh, gosh, it's in the trunk of my car' or 'I left it at my house,'" said Diane Gottsman, the National Etiquette Expert at the Protocol School of Texas.
Gottsman said say thank you and decide later if you want to do anything at all.
"A gift is not reciprocal," she said. "A gift is from the heart, which means that we shouldn't expect something in return."
Gottsman said reciprocal giving does not have to be dollar for dollar.
"It has to be intention for intention, which means that I care about my friend, my friend cares about me, and we give what makes us feel good and happy," she explained. "[We give] what we think they're going to enjoy and like."
Another sticky situation is if you want to give something to someone in your office.
"Give that gift outside of the office," Gottsman said. "Don't give some, any type, of gift to that one person and then leave out other people."
As families grow, budgets can get tight and the holiday can get expensive - so have a family chat about cutting back.
"Let them know in advance, don't show up with nothing, and then they end up giving you something," she said.
Gottsman said targeted gift cards are fine as well as cash.
"As long as you are putting it in an envelope with a handwritten note saying how much you love them, what it means to you, you don't know what to give them, so you want to give them something they really love and enjoy," Gottsman explained.
When it comes to gifts from the little ones, handmade remains undefeated.
"It's the touch, the handmade touch, the handmade card, the coloring, the cutting, the glitter that at the time you think, 'Oh, it's a mess, it's all over my floor' but that's what you're going to remember, and you're going to pull it out every year," she said.
If you feel guilty about that unexpected gift, Gottsman said maybe wait until the new year and take that person out to lunch. Again, you're not trying to match value, only intention and appreciation.
As for regifting, there's nothing wrong with it according to Gottsman, just make sure that it's not in the same circle of friends so remember where it came from and don't wrap it in a different retailer's box to disguise the regifting.