Q. For many years my boss gave each member of his small team a very generous Christmas gift voucher from John Lewis. I was always able to put this to good use and looked forward to receiving it. Unfortunately he decided last year that these vouchers were a bit unfestive and instead we each received a large hamper from an upmarket grocer. While I know that some of my colleagues actually preferred the hamper, my husband and I were disappointed. Crystallised ginger, truffle crisps, mini Christmas puddings and jars of obscure paté sadly do not suit our perhaps unsophisticated palates, although we managed to regift most of it quite successfully. Mary, I fear he is planning to send hampers again this Christmas and wondered if there is a tactful way to convey, without seeming ungrateful, that I would much prefer the voucher option?
— Name and address withheld
A. Let it be known that a family member has alerted you to expect a luxury hamper she has ordered as a Christmas present. Due to limits on socialising, the sad truth is that if by any chance he was thinking of reprising his generous present of last year, you would find a second hamper unmanageable. A John Lewis voucher, on the other hand, would be eternally useful. Next year, if there is a next year, you can say the same thing again.
Q. While I sorely miss seeing my friends due to lockdown, I am exhausted by virtual socialising, most recently at ‘Netflix parties’, where you all watch a film with a chat bar on the side of the screen. I work from home so I’m staring at my computer screen all day and I can’t face more hours of it in the evenings, let alone the ‘pressure’ of virtual socialising.
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