Too Little Too Late?

As Barenaked Ladies sing…"or is it too little, too late?"

I’ve been thinking about the tradition of giving clients a holiday gift.  Probably because we’re putting on the finishing touches on ours…and the gifts to us are beginning to arrive. 

In late October, we talked about how to choose a gift that isn’t the same old, same old.  But here’s what I am wondering today:

Does the fact that most everyone does a holiday gift diminish the impact of the "thank you?"  Before you give me the PC answer — think about it.  Would you notice and register a gift that is given to you on a day when everyone gives you a gift as much as a gift that is given just out of the blue, on an ordinary day?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t thank clients.  Or thank them now.  I’m just wondering if there is significance to the timing of the gift and the fact that during the holiday season, we’re just one of many.

And…and here’s perhaps the most significant aspect of my musing…we probably don’t do a good job of saying thank you any other time of the year.   So does that make the holiday thank you seem more obligatory and less genuine and spontaneous?

I’d love to hear what you think.