Holiday Basket with wine and wrapped gifts

2020 Is Not the Year to Put Holiday Cards and Gifts on Autopilot

Gift giving will be a bit more complicated this year for law firms, so start planning now.

With fewer people in offices this holiday season, the usual routine of having partners, associates, and paralegals sign the same card and send it off to someone’s workplace might not be an option. A nice electronic card may not be your first choice, but combined with the selective use of gifts, this can be an effective way to stay in touch without creating a hassle.

Mail delivery may also be impacted, so take that into account when setting your deadlines. And the addresses you have on file won’t be very useful if they mostly include now-empty office buildings. This year, it’ll be important to have your key contacts’ home addresses, and to obtain these without crossing any professional boundaries, you should simply ask your clients and referral sources for the best mailing addresses for them right now.

Your firm may need to pay more attention to cash flow due to the pandemic’s economic effects, so getting a jump-start on the process presents a great opportunity to set a more formal budget too.

As you reach out this year, it’ll be important to have special sensitivity toward anyone in your network who may have contracted the virus, lost a loved one, been furloughed or laid off from a job, or been displaced by any of the recent fires. This is a valuable moment to show that you and your firm are there to help.

This is a particularly good time to consider comforting treats like baked goods and non-perishable food for those stuck at home. Making a charitable gift on someone else’s behalf can be a good alternative that bypasses the need to locate a mailing address. This is especially useful if you happen to know a certain cause that person is passionate about. Be mindful also of those who have been taking care of school-aged children or elderly relatives. In difficult times, a thoughtful, personalized message combined with a gift card can be appropriate.

Although shifting work routines and family responsibilities are requiring a lot of us right now, efforts to connect will be especially meaningful this holiday season.

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