"But even token gifts such as a box of chocolates or a coffee mug can have a surprisingly large (albeit subconscious) effect. Trinkets and baubles – small gifts

"But even token gifts such as a box of chocolates or a coffee mug can have a surprisingly large (albeit subconscious) effect. Trinkets and baubles – small gifts of all kinds – help to establish a friendly relationship between the gift-giver and the gift recipient. As one researcher astutely observes, people who don’t recognize the power of small gifts are precisely those most likely to be influenced, because their defences are down." I firmly believe in this. Every year for Christmas I give out $1 scratch-and-win cards to any and all of my co-workers I know that are around for the holidays, and personal Christmas cards to all of the higher ups, including the CEO. It costs me around $100, but I feel like over the course of the year I get way more than $100 in good will from the recipients.