DEAR ABBY: I have a new boss. He is a very nice man. With the Christmas season approaching, how do I communicate to him that I do not want to exchange gifts? I don't want him to feel obligated to give me anything. It may be presumptuous of me to think he may want to. I believe this is his first supervisory position, and he may not even think about gifts.
We have very little contact. I have been the receptionist for our building for many years and do not require much supervision. We are in different parts of the building, and he stops by occasionally to see how I'm doing. My previous boss, a woman I reported to for many years, and I would exchange gifts because we were friends. -- CORDIAL IN TEXAS
DEAR CORDIAL: I do not recommend mentioning gifts to your new boss. It is entirely possible that he won't be gifting you anything this Christmas. However, on the chance that he might, keep a little something in your desk drawer just in case. A small, prepackaged fruitcake might be nice. You can always use it as a doorstop or a hockey puck if he doesn't drop by with a gift in hand.