Some Recent Stories in the News featuring Fini Concierge:Fini Concierge appeared in the November 29 issue of the Boston GlobePresent CompanyBy Erin Byers Murray, Globe Correspondent
The holiday gift-giving games are well under way. You've mapped out treasures forthe spouse, the kids, mom, dad. But it doesn't stop there. Every year, it seems, the list of people to buy for grows: there's the helpful neighbor, the baby sitter, the colorist who gets your face-framing highlights just right.
Our multitasking ways only make things more complicated. "Technology has broken down all boundaries of time and space," says Edward Hallowell, psychiatrist and author of "CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked and About to Snap!" "We're one keystroke away from everything that can be bought and we can do so much more in a minute or an hour than ever before."
And so we do, sometimes buying for people we know only peripherally because we think we should or, heck, because time is tight and it's just one more item in the cart. Even professional shoppers agree it may be time to reassess.
"Our circles widen each year, but you have to stop and think about the people you interact with on a regular basis," says Chantal Boxer, cofounder of Fini Concierge, who spends the season shopping for a number of clients who don't have time to do it themselves. "You don't need to give gifts to everyone you know."But where do you draw the line?
"This is the time of year to make a list," says Jodi R. R. Smith, president of Mannersmith, an etiquette consulting firm. "Pretend you have an unlimited budget and write down everyone you would give gifts to. Cast a wide net. Then start thinking strategically and making changes."
Say you and an old friend from childhood exchange gifts every year but you live in different states and hardly see each other. Smith says: "In one of our frequent e-mails, I might say, 'Hey, why don't I just treat you to dinner next time you're in town?' If there's an established pattern, address it and make a change."
That isn't to say you should eliminate gifts altogether, especially to the people who make your life easier on a daily basis. The dog walker, nanny, concierge, the security guy in your building - many of these people deserve end-of-the-year tips. And that's something you can budget throughout the year, says Smith. "If it's hard to budget that out at this time of year, you might even split the tips up, giving one at the holidays and one on the Fourth of July," she says. "It's not fair to cheat them if you didn't budget well."
Likewise, even a small gift is better than a snub. "When in doubt, give something," says Boxer. "It shows your appreciation but doesn't have to be large. A $25 gift card to Anna's Taqueria is still a great gift." The easiest way to take care of a number of people on your list is to buy a large quantity of one or two items, which you can tie bows around and hand out as you see people throughout the season, she adds."It's really about acknowledging people," says Doug Gates, owner of Showroom Boston, a contemporary furniture and kitchen gallery in the South End. "And thanking them for all they've done over the past year."
Gates shows his appreciation to clients and friends by giving them all the same handpicked home accessory. "I usually find something that is beautiful and can work in any environment, such as a vase or a decanter," he says. He then buys 20 or 30 of them.
"The most important thing, though, is the handwritten card," he says, adding that he uses cards made by local company Obsessive Compulsive Design. "That way each one is specific to that friend. It's personalized."
Betty Riaz, who owns the Stil fashion boutiques, says her list has grown tremendously in the four years she's owned - and expanded - her business. Employees, business colleagues, even deliverymen, are part of her circle."You really do have to have a formula. It's a matter of being organized but you have to be thoughtful, too," she says, which is why for the past three years she's gone to pen and writing accessories store Montblanc to buy her employees leather gifts, like credit-card holders, embossed with their initials. The UPS and mail delivery people will get Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts gift cards. She also has seven nieces and nephews who live in California and abroad, so she'll buy them all the same thing, like personalized sleeping bags, which she'll order online to be wrapped and delivered directly.
For Michela Larson, co-owner of Rocca Kitchen and Bar, the holidays remain her favorite time of year, despite the stress of gift giving."I've done a couple things to make it easier," she concedes, especially when it comes to friends. For her "book club" (they don't read many books, but do get together on a regular basis), she says they'll all make donations to a charity in each others' names rather than buy something. "You want to let them know that you're thinking about them without necessarily adding another thing to their life."
Larson also spends one day during the holidays shopping with two of her girlfriends. It started as a shopping trip for their families, but last year they started buying one gift for each other instead. "We wander down Charles and Newbury streets and have a meal together," she says. "It's very lovely and memorable. And it's no longer about shopping, it's about each other."
Fini Concierge appeared in the Winter issue of Upscale Living MagazineFini Concierge Hectic Helpers helps you get the job(s) done!By Matt Robinson
To say that we all lead busy lives is a drastic understatement! Even so, full-time help may be difficult to justify. Thankfully, there’s a very happy, new medium. Its name is Fini Concierge. Fini Concierge is committed to providing clients with the support and assistance they need to better manage their time and quality of life. Their clients also gain two, most precious gifts: time and peace of mind. This company was started by two formerly-harried people — a husband-and-wife team. They came from the real estate and not-for-profit sectors, respectively. Fini Concierge is not some disconnected service. It is an empathetic offering from people who have been there, and who, on occasion, may go back themselves. "We were both busy professionals who basically had same needs as our clients," explains co-founder Chantal Boxer. "We were running in so many different directions with too much to do and not having time to get it all done. We wanted and needed to make a different choice about how to live our lives."
Posts
