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By Steve Cahill
Times-Democrat StafT Writer '
Never mind what our friends across the Atlantic Ocean say, most Americans do care about etiquette and have the receipts to prove it.
At bookstores like Borders or Barnes & Noble, shelves are filled with bestsellers on multicultural faux pas, e-mail manners and how to best hold a wine glass. Heck, Miss Manners and Emily Post have put out more books than any author this side of Stephen King.
That said, etiquette’s one gray area seems to involve gift-giving during the holiday season. It’s something that impacts all of us at one time or another, but getting two people to agree on the subject is akin to bringing permanent peace to the Middle East.
What type of gift does a 19-year-old college student get for someone they’ve been dating for six weeks? How about the spouse you have been living with for five — or 50 — years? When a coworker hands you a nicely wrapped gift on Dec. 23, do you go back to your computer terminal or make a quick dash for the mall?
One person who answers those questions on a daily basis is Donna Dersh, manager of “Personal Touch” at Tysons Corner Center. A subsidiary of Nordstrom’s, Personal Touch provides gift-buying services for anyone who, needs them and offers detailed advice for confused shoppers.
When asked what types of mistakes shoppers make in the etiquette department, Dersh said many err by getting a tad too personal.
“If you’ve been dating someone for a month or two, you generally want to stay away from anything that denotes size,” said Dersh, who added that ties and scarves are safer than dresses, shirts or jewelry. “In fact, that rule should probably be extended to include anyone that you don’t know on a very personal level.”
Dersh also feels many common misr
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