Not Opening A Gift In Front Of
The Gift Giver
This habit is shared by other cultures,
as I had a best friend, Annie, from Jamaica, who did not open her gifts in front of me either.
This habit is changing a little.
One of my students, Grace, the right
hand woman to Joe, the boss of Wal-Mart's headquarters in Shenzhen, explained this to me - How can we open our gifts because
if we were not happy with them, the emotion might show on our faces?
I was grateful, not insulted, when
she frankly confided in me that it might also be considered dishonest that we in the West always smile happily when we receive
gifts.
Neither one is right nor wrong.
Just different.
