Pastor Carter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
merciful_parable) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2018-11-12 09:43 am
merciful_parable) wrote in fandomhigh2018-11-12 09:43 am
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How to Make Friends & Influence People | 4th Period | Monday
"Good morning, class!" Carter said cheerfully. "Come and get your presents!"
For, indeed, on the desk at the front of the room (the only desk in the room, in fact, since the students sat on cushions) was an array of brightly wrapped gifts, each with a student's name on a glittery label and tied with ribbon. Inside each gift was chocolate chip cookies or sashimi, depending on who the gift was going to—and what the teachers had noticed about their preferences.
Once the students had obtained their gifts, Carter beamed at all of them. "We're coming up on the time of year when there's a great deal of gift-giving," he said happily. "The holidays differ—for one, from what I can understand, Christmas is very nearly the equivalent to my home's Starry Night Festival—but present giving, in general, stays the same. Which means, as you all want to be good friends, we thought we should talk about some of the dos and don'ts of it."
Fjord, to his credit, managed to refrain from rolling his eyes too hard at the 'as you all want to be good friends' bit.
"There are," he said, "some pieces of etiquette that you might care to observe while giving and receiving gifts. For example, when giving gifts unsolicited, it's important that you do so without the expectation that you'll receive anything in return. A person's gratitude is nice, true, but it's rude to give a gift to somebody who might not have the means to return the favor in kind and expect that they will. Similarly, if you are giving a gift, it's also not a bad idea to understand the other person's comfort level when it comes to the sort of present they're willing to accept. Some people feel uneasy about, say, having large amounts of money spent on them, and being put in a situation where they're expected to accept a gift they aren't comfortable with isn't a great way to actually make them happy."
Carter meant it, was the thing, and would be so sad if anyone didn't want to be the best friend they could be. Sorry, Fjord.
"It all really comes down to 'think about the person you're giving the gift to'," Carter said, since that was true. "Think of their feelings, rather than your own, and you'll usually do all right in gift-giving. Today we'd like you to partner up and talk about where your gift limits are—both for what you give and for what you'd care to receive."
"And remember," Fjord added, smiling faintly, "when receiving a gift, it's only polite to thank the person who gave it."
So... thank Carter for wrapping the cookies and sashimi, he supposed. The pastor had put a lot of effort into making those more presentable.
[Please to be waiting for the OCD is up, up, and away!]
For, indeed, on the desk at the front of the room (the only desk in the room, in fact, since the students sat on cushions) was an array of brightly wrapped gifts, each with a student's name on a glittery label and tied with ribbon. Inside each gift was chocolate chip cookies or sashimi, depending on who the gift was going to—and what the teachers had noticed about their preferences.
Once the students had obtained their gifts, Carter beamed at all of them. "We're coming up on the time of year when there's a great deal of gift-giving," he said happily. "The holidays differ—for one, from what I can understand, Christmas is very nearly the equivalent to my home's Starry Night Festival—but present giving, in general, stays the same. Which means, as you all want to be good friends, we thought we should talk about some of the dos and don'ts of it."
Fjord, to his credit, managed to refrain from rolling his eyes too hard at the 'as you all want to be good friends' bit.
"There are," he said, "some pieces of etiquette that you might care to observe while giving and receiving gifts. For example, when giving gifts unsolicited, it's important that you do so without the expectation that you'll receive anything in return. A person's gratitude is nice, true, but it's rude to give a gift to somebody who might not have the means to return the favor in kind and expect that they will. Similarly, if you are giving a gift, it's also not a bad idea to understand the other person's comfort level when it comes to the sort of present they're willing to accept. Some people feel uneasy about, say, having large amounts of money spent on them, and being put in a situation where they're expected to accept a gift they aren't comfortable with isn't a great way to actually make them happy."
Carter meant it, was the thing, and would be so sad if anyone didn't want to be the best friend they could be. Sorry, Fjord.
"It all really comes down to 'think about the person you're giving the gift to'," Carter said, since that was true. "Think of their feelings, rather than your own, and you'll usually do all right in gift-giving. Today we'd like you to partner up and talk about where your gift limits are—both for what you give and for what you'd care to receive."
"And remember," Fjord added, smiling faintly, "when receiving a gift, it's only polite to thank the person who gave it."
So... thank Carter for wrapping the cookies and sashimi, he supposed. The pastor had put a lot of effort into making those more presentable.
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Never, ever trust him to know 'appropriate' when it comes to gifts.
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And it had made him happy to put so many presents together, even if they were just what he'd given the students every previous week, in different packaging.
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Of course, he did have the decency and self-awareness enough that it may have faltered slightly when the lecture veered toward unexpected gifts that might be a bit much, a little spark of uncertainty igniting inside of him. Of But considering that the uncertainty quickly tumbled into the startled realization that he hadn't thought to get a gift for Vette this week, and perhaps he should, and what could it be?, was a clear indication that whatever doubts he may had were obviously not going to stick, no.
And, when it was over, he was certainly not going to miss the hint of a suggestion at the end of the lecture and took the opportunity to show gratitude for the 'presents,' even if they were just same snacks as usual, wrapped up in pretty packaging.
"I must say," he proclaimed, "what an absolutely delightful and considerate way to frame such an important lesson in such a tangible and surprising way! Thank you," with a perhaps not-so-subtle wink toward Fjord so he knew Sidon was paying attention, even though he'd probably have said just about the same without the extra goading, "for such a wonderful little twist on an already generous and greatly appreciated offering!"
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It wasn't even just to try to get some new idea, either! But that was still...most of it, yes, if he was honest.
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