This year, we’ve decided to forego the typical cornucopia of holiday glitter and glut for our client gifts and instead opt for real live bonding. Yes, we are instead suggesting that taking our clients to lunch to celebrate the holidays will be a better use of our time and money — investing in the relationship rather than feeding the greedy organ, so to speak.

Not that I don’t love a good chocolate covered pretzel or cheese spread with a shelf-life of 500 thousand years, but I’m thinking maybe our clients might already have their share of that kind of love. Perhaps instead, we can divert to some other things the holidays are supposed to include — celebration, thanks, relationships, camaraderie and maybe a little wine thrown in for good measure. We’re thinking a nice lunch still feeds the stomach and pleases the palate, and perhaps a happy by-product will be the feeding of a good relationship.

Our clients mean everything to us. Literally. They pay us well to do fantastic work, and we owe them our gratitude and continued fantastic work. At BG, we’re particularly lucky because we truly enjoy the clients we work with, and the thought of sharing a meal with them does not cause a gag reflex.

So why do so many companies invest thousands of $$$ in holiday gift baskets? Maybe because it’s easier. Maybe because they own stock in Harry & David. Maybe because they don’t have the great clients we do and they would rather not eat in their presence. Or maybe they are a little afraid? Afraid to just sit and get to know their clients better without the pressures of work or the office? I dunno.

I just like this idea better. Maybe next year we’ll just call Dean & DeLuca instead.