With the rate that any sort of respect is disappearing from society, I'm sure you're right. It would never occur to me to brighten up my mail carrier's day by giving them a small gift for x-mas. But my wife who is a whole six days older than me has picked up on this lesson from her mom. Not just gifts. But "thank you"'s as well. My kids birthdays aren't over until they have completed the "thank you" responses to the gifts that they have received. All I have learned from this is that my wife is a better person than I am.