Experts disagree on birthday gifts

You are a plus-one at a stranger’s birthday party. Should you bring a gift?

Attending a birthday party as a plus-one stranger is like winning a free pass to Christmas. You get to participate in the festivities, eat and drink with gusto, wear what you want and enter empty-handed. Why no gift? Because the birthday boy or girl has no gift expectation where you are concerned. He or she doesn’t know you and, technically, didn’t really invite you. The gift-giving responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of your date.

Only if you are an established couple would you be expected to contribute or sign the gift tag. If arriving without a present causes you to hyperventilate, add flowers or a tiny box of chocolates to your date’s gift package.

Afterward, send thank-you notes to the birthday honoree and the party host to let them know how much you enjoyed meeting them and how much you enjoyed the party.

— Nancy R. Mitchell, founder of The Etiquette Advocate, a business etiquette consulting firm

Yes, you do bring a gift. It doesn’t have to cost much — I recommend spending around $20, but it has to be thoughtful. Simply bringing a bottle of wine or some trinket won’t do. So what do you get someone you don’t know?

The best idea is a beautiful journal with some thoughtprovoking quotes or questions tucked into it. We all have problems, and a blank piece of paper is one of the best solutions I can think of to solve them.

— Kelley Keehn, author, speaker and personal finance expert at www.kelleykeehn.com