When is the national secretary day?

Cause I gotta dosy of a good one here. This woman is so dedicated, she's like the ones you see in movies. You know the super organized secretary saving her boss's behind everyday (though I'm not her boss)

She was here until 3:30 am with me once doing the paper.. I bought her a gourmet pecan pie for her efforts. ANd she had a pen I liked, I asked her to order me one. She just gave me hers...nice lady.

Whenever that day is, I'm doing something nice for her. Ideas?

Is April 21st. I guess that's what you're looking for.

You can't call them secretaries any more. I'd be careful with the word lady, too. If you're going to work until 3:30 a.m., it wouldn't hurt to have a surveillance camera on you at all times. Be careful that you don't get anything gender-specific as a gift. Also, don't look her in the eyes when you give it to her. You're really treading on shaky ground here.

Suggested gifts:
Tar
Feathers
One-way ticket
Yugo

for a massage or something. I'm sure she'll like it.

Money
Money
Money

Okay, so it is more than three ideas.

If money is too crass, a gift certificate that acts like MONEY!

Flowers are nice, but they die.

If you really like the lady (and more importantly, does she like you??), take her for a nice, l-o-n-g lunch at a really good restaurant.

A trendy thing to do here is to give "mobile massage." The masseuse or masseur comes to the office and rubs away for about 30 minutes. Most admins can really use that and love it.

:)

Gift certificates are really nice. Many people in those administrative positions don't make much money. Does she like books? Is she feeding a bunch of people (I have been very appreciative of grocery store certificates, when putting food on my family was a challenge). Does she go to movies? Does she have landscaping, do gardening, like living plants? Does she have a lawn that needs to be mowed? Does she have any animals to dote on? Can anyone donate or finagle a day off for her? Is she a do-it-yourselfer? If she likes her car, get it detailed for her. Get her a gift of her favorite magazine for a year. If she drinks alcohol, a gift certificate to a place that specializes in wine (be cautious with that, maybe).

My advice (and my personal prejudice), don't make it real girly-girl. I always found that a little insulting. But, she's your friend, so maybe she likes that stuff.

In which case: a gift certificate to the hair place she uses. A gift certificate to tanning places if she uses them. A massage (not from you, silly).

I'm a former administrative assistant. ;-) I'm full of ideas.

If money is no limit -- money. A significant raise. A gift from www.tiffany.com. (If she likes sterling silver, a heavy sterling charm bracelet with attached charm is less than $150.00.) If you think that money is too tacky, send her to a spa for an entire day of pampering. (If the spa is all that and a bag of chips, it'll cost more than the bracelet.)

If you're short on cash and can swing it with the HR folks, give her a day off with pay, to be cashed in when she'd like a 3-day weekend. Don't forget to present the "day off with pay" with a lovely card and personalized message telling her how much her help and her hard work has meant to you.

Julie