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Start with presentation. A favour that sits at each place setting is part of the table styling, so the box matters as much as what is inside. Lily O'Brien's has been handcrafting chocolates in Newbridge, Co. Kildare since Mary Ann O'Brien started the brand in 1992, and the small-format boxes suit a place setting without crowding the glassware. Neutral tones sit comfortably with most colour schemes, which spares you matching favours to napkins.

Skip the flowers, choose a large mixed collection, and add his name if you want the personal touch. It is a practical gift that suits almost any man and almost any occasion, which is precisely why it works when the usual ideas have run out.

Match hampers to clients, share bags to teams, order in good time, lilyobriens.ie and keep the look consistent. Handled that way, corporate chocolate does its quiet job of maintaining a relationship without asking much of you.

See more on this at individually wrapped chocolates.

Some couples prefer to share a small box between two settings for couples seated together, which trims the count but complicates the table plan. It works, but it asks more of your stationery and place cards, so only choose it if the saving genuinely matters.

Then there are the larger thank yous, a promotion helped along by a mentor, or a significant favour, where a fuller collection is appropriate. Match the size of the gift to the size of the gesture and you rarely misjudge it.