Read more from Lily O'Brien's.

Read more from wedding favour chocolates.

A share bag suits the thank you aimed at a group. A team that pulled together on a deadline, a committee that ran an event, a class of colleagues who chipped in: one bag passed around thanks everyone at once and avoids the awkwardness of singling people out. It is generous in spirit and sensible in cost.

Under the lid, the chocolates are the same handcrafted collections Lily O'Brien's has made in Newbridge, Co. Kildare since 1992, so personalising the outside does not mean compromising on what is inside. That balance is the point. The recipient gets something that looks made for them and tastes the way the brand has always tasted.

See the details at dessert-inspired chocolate collection.

For a birth announcement, the same idea travels well by post. A box carrying the new arrival's name says congratulations more warmly than a card and reaches family who cannot visit in person yet. It suits grandparents, godparents and the friends who want to mark the moment without turning up with yet another set of babygrows.

Corporate gifting has a low ceiling for effort and a high one for judgement. Send nothing and you look indifferent. Send the wrong thing and you look like you did not think about it. Chocolate sits in the safe middle, provided you match the format to the recipient.