It's likely to do with the high representation of Earths on the ship.
The gift depends on the strength of the relationship. Coworkers or general acquaintances can receive a fairly generic, inexpensive gift- food or something practical, job related. For friends, you usually give one 'thoughtful' gift- something they would enjoy, usually ranging between [futuristic equivalent of $15-25 dollars here] at your age. Parents may give their children multiple presents each year; whether or not the children reciprocate varies on the family. Family gifting traditions are usually quite varied and often depend on the size of the family itself. Cash is generally looked down upon unless it's an older relative giving it to a teenager or young adult.
There's no obligation to give gifts, but many people feel uncomfortable with the idea that they could receive a gift and not have one in exchange. Keeping a stock of generic gifts for such an event is a possibility.
[guess who is not one of those people who will feel uncomfortable not reciprocating?]
Re: text | we're like tagging machines | earlier this month
The gift depends on the strength of the relationship. Coworkers or general acquaintances can receive a fairly generic, inexpensive gift- food or something practical, job related. For friends, you usually give one 'thoughtful' gift- something they would enjoy, usually ranging between [futuristic equivalent of $15-25 dollars here] at your age. Parents may give their children multiple presents each year; whether or not the children reciprocate varies on the family. Family gifting traditions are usually quite varied and often depend on the size of the family itself. Cash is generally looked down upon unless it's an older relative giving it to a teenager or young adult.
There's no obligation to give gifts, but many people feel uncomfortable with the idea that they could receive a gift and not have one in exchange. Keeping a stock of generic gifts for such an event is a possibility.
[guess who is not one of those people who will feel uncomfortable not reciprocating?]
[hello my name is batman and I like to tl;dr]