I was just wondering if you bring your therapist a gift at holiday time.

I try not to ask too many personal questions of my therapist or anything because I know it's supposed to be a professional relationship. But I wanted to bring a small gift to show my appreciation because he's someone who means a lot in my life right now, and when I was googling ideas of something I could make I stumbled upon a small gift that had a connection with something he is interested in or that has meaning to him. And I thought it was a really unique gift.

So I purchased it and hoped it would arrive in time and left work at lunch to go to the post office to get it before my appointment, and wrapped it in the nicest dollar store wrapping I could find lol. And I was excited to give it to him.

I had a handmade card because I made about 11 or 12 of them for the people closest to me this year. And I thanked him in it for some of the ways he has made a difference for me and wished him happy holidays and health and happiness in 2018, and then signed it Sincerely, [full name].

And then when I got there yesterday he immediately said he wasn't allowed to receive gifts and then I felt bad and I felt dumb. He asked if it was money and I said no, it was just a small ornament, so he said OK. And then at the end of the session he opened it and said thank you. But it was definitely a thank you like, "thank you, but you shouldn't have." And he said he never should have told me that he liked [thing that he likes]. So I felt sort of embarrassed like I had done something wrong or inappropriate. And also a little deflated because I was looking forward to giving the gift.

I just wondered if it's inappropriate to give your therapist a gift at the holidays or if I did something wrong by not making it generic and impersonal.