[Loren]

James, I pretty much treat all of my snakes like you with your garters. I try to take all of my snakes out and handle them every so often for inspection,cage cleaning, and possible weighing, measuring, and photos. Other than that, I dont handle most of them regulary. With 60-something snakes and a full time job, I just dont have time to hold them all really often. I do try to take them out here or there just for enjoyment, though.
Thats actually one of my favorite things, is when I actually have time just to take a snake out and hold it just for fun.
Then of coarse, there's a few that I just plain dont handle, for my health.

Lori, I do agree that by handling them a certain amount, you can hopefully convince them that you are not a threat, thereby reducing stress on them when you interact with them.
This of coarse is a little different with every snake. I've had some that calm down with some simple semi-regular handling, then there's been a few that want nothing more than to bite me no matter how much I try to "tame" them. I'm trying right now to convince my baby everglades ratsnake that I am not a threat- she's a slow learner, but I want to teach her while her teeth are small!