Bah humbug thread

[NancysSummerSip]

I don't want to steal Spydah's thread, so I'll start a new one. This is a (sort of) bah humbug thread; a place for all the dumb holiday crap/traditions you'd like to see gone. They can be office or home/family related.

1) Speaking of the Secret Santa - time to let that one go. I don't want to buy anything for people I don't know well/don't like/don't have a clue about. Seriously, a five-dollar limit does not even buy a decent Chinese-made gag gift for their dog.

2) Holiday pot lucks - I don't care whether food is homemade or store-bought, but a little planning goes a long way. Otherwise, you end up with five people bringing sodas, three people bringing paper goods and maybe two people bringing actual food. And speaking of food, use a little common sense here. Not that you have to accommodate every person's vegan/gluten-free/macro/Zone/dairy-free/peanut-free/grapefruit-and-wasabi cleanse diet. But Aunt Helen's salad of Jello, Fluffernutter, raisins and Mandarin oranges likely won't set the world on fire, even if it got her a first-place ribbon at the State Cattle Fair (possibly because the judges thought it was animal feed).

3) Don't torture people with the stuff your kids' schools are selling to raise money. OK, flame me for that. I know it's about making money for education and all. But be nice about it. Ask once and accept that no is no. Some people don't need or want what you have. If they're a Smart Spender, you bought your wrapping paper for this year the day after Christmas, 2012. If they're a YM'er, they don't use wrapping paper; they make do with used tissues, TP or newspapers.

[wvugurl26]

My work prohibits the selling of your kid's stuff and the secret santa stuff. We do sign up sheets for potlucks. The food has always been good.

[kittensaver]

I'd like to see the end to all the office traditions that involve pressuring another person into doing something they don't want to do. Wanna have a Secret Santa? Fine - just back off the folks that don't want to do it. Same with Tupperware, Princess House, candles, jewelry, wrapping paper etc etc etc. It's not the event that bugs me - it's the social pressure to participate that bugs me.

[Deleted]

The Company Christmas Party!

My boss hosts everyone at her house some time in December. As if the holiday season isn't busy enough! Now I have to give up a prime Saturday Night and spend it with my co-workers.  We all stand around commenting that any one of us would take a bonus check over a catered meal any day. 

At least there's booze! 

[Deleted]

Nov 8, 2013 13:21:44 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

The Company Christmas Party!

My boss hosts everyone at her house some time in December. As if the holiday season isn't busy enough! Now I have to give up a prime Saturday Night and spend it with my co-workers.  We all stand around commenting that any one of us would take a bonus check over a catered meal any day. 

We did away with this one. At one staff meeting we said during the day or don't bother. The season is just too busy to be giving up an evening. If we are going to do get togethers outside of work hours we do it at another time of year.

[Deleted]

We used to get substantial Christmas bonuses, but then the fecal matter hit the rotary oscillating device and we lost those the year we also took a paycut. yay...

Actually, our salaries are back up but the bonuses are still MIA. Those of us who were here back in the "good old days" would rather get even a small bonus over a dinner party. But the Boss Lady can't take a business write off for those checks, now can she?  

[wvugurl26]

Nov 8, 2013 13:35:32 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

We used to get substantial Christmas bonuses, but then the fecal matter hit the rotary oscillating device and we lost those the year we also took a paycut. yay...

Actually, our salaries are back up but the bonuses are still MIA. Those of us who were here back in the "good old days" would rather get even a small bonus over a dinner party. But the Boss Lady can't take a business write off for those checks, now can she?  

Well you only get a 50% write off for entertaining. Bonuses should be a compensation expense which gets deducted out 100% from the income.

[Deleted]

I wonder if she would be open to a discussion about it.... 

[kittensaver]

Nov 8, 2013 13:40:28 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

I wonder if she would be open to a discussion about it.... 

Put the math in front of her . . .

[Deleted]

If I actually approached her about anything compensation relation she would most likely fire me. But I can say I learned something new today! 

[swamp]

We do an office gift exchange.  None of us need anything.

I started taking my secretaries for pedicures.  they like that better. 

[The Captain]

Nov 8, 2013 13:35:32 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

We used to get substantial Christmas bonuses, but then the fecal matter hit the rotary oscillating device and we lost those the year we also took a paycut. yay...

Actually, our salaries are back up but the bonuses are still MIA. Those of us who were here back in the "good old days" would rather get even a small bonus over a dinner party. But the Boss Lady can't take a business write off for those checks, now can she?  

(yes she can, it's called wages and is a deductible payroll expense)

[The Captain]

DD goes to a private school so of course we have fundraisers.  What came as a nice surprise was how few there actually are (two).  The rest is done on a true "volunteer basis" and enough folks step up so there is never any issue.

Contrast that with my nephew and niece who had a fundraiser every other month, pizza kits, frozen cookie dough, wrapping paper, etc.  Most of it was stuff we didn't want or couldn't use so I would ask SIL if we could just donate to the cause...umm no, they kids have to raise it themselves.

And since this is a bah hambug thread - it really ticks me off when the kids are told "The entire team has to raise enough so everyone can go" for example to a travel tournament.  What's wrong with expecting the parents to pay for their kids to travel for extracirricular activities?  One year the nephew's baseball team was unable to attend a regional playoff because they didn't raise enough for the WHOLE team to attend, but they had enough to field a team.

Stop all the stupid school fundraisers and just have the parents pay for the kids extras.

[Phoenix84]

For work, we usually go out to eat at a restaraunt once a month.  So that's not too bad.  Our holiday party pretty much consists of that.  At our holiday get together, we do a gift swap, the limit is $10.  It's not too bad.  It's more about having fun at the gift swap than the gift itself.  It's also completely optional.  No social pressure exists to participate.

No one has ever tried to sell me their kid's stuff. 

[sarcasticgirl]

I work for a huge firm, we have a holiday party for the staff. There are hundreds of us. Usually in a hotel ballroom or something like that. A friday night 5-10pm Open bar  and dinner is catered. 
I'd love to know the cost per head... and I'd like to get that in cash. I haven't been to our party in years. I'll actually be out of state this year. I'd rather have the $$ and drink at home. 

[spydah]

Nov 8, 2013 13:35:32 GMT -5 @beerwench said:

but then the fecal matter hit the rotary oscillating device  

-star-POTD  

[sheilaincali]

This year both my employer and DH's employer are doing Christmas parties at the Entertainment Center in town.  Only thing worse than having to eat rubber chicken with these people is having to spend the next two hours bowling with them.   

[justme]

My bah humbug is everyone talking about how busy this season is. I have plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve or Christmas (the day picked by whichever day my bro's gf can make our family thing ) and that's it. So everyone doesn't want to make plans because it's too busy so justme is with well just me.

I guess the brightside is I don't have to make food for potlucks or buy gifts. Gift money = wine for justme in my undecorated apartment!

[Chocolate Lover]

My bah humbug is going to family events once a year with relatives that don't care if your hair catches fire the rest of the year. Do I have to call in laws relatives in this instance?    

I also hate the work gift exchange. Boss & supervisor both give gifts and I hate not to give them something, you know? 

[Martivir]

Can't complain about DH's work Christmas thing. The boss takes everyone in the office out for breakfast on the clock and gives everyone a gift card to Dunkin Donuts. For the people on the sales floor they get a catered lunch and the gift card. They close early on Christmas eve too. 

And I love shopping for gifts. My big bah humbug is when people don't care about your situation, just that they get the amount and type of gifts they feel they deserve. 

[lynnerself]

Nov 8, 2013 14:10:29 GMT -5 sarcasticgirl said:

I work for a huge firm, we have a holiday party for the staff. There are hundreds of us. Usually in a hotel ballroom or something like that. A friday night 5-10pm Open bar  and dinner is catered. 
I'd love to know the cost per head... and I'd like to get that in cash. I haven't been to our party in years. I'll actually be out of state this year. I'd rather have the $$ and drink at home. 

Ours is a smaller company. A clinic with several doctors. They have always given us a nice sit down dinner for Christmas. No free booze though. Door prizes, slide show that kind of stuff. A chance to mingle with some of the staff you usually don't interact with.

Some of the staff got the bright idea of cancelling it, thinking they would get the cash instead.

Some of the docs were pretty insulted that people didn't appreciate the gesture of the party.

[sheilaincali]

Nov 8, 2013 15:06:08 GMT -5 lynnerself said:

I work for my dad and my mom takes the Christmas party VERY seriously.  She is deeply offended if people don't come, RSVP and then no show or come and leave early.  She will remember that slight for years.  She feels it's a personal insult to her and Dad when people no show or don't have fun at the party. 

For those curious as to the cost-  last year's party (same place) cost around $3500.  We have around 45-50 employees plus their guest or spouse.  We have maybe 60 people that show up (30 employees plus their guests).  That paid for dinner, 2 alcoholic drinks per person, unlimited soda and coffee, appetizers, dessert and bowling for everyone in the private room.  It is a nice place- people have wedding receptions there even.  It's all in the private part of it. 

Plus she buys and wraps a small gift for all of the guests.  It's sexist but everyone that works for us aside from me and my mom are men so she gets a simple candle holder or something for the guests.  Then we do door prizes- variety of dollar values, usually gift cards and/or cash.  The "big" prize is typically $200. 

We live in a medium to low cost of living area but many of our employees are of the "unskilled" variety and $200 is a big deal to them so they like it.  I've tried to get her to just give them each a $50 bonus but so won't go for it.

[Cookies Galore]

We have company, department, and team lunches for the holidays. Gee, take a few hours out of my work day to eat free food? Don't mind if I do!
The company party is catered in house, but we hire a really awesome caterer. The department party is my favorite because we only have to work a half day, and since it's off-site and we don't have to come back to the office there's booze. Booze wins everything.

[lexxy703]

Nov 8, 2013 14:16:39 GMT -5 justme said:

My bah humbug is everyone talking about how busy this season is. I have plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve or Christmas (the day picked by whichever day my bro's gf can make our family thing ) and that's it. So everyone doesn't want to make plans because it's too busy so justme is with well just me.

I guess the brightside is I don't have to make food for potlucks or buy gifts. Gift money = wine for justme in my undecorated apartment!

LOL, I'm in the same boat.  We don't have an office party so Christmas day at my Mom's other than that nothing but my sitting around my undecorated home.  I gave on up on the tree & decorations a few years ago.  It was just more trouble than it's worth.

[Jaguar]

Chocolate Lover

I freaking just love your avatar,

[Jaguar]

Nov 8, 2013 14:26:40 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

My bah humbug is going to family events once a year with relatives that don't care if your hair catches fire the rest of the year. Do I have to call in laws relatives in this instance?    

Yeah so dayum this. Yeah they care they just don't want to hear about it cause it depresses them. Hell excuse me for having the crappy medical issues.

[whoisjohngalt]

I don't have time to figure out what the thread is about, but Nancy I wanted to say a big THANK YOU for changing your avatar as I now can read your posts again

[Chocolate Lover]

Nov 8, 2013 15:35:34 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

Chocolate Lover

I freaking just love your avatar,

Thank you, the recipe is around her somewhere.

[NancysSummerSip]

Nov 8, 2013 15:37:32 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

Nov 8, 2013 14:26:40 GMT -5 Chocolate Lover said:

My bah humbug is going to family events once a year with relatives that don't care if your hair catches fire the rest of the year. Do I have to call in laws relatives in this instance?    

Yeah so dayum this. Yeah they care they just don't want to hear about it cause it depresses them. Hell excuse me for having the crappy medical issues.

Nope. You can call them outlaws. Or inbred-laws. Whatever makes you laugh.

Sugi, you can come visit us.

[amishgal]

We close the week between Christmas and New Years, so the last day of the year that we work, we close at noon and go out for a nice lunch on the company. There are only 5 of us, all women and it's always fun. So glad I don't have to give up a Saturday night!