Presents at the Office Christmas Party...best/worst

[Miss Crisplock]

Some years it's a hoot, some years you wonder about the people you work with. What is the best office holiday gift you've received? The worst and/or oddest?:eusa_doh:

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

What gift?

 

[Miss Crisplock]

No gifts for you? Not even the very tackiest of all corporate gifts, the logo emblazoned promo items? No new staplers or Starbucks cards?

 

[Miss Neecerie]

My boss is lovely and at our luncheons he and his wife always give all of us a small gift. Last year it was a barnes and noble gift card for 10 or 15 dollars (considering he has 100 employees, thats really quite something to do out of pocket). They also give us all something small, like a bag of Sees candy as well.

My team lead and team (5 of us) always exchange little gifts...again nothing bad.....

So I have no worsts...and only bests...

 

[Miss Crisplock]

That is nice to hear.

 

[fourstarbanner]

My dad got a turkey for Christmas from his boss once. For real-he showed up to work and his boss pulled out a frozen turkey from a cooler behind his desk. :eusa_doh:

 

[Diamondback]

*resisting temptation to make joke about the turkey*

This is both one of the upsides and downsides of being freelance--good news is never having to worry about getting hit with a surprise "stinker", bad news is no camaraderie with colleagues of any kind, since all of your colleagues are competing for the same gigs as you... And never having a company Christmas party because you're always "the outside contractor"...

 

[ohairas]

I work at a salon with about 20 other girls, (and one guy now!).. but a few years ago we had all exchanged names for gifts and went to a restaurant for our party.

One girl could not make it as her grandmother had just passed away. Unbeknownst to me, she had my name. As everyone was exchanging, the waitress came over and told me I had a call. I thought that was so weird. Well, it was her! Calling from where the funeral had been, telling me how very sorry she could not be there and that she had my name and went on and on how bad she felt that she couldn't give me my gift. I just started bawling and told her she just gave me the best gift ever. I thought it was the most thoughtful thing ever.

Nikki

 

[Vintage Betty]

I gave gift baskets to everyone at a business one year, and one guy had -let's say - particular food eating habits. I made up a different food basket just for him, and he said it was the best present he ever received.

Unbeknownst to me, he was living in his car and never received any gifts from his family. He actually started crying. Quite a nice gift for me, to be appreciated like that.

VB

 

[Miss Crisplock]

What lovely people. A little kindness goes a long way.

 

[Kishtu]

Afraid nothing good from this quarter

I like cats, right? So every year... without fail... cat-related tat. I have more mugs with cats on than Hallmark Cards. Every year I get a new one. Oh! apart from last year.... when I got two.... from separate people (one Secret Santa, one from my boss) and a teapot-shaped thing for putting wet teabags in. With a picture of a cat on.

Ungrateful, moi?

Most evil thing I ever saw was someone buying a pink sparkly thong for a well-built gentleman that I work with. He put it on over his trousers and did a little dance for us.

 

[scotrace]

Anyone have any good suggestions? There are four people (ladies) in my office to buy for. The fall back gift is a tear-off desk calendar. They always know when I've come up stumped when that happens. Two years ago I gave each numerous bars of scented soaps. Last year I actually hand made their gifts (candle boxes).

They usually get me a mall or home center gift card. I kind of wish they'd do an ebay GC.

 

[ShortClara]

I always get a spa gift cert from the big boss, and then usually something from the other boss -last year a Nordstrom's gift card

This year some of use lower-types are doing a Secret Santa. I got the one other girl in the office who's into vintage!! YAY! Score for me! Her black vintage velvet evening handbag is on it's way, which will match the vintage dress she brought in one day for me to see

 

[olive bleu]

Anyone have any good suggestions? There are four people (ladies) in my office to buy for. The fall back gift is a tear-off desk calendar. They always know when I've come up stumped when that happens. Two years ago I gave each numerous bars of scented soaps. Last year I actually hand made their gifts (candle boxes).

They usually get me a mall or home center gift card. I kind of wish they'd do an ebay GC.

what's the budget?

 

[olive bleu]

I've had some pretty good ones. When i worked for a small family run catering company/pastry shop the owner would send me home on Christmas eve with my arms full of stuff:cakes, truffles,bottles of wine, etc.The family is Norwegian and one year she gave me an enormous Norwegian Apple strudel, as big as my table. It took us two weeks to eat that thing!Everytime someone popped in over the holidays, they were plyed with strudel.lol

The worst? I once worked for a company that was a very large national chain.We made minimum wage.What we were sent for Christmas was a bumper sticker with the company logo on it...supposedly to put on the cars that we were all too poor to buy.Pretty insulting.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

A melon baller.



I'll leave you with that. A Melon baller......I mean......:eusa_doh: why????

This yr for secret santa we made lists......

K

 

[scotrace]

what's the budget?

About $15 each...

 

[Feraud]

Anyone have any good suggestions? There are four people (ladies) in my office to buy for.

A visit to Bath and Body Works might yield appropriate gifts.


Last year I won a year subscription to Netflix at the company Christmas raffle.

 

[texasgirl]

I like cats, right? So every year... without fail... cat-related tat. I have more mugs with cats on than Hallmark Cards. Every year I get a new one. Oh! apart from last year.... when I got two.... from separate people (one Secret Santa, one from my boss) and a teapot-shaped thing for putting wet teabags in. With a picture of a cat on.

That's what people always get me, especially my boss. Mugs, kitchen towels, calendars, note cards, stuffed animals, you name it. I like cats, not stuff with cats on it! And now I don't even have a cat, wonder if she'll get me something cat-related even so?

 

[BeBopBaby]

A visit to Bath and Body Works might yield appropriate gifts.
.

I agree. Bath & Body Works seems to be the place to go when a more generic gift is needed. For the most part, you can't go wrong with a nice scented hand lotion or a candle. But since you gave scented soaps and candle boxes previously, perhaps a small gift card to Barnes & Noble or Borders would do?