Does anyone else work in a place where the employees go way over board with the holiday stuff...like giving gifts and baking and cards...which makes one feel the pressure to respond in kind ?

There's never a lot of pressure here; we just do it because everyone's really cool to each other and we feel like sharing.
My first editor here went all-out; nice bottles of wine, expensive candy assortments, fancy bath baskets for the women on the desk. He made it really special and we worked like dogs for him because we appreciated how much he appreciated us.

For a few years we had pod battles over which sections of workers could outdo the others with holiday decorations. It got pretty ridiculous but made every day a lot of fun because you wanted to see what was new. It culminated with me arranging to have a miniature horse brought into the office dressed up like a reindeer.

Hilarious!

Interestingly enough, there's supposedly an unspoken rule that we don't put up any Christmas decorations due to Jew ownership. Stupid, I think. When I was a supervisor for another department, I'd always decorate. And the owner always commented how nice and festive it looked. People are weird about stepping on other people's beliefs.

I've not decorated my area this year simply because I've had no time. But I usually put up a miniature Christmas tree and decorate my area with pretty bows and wreaths.

With regard to giving away gifts, each department makes it an option for people to participate in a Secret Santa exchange. If you don't wish to, no big deal.

there's way too much food in my office today. cookies, candies, harry & david fruit (that's welcomed). i got a $50 gift card from my printer today, so that's the only holiday stuff i'm not complaining about.

<--- goes overboard with baking for the holidays.

Too much food.
Secret Santa celebrations.

It's all too much, as I'm a Jew.

Eat it slowly over eight days.

Yeah, the food has been ridiculous, as per usual.
We had our holiday potluck (keep in mind this is 50-60 ppl bringing stuff) early last week and everyone was in a post-Thanksgiving-esque food haze for the entire afternoon.

WE FAT AN' HAPPY.

we've been receiving gift baskets from vendors very regularly over the last few weeks. they all get put on the filing cabinet for the vultures to dig through.

"On, Moshe! On, Herschel! On, Shlomo!"

One of my coworkers was asking where the chocolate was hiding and I swear, her voice took on a demonic tone. It was kind of scary. These are the same women who complain about gaining 10 pounds in December. Hey, I have an idear... don't eat the chocolate!

counting cheese.

I got a box of chocolate covered cherries from one customer today. He might as well have just shit in my mouth.

Was he under the impression that you were a 70-year old woman?

Come to think of it, no one has brought any gift baskets or baked goods. I'm assuming that's good, but it would be nice to have some homemade cookies.

I will send you some. PM me your address. You might not get them this week, but in the coming weeks you will.



I just came back from the staff lounge... eight boxes of fannie may chocolate, four boxes of various toffee/peanut brittle, one BIG can of popcorn. Somehow my self-control has not failed me today as it has in the past... I walked out of there with a glass of water. Yessssss.

Aww, hon, don't worry about it. You've got lots going on your plate. Thank you for the sweet thought, though!

I just want some Fannie Mae.

There have been cookies, cakes, doughnuts...so much food. So much so that I didn't even eat lunch today because I knew I was probably going to eat sweets. Erg. I don't do secret santa, just give gifts to select co-workers.