Festivus... for the Rest of Us

As my friend, Bill (that's DE Bill, not Best Pal Bill), pointed out, today is Festivus. It's also one of those "Friday before a long weekend" type days where no one really feels like doing any "real" work. I have been working on consolidating some documentation written by someone else, but it's hard to stay focused. And... the boss said we could leave early today... around lunchtime. Woohoo!

Yesterday was our company luncheon (not to be mistaken with the Company Party tonight at the Bottom Line!) and there was all kinds of food and fun. We started off our office party with a Secret Santa game for those who participated (names were drawn 3 weeks ago)... then onto the food! Deli, veggie and fruit platters were ordered from the local grocer and staffers brought in everything from Pumpkin Soup to Baked Ziti. YUM! Of course, there was desserts! Cakes and my famous cookies and brownies.

After lunch, it was back to work, but we reconvened after the boss' conference call to do a Mystery Gift game. At stake was a good gift and a crappy gift. The first game took quite a while and got suspenseful as folks were knocked out of the game one by one. The second game was more cut-throat and quick. The winner of the first game got to pick from two boxes, but was not allowed to open it. The winner of the second game got the second box. As it turns out, the winner of the second game got the "good" gift, a $75 gift card to Wawa! That's a lot of coffee and gasoline! The "crappy" gift, which really was very nice, was a $25 gift card to the Olive Garden. There were little messages inside the boxes on top of all the fluff inside (GC's were on the bottom). I don't remember what they said, but they were very funny.


Khayyam and Bryan try to unlink metal puzzles

For part of the afternoon, the guys tried to unlink the metal puzzles the boss gave them. The techie guys love this stuff!!!

It's amazing how much more in the "holiday spirit" the folks at my new job are. And very generous! See the bounty of little gifts I received in the past week!


Cards and holiday cheer


Candy canes, chocolates, candles, ornaments, and lots of other very thoughtful gifts. The goofy penguins are mine. I got them at a flea market -- 5 for $1. What's not to like?

In the 3 months I've been at my new company, I've received a little pocket calendar, a regular calendar, a turkey and a lovely thermos. I don't think my old company gave us anything like that! Not the "original" company, which gave its employees "Turkey Bucks" at the Acme at Thanksgiving and a (small but much appreciated) bonus at the end of the year. But the other company that took over... they rarely showed appreciation for the employees in that manner. It was dependant on the department you worked in and who you knew. I did receive a nice mug and a golf shirt. The last department I worked in gave us shirts to provide a "uniform" for the instructors. I can't really do much with them now. If anyone at ATS wants a ladies size medium golf shirt, I have plenty!

But I do have to say I'm very thankful to be employed at my new company, despite the long commute and pay cut. And I'm thankful for my husband, family and friends. So, happy holidays and I hope to see many of you this weekend!