bah humbug; bran tub time again!!

celyn90

singlehouseholder wrote: »

Yeah, im the office cheapskate becasue I don't want to be in Bran-tub, as I explained to them though, I spend £10 on my little nephews, I'm not going to spend the same on a work mate! Anyway, I told them I'd feel really uncomfortable someone spending that amount on me. Not going to xmas dinner either, going to meet up afterwards for a few shandies. £25 for a plate of veg, bowl of soup and xmas pud- why aye, I'd rather spend £25 notes on a asda shop!

I didn't go the works do last year either. Year before I was driving, so didn't drink, had dietry problems (which I did state before) and they didn't do an alternative for two courses so I paid £25 I could ill afford when I could only eat the starter, plus had to pay extra for soft drinks (I hate the way wine is supplied free but coke costs a bomb). Not a good evening watching people get smashed so you can drive them home at midnight with them being sick in your car then go home and fix a sandwich because your really hungry!

Plus it's tradition for my work mates to sing some nasty bit of poetry someone with zero talent has written and it makes me want to curl up and hide under the table with embrassment. Last one I went to we filled the whole resturant except for one table with a couple on it, who looked horrified. I told the organiser we should have paid for their meal on the basis we probably wreaked their evening. Nasty. We also do a pub lunch the week before, which is nicer, cheaper and much more fun because you can actually chat to people and order what you like.

£10 is a hell of a lot to spend on a bran-tub too. So I'm a cheapskate as well, but I just don't enjoy these things - it doesn't matter if it's Christmas or not.

newleaf

sunnyflower wrote: »

mean / boring / spoilsportetc etc.

You rang m'lady? :rotfl:
I refuse to join in with this annual waste of cash - but it doesn't stop them wheedling and moaning about me every year! Never mind, thick skin and all that...

charlottesmummy

I'm doing some on a forum I visit, but then with that you fill in info for the person who gets you about what you like and what you hate, so it's not to hard to get people something they will actually like.

I think I'm quite lucky though because the only work place I have been in that did a secret Santa was a sex chat line I worked on when at uni and you know what to expect with the girls I worked with, i think I got lucky when I only got a penis hoop la game!

skintscotslass

I loathe and detest Secret Santa with a passion!! I think its the absolute waste that upsets me the most. I remember one year buying a lovely gift for someone and then finding out that they gave my boss some old crap that they'd obviously picked up at a jumble sale or charity shop for about 50p. We were to spend £8 that year! After that I gave up. I'm not going to the Christmas dinner this year either. Its £38.50 plus drinks plus transport.

arnie&caseysma!

We did Secret Santa last year with the limit of £5.....being the only female I was bound to get a box of Chocolate Willies - and I wasn't disappointed! They were all eaten when we had coffee before we really hit the booze!

This year we aren't having a meal, a day out on the booze for us and we have already decided to have a Secret Santa with the only condition that it has to be something to wear and the recipient must wear it ALL DAY!!! I dread to think what I will get this year but it is bound to be a laugh as we all know each other pretty well.

Looking forward to it (I must be mental!!!)

consumermonkey

Last year I spent out on the secret Santa thing, OK, so not exactly MSE, but I don't give to receive. I had a Naughty bag and a Nice bag.

this year, the boss has INSISTED that I "MUST NOT, MUST NOT" (yep she repeated it twice) buy anything smutty nor go over the £5.00 budget, so I have managed to buy a huge gift box with Harrods written on it for £1.00 from Fied's corner shop and have decided to fill it either with £4.00 of the worst stuff I can find in the local pound shop or a selection of the toiletries I picked up from the hotels I have been on holiday in.

For someone who hates Xmas with a passion (Me!) I do enjoy giving gifts and I feel this has stopped me from giving something reasonably god to one of my colleagues.

KittyKate

We did it in our office last year, and had a £5 budget. Most of the presents were quite well thought out, I got a guy a little bottle of Brandy & a hip flask from Boots, and from my Boss I got a girly car kit (I'm learning to drive...still!). Dinner & drinks were free as well. I guess it depends on the size of your office & how tight your colleagues are! But for £5 it's not so bad

Kaz2904

We don't do a secret santa anymore. Instead we choose a charity and everyone puts in what they can afford to spend- the same for cards too.