Fa La La La La

I suppose all workplaces have a lot of activities going on this time of year.

For me and mine (?), the big thing this week was the annual departmental decorating contest. The prize is a bowl of candy and someone's old bowling trophy, gussied up to say, "Christmas Decorating Winner" or something to that effect.

It doesn't take much to get those old competitive juices flowing!

Since I am on the Fun Committee (three Michele's/Michelle's and a Jennifer), it was our responsibility to come up with a theme for our department's Christmas decorating. Oh, easy enough, you say. Well, no. First, we had to solicit suggestions, then we had to send out an email so everyone could vote for their favorite, then we had to execute (hmmmm.........execute.......sounds inviting).

So, we had seven suggestions, some of them quite original........and the one that garnered the most votes was.............Individual Cubicles! Yes, we apparently each like to do our own thing.

So, not being very creative in the decorating department, I trudged off to Target to see what I could come up with. I'd already papered my cubicle walls with wrapping paper, courtesy of one of the Michele's, who brought all her leftover paper for everyone to use.

Now, what to add, what to add.........

Well, being on a budget, I didn't want to spend a boatload of money on cubicle decorating, so I found a few things that were "decent yet inexpensive". I got me a string of lights ($2.00), a string of fake cranberries, a card of burgundy bows, and that's about it. (Did I mention I'm not much of a decorator?)

I have to admit, for being such an amateur, my cubicle turned out.......hideous.

But, I had that old Christmas spirit (or I could have used a bit of "spirits"), so I put up all my bows and strung my lights, and plastered a sign on my cubicle that said, (someone else's suggestion), "Christmas BOW-tique".

Whew! I had a theme!

Meanwhile, one of the Michele's had a "Christmas In Arizona" theme, one had a bear theme, Jennifer did her cube up in blue and labeled it, "Blue Christmas". The best one of all was Lori's "Pig Christmas". Lots of pigs and even an ornamental reindeer with a pig nose and tail.

On the other side of the building, my friend Julie's department had gone all out. They had street signs and homemade candy trees and all the other trappings of Christmas.

They deserved to win.

We were the department that begged for pity votes.

I did get to write up the signs for everyone's cubicles, since I do have good handwriting (it's something I'm famous for).

So, at the designated hour, the judges sauntered past. I did a little hand sweep and said, "Christmas BOW-tique", and they said, sarcastically, "Yea, we get it." This did not bode well for our department.

Needless to say, we didn't win the trophy or the bowl of candy. Julie's department won, as it should have.

At least now it's over. Losers again. I guess we just weren't cut out to win someone's old musty bowling trophy.

I guess it's just as well that our plan to "carol" the judges sort of fell apart.

So, Michele T and I went out and smoked and drowned our sorrows with assorted caffeinated beverages.

Next week is Secret Santa. I pray that goes better than the old "Individual Cubes" went over.

Oh, and did I mention that I'm ceding my position on the Fun Committee to someone new in the near future?