Now that it's the Holiday season, we are unfortunately subjected to that time of year when we have to get gifts for more people than we'd like. The idea of having to participate in an annual Office Secret Santa on top of all that other shopping is truly too far. Thankfully, I have never been asked to participate in one, and honestly, thank goodness. I'm not quite sure what I've done in my life to deserve that luxury, but I'll take it. Knowing myself, if I were pressured to be a part of an Offic…

There's this growing sentiment in modern parenting that we should never lie to our children, that, if we do, they may one day grow up to resent us for giving them an unrealistic view of the world. Maybe, just maybe, that desire for a more realistic and grounded approach stems from the fact that we were raised being told that we could be whatever, whoever, and wherever we wanted to be when the reality is that all of those things cost money and if you don't have enough money to go, be and do ever…

Good deeds are a dime a dozen, but this school really gave it its all so that kids would get great Christmas gifts from their parents who did not have a lot of money. Unfortunately, along comes a Grinch, today known as a Karen, and has to ruin it for everyone. In this case, many Karens. Let's start at the beginning… One school used to organize a toy store for families in need, and this store would be stocked to the brim with all kinds of donations. The parents could shop there and get new toys…

Tada, November will be gone in a flash, and before we know it, December will be upon us with a big Christmas-y bang, and the holiday shopping season will have us scrambling between malls, trying to find the perfect gift for our family, friends, and loved ones. Christmas carols will be ringing in our ears, our eyes will be blinded by tall, beaming Christmas trees, and our mother will be calling us non-stop, making sure we got the yearly holiday invite as if we would dare not show up. Holidays ar…

When Karens put negative energy out into the universe, they are bound to get that same energy in return. Here, we have a Karen who purposely disregarded her son-in-law's dietary issues and served a Christmas dinner with nothing for him to eat. He never forgot that feeling and it wasn't until a decade later when he finally got some payback. Sure, it's polite for a guest to eat what is served to them, but in this instance, these were known health issues that the Redditor made sure his monster-in-…

Some people get really hung up on thank-you cards . Plenty of folks place a high value on gift-giving, and for some reason, they are also very insistent on receiving a thank-you note. Thanking the gift-giver as you open their present should be enough, right? When you can look the person in the eyes and genuinely appreciate their thoughtfulness and chat about the gift, that seems like it should be sufficient. But some people believe that if you don't send a physical thank-you card as soon as pos…

It must be difficult to be a barista if you don't like to make coffee. Or to be clear, it seems like some baristas look down on anyone who doesn't like their coffee black. They seemingly have a personal vendetta against the vast majority of coffee drinks who don't want their bean juice to be bitter and scalding. Lots of people love frappes or lattes or any number of blended coffee drinks, and this love is fueled by social media “secret menu” hacks. When social media was in its younger years, a…

Childless adults get a pretty bad rep amongst people who have children, especially in the workplace. Perhaps we're just not ready to have grubby fingerprints on every surface of our home and Cocomelon playing on loop, but for some reason, Stephanie in accounting seems keen on weighing in on our lifestyle choices.

Everyone has those unfortunate moments during childhood when you learn something isn't true. For many kids, it's the discovery that a heavy bearded fellow in a red suit doesn't dive down everyone's chimneys annually to give gifts. It's one of those fantasies that you wonder in hindsight how you believed that nonsense in the first place. Well, while we speak a lot about kids becoming disillusioned, no one ever really talks about the upsetting discoveries you have during adulthood. We're talking…

We're nowhere near the Holidays, and yet we already have employers being awful about time off on Christmas. Here, we have a single parent who works as a dietary aide at a medical facility. We trust her when she says this is not exactly an environment she is comfortable bringing her kid to work in on any day, especially Christmas. When she recently learned that the daycare where she sends her kid would be closed on Christmas, and she realized she had no other alternative but to request time off,…

One boss was under the impression he ruined his junior worker's holidays by giving him an unjustifiable amount of work, right before Christmas. The result of this type of tedious task usually results in a nosedive in team morale, but of course, that has never stopped a micromanaging boss, has it? Let's start at the beginning. The events that unfolded that led to hundreds of hours of overtime on OP's part are comical. u/Calledinthe90s, the OP in question, explained how he was working as a junior…

Workplaces love to advertise their great benefits, especially if they offer generous vacation allowances.

There are certain team-bonding work traditions that should be disbanded and one of them is most certainly Secret Santa. First of all, there's the money factor. Even if the fixed price everyone should spend is decided to be $10, I don't want to spend two cents on anyone at work and I'm pretty sure they'd say the same about me. There is absolutely no ill will or bitterness here; in fact, to me, it feels like a healthy mutual understanding. Now, the next reason why Workplace Secret Santa should be…

Ah, the holiday season — a time of year best spent with loved ones over amazing meals and through the sharing of thoughtful gifts. Holiday daydreams often take you to a place beside a roaring fire, wrapped in a thick woolen blanket — its surprising weight offering a welcome embracing comfort. A warm beverage of choice in hand or in arm's reach (Irish hot chocolate for me, please) completes the mood. It should be no surprise to any of us that these holiday ideals, moods, and traditions just don’…

The best gift in return would be your resignation!

Family and holidays often mix together in a variety of ways. It isn't all fun and roses… You need to walk on eggshells, for the most part, as everyone has their own special set of triggers. For example, maybe you don't want to mention that you're majoring in art to Grandpa, who thinks anything besides finance is a waste of time (This generation knows nothing!). And maybe don't mention that you've been taking yoga classes (our back, guys) to your mother, who doesn't shy away from her brutal opin…