Corporate Christmas

The company I write for is having a difficult time. We're six months late with the product, and have had to hire a bunch of very expensive contractors with special skills (Oracle mainly) to try and push things along.

There will be no Christmas bonus this year.

But we were given a special gift each - a wicker hamper the size of a small suitcase weighing as much 15 to 20 lbs, and filled with bottles of wine, christmas pudding, jam and other stuff. Who knows how much each one cost, although somewhere between £30 and £50 seems reasonable. So far I've yet to meet anyone who actually wants this hamper, especially if, like me, you have to hump the bastard home on the train. My arm felt a couple of inches longer when I finally heaved the hamper over the threshold, crushing some cards on the doormat.

Advice to management - next time, just give us the money.