# Dec the Halls with Rants and Howling **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 30, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049 "2015-11-30T19:22:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/221 "2015-12-24T19:16:33Z")
It’d be nice if we could have a moratorium on dipshits attacking Presidents for going on vacation. The latest is Karl Rove (yeah, I know) ranking Obama for going to Hawaii for a holiday break while the world is collapsing. Previously, talk radio was beating up on him for playing too much golf. This is not just a GOP/right wing thing, as I recall GWB getting scornful commentary about time off at his Texas ranch, and playing golf. I _welcome_ Presidents getting a vacation break and having a hobby which may relieve stress (or at least keep them out of trouble for awhile). I don’t want them constantly at work, just as I don’t want to get medical treatment from a resident who’s been up for the past 30 hours. > [@SBS](#): > > This is a little long, but who is actually being productive on this ‘day before Christmas’? I am off today but being productive. I just set up my GM/non-GM corn feeding stand in the back yard (as part of the Biofortified citizen research team) and now we will see which corn my varmints prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/222 "2015-12-24T20:25:20Z")
New(-ish) Co-worker to me: What time will they send us home today? Me: Well, that would have to come from one of three people, and have you noticed that they’re all on PTO? Co-worker: ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Catamount](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/catamount/32/2840_2.png) [@Catamount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catamount)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/223 "2015-12-24T22:24:25Z")
For the first time in my life, I’m missing Christmas with my family. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/224 "2015-12-25T03:38:27Z")
In the WTF Amazon?! department: I ordered a night vision digital camcorder and they sent an underwater digital still camera. Not even close to the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/225 "2015-12-25T04:11:17Z")
Nobody gets my jokes. I had to go to THREE places to get the perfect present for my BFF and she didn’t get it. A carefully wrapped package that held a small (laundromat) sized box of Tide, a single shot bottle of Southern Comfort and a small bottle of Joy dish washing detergent. I just got off the phone with her, she was all WTF until I explained it to her. Please tell me that someone here got the message. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/226 "2015-12-25T04:15:25Z")
I get the ‘message’ but I’d still find it a weird present to get. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/227 "2015-12-25T06:45:34Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Nobody gets my jokes. I had to go to THREE places to get the perfect present for my BFF and she didn’t get it. A carefully wrapped package that held a small (laundromat) sized box of Tide, a single shot bottle of Southern Comfort and a small bottle of Joy dish washing detergent. > > I just got off the phone with her, she was all WTF until I explained it to her. Please tell me that someone here got the message. It’s exactly the kind of thing my family would do (especially Mom, grandma and two uncles). It’s the perfect gift for someone with whom you don’t really exchange gifts with (like my BFF and I don’t do birthday or Christmas or whatever gifts, maybe a random card without occasion) and for whom you know they don’t really want or need anything anyway. I may actually rip this idea off next year, my mom would get a kick out of it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/228 "2015-12-25T06:51:25Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > This is a little long, but who is actually being productive on this ‘day before Christmas’? That was well worth reading. I love stories of office intrigue like this. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/229 "2015-12-25T07:48:29Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Merry fucking christmas. If my girlfriend asks me to spend one more fucking year with the fucking in-laws I am going to _lose my shit_. Yeah, honey, let’s drive two hours to visit people I hate and who don’t hold a particularly high opinion of me, far away from all my friends, anything remotely interesting, and with no way back that doesn’t rely on the mother in law. > > And let’s do that when I have shit I need to be working on and can’t really work on from here because my shitty fucking laptop can’t even handle the damn spreadsheets for the thing I need to spend most of my fucking Christmas vacation working on despite hating. Oh yeah, that’s a thing. I’m supposed to be planning and organizing the biggest Smash tournament in Germany this year. I’ve been planning this since september, people have been signing up since October, I was gracious enough to set the fucking deadline for paying in advance a whole _two months_ after signups started, and after getting basically fuck-all for two months, I prodded everyone and about 30 fucking people said, “Eh, no, we weren’t actually planning on coming”. > > DO YOU FUCKERS REALIZE THAT I HAVE TO PAY THE LOCATION I’M RENTING?! The best part of course being that there \*was \*a long waiting list, before a whole bunch of people on it said, “Eh, nobody’s deconfirming, I’m just gonna make other plans”. Dear people who knew beforehand and didn’t say anything: FUCK. OFF. > > And it’s not like I’m not sick to fucking death of this community’s shit anyways. In september I was a little frustrated at the constant poor decision-making and total mismanagement; since then things have escalated (including what essentially boils down to me being bullied out of a project I started to try to get things working) and I have absolutely no respect for all but a very, very small group of people in this community… And all but one of that group has canceled. At the last minute. I would tell them all to collectively fuck off right fucking now if I didn’t have a substantial financial obligation here. And now even that’s looking like it’s going to bite me in the ass! > > And then I go on facebook and see all the lovely fucking photos of people surrounded by friends and family and people they actually _like_, having a great time, going out and partying, just generally enjoying themselves… > > Merry fucking Christmas. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to raid the fucking liquor cabinet and hope they either accept it or throw me out. Either I don’t have to stay here, or I don’t have to be sober while doing it. > > :mad: Wow. They based the movie _Krampus_ on your life, didn’t they? Seriously, sorry you’re having a bad time of it. Hope things start looking up by the time you head for home. ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/230 "2015-12-25T07:55:58Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > That was well worth reading. I love stories of office intrigue like this. 2 issues with the story: 1. How does a secretary (do they still exist in 2015???) have access to steal that amount of money 2. I have to take umbrage with the implication that just because a employee is fat and ugly and old, she’s more competent than one that is young, pretty and thinner. I get what you are implying: the Senior Partner took the bait, and got hooked. But there is a sinister implication here that equates honesty with looks, and thats not 100% fair. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/231 "2015-12-25T08:04:01Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > That was well worth reading. I love stories of office intrigue like this. This. I was going to be all TL;BIRIA (Too Long; But I Read It Anyway). Juicy! 😃 ETA: I wonder if she boned the accountant into his heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/232 "2015-12-25T11:23:43Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > 2 issues with the story: > > 1. How does a secretary (do they still exist in 2015???) have access to steal that amount of money Yes they exist, and by being able to get the boss to sign off on things he shouldn’t sign off on. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/233 "2015-12-25T14:51:03Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Yes they exist, and by being able to get the boss to sign off on things he shouldn’t sign off on. Apparently. Also… well S.P. is not aging really well. ☹ As far as I can tell, he mainly ‘gives advice’ and does social stuff at the firm. I dunno, maybe that’s true at all firms, that it’s the young guys and gals who do the majority of obviously actual lawyer-type work activity. But S.P. … well, yesterday they had a sort of in-house catered lunch/party with small presents for everyone. (Yes, I and the other part-timer were also invited, this guy is NOT Ebeneezer Scrooge) And at one point I was chatting with a couple of the secretaries and he came over and made happy talk with us for a few minutes, all nice and charming, and then looked around the room and asked us, “Where’s Katy? I haven’t wished her Merry Christmas yet.” And there’s an awkward pause. And the woman who was standing right next to him said, “Um. Do you mean Kelly?” “No, no. I mean Katy.” Longer awkward pause. Because the woman he was talking to _was_ Katy. A regular employee who has worked there for at least ten years! Okay, there are some circumstances: she’s been dieting over the past year and has gone from maybe 50-60 pounds overweight to normal. Plus yesterday she’d come in with her hair freshly dyed, and a rather darker shade of brown than before. And as I said, it’s not like S.P. really has much to do with any of the office worker types except his own secretary, and maybe he’d had a couple of drinks by that point, though he didn’t otherwise seem at all drunk. But really? To know her name as an employee but not recognize her after speaking to her for a few minutes?? What do you say in that sort of situation? Added: no, I don’t think Marlena did in the accountant. He died surrounded by family while watching a football game after a stereotypical Thanksgiving feast. (I wonder if that actually happens a lot?) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/234 "2015-12-25T19:03:48Z")
I wasn’t suggesting Marlena had done him in, merely that she’d been _doing_ him, if you catch my drift.\* IOW, why would it take the arrival of a new accountant for her skimmings to come to light? \*ETA: okay, a LITTLE bit of it being more than his ticker could handle over the long term. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/235 "2015-12-25T20:03:19Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I get the ‘message’ but I’d still find it a weird present to get. Perhaps you didn’t really get the message. It wasn’t get drunk and clean your house, it was “Tidings of Comfort and Joy.” > [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > It’s exactly the kind of thing my family would do (especially Mom, grandma and two uncles). It’s the perfect gift for someone with whom you don’t really exchange gifts with (like my BFF and I don’t do birthday or Christmas or whatever gifts, maybe a random card without occasion) and \*\*for whom you know they don’t really want or need anything anyway. \*\* > > I may actually rip this idea off next year, my mom would get a kick out of it. Please, feel free and enjoy! 😃 Its so much easier to buy gifts for people who need/want things. Once I explained it to her, she loved it and said that she was mad that I didn’t tell her to open it early so she could make up a few packages to give to other folks as well. We bought the critters presents, treats and toys. I wrapped them and put them under the tree last night. Some time during the night some kitty opened them all and then went after the other wrapped gifts probably because tearing up crinkly paper was so much fun. It looked like someone had emptied a shredder in the living room when we got up. While I highly suspect Missy of doing the dastardly dead, Baker is also on my list. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/236 "2015-12-25T21:31:20Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Perhaps you didn’t really get the message. It wasn’t get drunk and clean your house, it was “Tidings of Comfort and Joy.” Got it; loved it; may steal it. Or hint to my wife that I’d love this next year… Had a designer friend whose xmas card showed a bottle of Joy being poured over a globe. But I like yours much better (and it’s tastier!). ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/237 "2015-12-26T00:23:10Z")
Wait, **flatlined** , you have a cat named Baker? Does **Baker** know? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/238 "2015-12-26T01:33:29Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > I get the ‘message’ but I’d still find it a weird present to get. I once took a bare branch, mounted it in a base, painted it metallic gold and tied a 50 cal BMG cartridge into it with a festive red and green ribbon and gave it to my dad =) ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/239 "2015-12-26T08:21:08Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Oh yeah, that’s a thing. I’m supposed to be planning and organizing the biggest Smash tournament in Germany this year. I’ve been planning this since september, people have been signing up since October, I was gracious enough to set the fucking deadline for paying in advance a whole _two months_ after signups started, and after getting basically fuck-all for two months, I prodded everyone and about 30 fucking people said, “Eh, no, we weren’t actually planning on coming”. > > DO YOU FUCKERS REALIZE THAT I HAVE TO PAY THE LOCATION I’M RENTING?! The best part of course being that there \*was \*a long waiting list, before a whole bunch of people on it said, “Eh, nobody’s deconfirming, I’m just gonna make other plans”. Dear people who knew beforehand and didn’t say anything: FUCK. OFF. > > And it’s not like I’m not sick to fucking death of this community’s shit anyways. In september I was a little frustrated at the constant poor decision-making and total mismanagement; since then things have escalated (including what essentially boils down to me being bullied out of a project I started to try to get things working) and I have absolutely no respect for all but a very, very small group of people in this community… And all but one of that group has canceled. At the last minute. I would tell them all to collectively fuck off right fucking now if I didn’t have a substantial financial obligation here. And now even that’s looking like it’s going to bite me in the ass! Closure: the swiss contingent deconfirmed en masse because they didn’t like the ruleset (which was publicly known since before they confirmed) and because I got a little frustrated at explaining my decision-making for the thousandth time. So I quit. They can find a replacement, or they can just suck my dick and call the event canceled, because I’m done. No more. This community is not getting any more sweat or tears from me. Literally the only person I feel bad about disappointing throughout this whole mess is the guy who owns the location we’re hosting at, because he’s really an OK dude and his business really is a good thing for e-sports, but everyone else, with maybe 1-2 exceptions? Fuck it. I’m done with this community and with this game. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049/240 "2015-12-26T11:49:23Z")
What sort of mutants have I raised? We delayed Christmas by one day, since the big kids were at their dad’s yesterday, and the Littles are still a bit iffy on calendars, so we can get away with the scam one last time. But it’s 6:51 am local time. What kind of 3- or 5-year-old sleeps this late when Santa is due for a visit? Little weirdos. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dec-the-halls-with-rants-and-howling/739049.md?page=13)