Holiday Angst #73

I'm huddling inside, out of the icy 'wintery mix' whatever the heck that is. I was out and about before the mess of whatever started falling, on a holiday mission to find some appropriate co-worker gifts for Monday's holiday lunch.

In other words, I've caved. Angst or not.

Just minutes before I went home sick on Monday, the art director and I formed an anti-team-holiday-luncheon alliance which she pledged to maintain should the topic come up at that afternoon's team meeting. Apparently my absence effectively derailed the agenda and the topic didn't come up. We were on track for success!

We're not a bitter, scroogish bunch, really. Just a bit overworked and trying valiantly to hire three new people. We're admittedly picky eaters, with vegetarian, low-carb and nothing too spicy representing just a few of our well-stated requirements. More than one of us is a bit quirky. Some of us are more adept at small talk than others. And did I mention we're all women?

Our most recent effort at festive lunching was a farewell potluck for our admin who moved up and on to another post in the organization. I reminded the art director of this as we formed our alliance and you could tell the second recollection of that hour came to her mind.
We just don't 'jell' as a fun lunch group. In pairs, with a third or even half the team present, we do fine. But throw us all together, and unless the goal is deliver on a deadline or execute a project, we flounder. Big time. It's so obviously painful that other teams feel sorry for us.

So I returned on Wednesday, just as the other teams were hitting full-on holiday luncheon mode thinking, te he, we won't have to do that again this year. We'll devote our goodwill to the adopt-a-family effort and gorge ourselves on the goodies various vendors drop by. (Printer-dude -- those candy coated pretzels rock!)

Then, in a meeting with three of us to discuss what to do with some new research, our v.p., who is usually the last person to suggest such things, asks when we think we can fit lunch in before the holiday, her treat. I look around the office in a panic. No art director. Just Suzy Sunshine A, and Suzy Sunshine B who is 1) a new hire of Suzy Sunshine A that we don't want to taint, yet, and 2) is positively beaming at the praise she's just received for this project.

Crap. I'm trapped.

I coughed. Mumbled something about it maybe being tough to find time to get us all together and tried to not look horrified. Or fearful. Suzy Sunshine B offered to check calendars and schedule us all. Suzy Sunshine A smiled, and I'm sure was mentally patting herself on the back for making such a good hire.

Five minutes later, the art director is in my doorway, a look of horror on her face that no doubt matched my own.

We'd been ambushed.

Monday, we'll lunch. Together. Happy holidays...