I don't decorate for Halloween because we never have any kids come to our neighborhood. But I did put up a new pretty fall wreath on the door and a new fall centerpiece on the dining room table.

What is a floof?

Ok, negative thoughts..GONE.

It is much more fun to deal with the thoughts. There are two ways of going about this:

You can make a list of thoughts to think when people say something annoying. Like you can imagine rats gnawing their entrails (of course you might giggle, but oh well)

or

You can actually come up with suitable replies. Maybe, ask that they donate a bag of the 'good' candy. Or tell them the IRS is cracking down on the value of Halloween benefits for employees.

Share photos!

Will do!

We have a woman who decorates for every season where I work. It's really nice as we work in a dungeon (ummm basement). She has put up Fall decorations already. Most of my coworkers bring in treats at one time or other for everyone. I used to work in a hospital and when we had pot lucks, people from other floors would come and eat, sometimes before our own floor staff got in there. Sometimes they would take plates piled up with food to their friends on different floors, leaving nothing for some of the people who brought the food in. Really rude and ill mannered. We also had people stealing other people's lunches quite often. I think there's always going to be people like that. Sad but true.

Sadly, i may have to lock up the treats when i am not here. Its pitiful that it has come to that. Again, I am not trying to be catty. However, the main culprit is the same coworker mentioned above. When she started, she was Super Morbidly Obese. She had gastric sleeve surgery and it appears she is doing everything in her power to reverse it. Even when i worked right next to her for a few days last year in October, she just kept eating candy on top of candy on top of candy on top of the other snacks i brought. I can't imagine what damage she does when i am not here. But she is not the only one,just the worst. Its pitiful that adults don't understand common courtesy. They know i buy it, and take advantage of it to the extreme. Cameras are not necessary, they don't even try to deny it was them. Last year, at the beginning of October, i spent close to 300 dollars on the treats, expecting it to last all month. Since no one else can be bothered to put candy and snacks in the bowls for the drivers, it should have. It lasted a week and a half. I got no monetary contribution, no thank you(from the coworkers/boss, i did get them from the drivers and employees in other departments) but i did get a text on my days off informing me that I was out of candy, cracker jacks, and cheese balls.

As for the other comments such as "wheres the good candy," I don't let them go or bite my tongue. I can be very vulgar and mean when provoked. Sometimes, i keep it light. For example, i put the piggy banks next to the candy bowls. I will say "The pig ate it because he's starving, try feeding him." Or I'll say, whatever you want is at the store, go get it." Other times, they simply get cussed out and kicked out. It depends on how they asked and who they are. I often have to get ugly over the treat bowls. Its not so easy with the coworkers and the boss though. I am afraid even locking up the candy may be taken as an insult or a *itch move.

Its a little off topic, but all this typing about tacky coworkers reminded me of an incident several years ago. I had decorated for Halloween. A (former now) coworker asked me where i got certain things from, as she liked them. Well, one day,halfway through the month, I came to work as usual. There is an envelope waiting for me. Inside there is a note stating that she took what she wanted of my decorations, and she wrote me a check for what she thought they were worth. She even itemized it for me. She finished it with "If you didn't want to sell them to me just tell me ill bring them back." I was so completely disgusted with her actions. She took some beautifully haunting snowglobes,some of my beloved bottles, some signs, and even some strings of lights and pillows. WTH?!?!?!? She had taken some key pieces of the decor and theme that i had that year. I could not believe it. I told her to bring them back and put them where she took them from, and when i take the friggin things down, we can discuss her buying them from me. I had all my receipts, and some of the items she took still had price tags on them. The check she wrote me was less than half of what i paid for them, which she justified by saying they were "used." UGH. She ended up paying me what i wanted because she was/is a hoarder and shopping addict who HAD to have them. I drew the line when she tried to buy my pumpkin pig bank.

Alisande, floof is a form of fluff. The fluffiest,in fact.

Amylou that is shockingly rude of her, I'm sorry that you have to put up with such behavior especially when you are doing your decorating so others can enjoy.

Good grief, just when you think you have heard it all! I cannot believe the nerve of the woman who took your decorations!

I would have to draw the line too at the people who think a pot luck is an open buffet. A maybe not so polite, you can come back after all our participants have eaten, comment from me would have been made.

We always offered visitors a piece of birthday cake or whatever sweet stuff we had but I don’t recall anyone really pigging out.

We don’t have any trick-or-treaters but I put out a few fake pumpkins, some fall decorations, and a fall wreath this week.

If I were doing this, the 'theft' of your decorations would have been the last straw! Unless mandatory for your position (or even if it is), there is no justification for these folks to treat you in such a way!

There is always the jerks, users, moochers and/or cheapos at places of employment.

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I decorate the inside and outside of my home. In fact I have I have more Halloween decorations than Christmas. We are one of only 4 houses on a private road and we don't get any trick or treaters or foot/car traffic, but I still decorate for me and my grandchildren.

I think it's great that one person will take things upon themselves and create a festive spirit for those around them.

Honestly though, I am not sure I could deal with all the characters! Yes, take a piece of candy or two, but come on, where are your grown-up manners?

Don't get me started at those who crash the department parties. How is it that they feel they are welcome to this food? I just can't fathom this attitude among adults.

No "home training."

We're having a decorating contest this year - can you come decorate my office for me? LOL!

Amazing story about your former coworker who "bought" your decorations from you - I've never heard of anything like that in my life!

I have a candy jar here that usually has mints in it - the good kind that melt in your mouth. Most people are very respectful and take one or two. On the rarer occasion that it has chocolate, I've had to put it away at night so the cleaning people don't eat it all!

We've had "crashers" who came for cake - and took an extra piece for another of their co-workers back in their dept... when they weren't even invited to come have some. If we have extras, we always share, but sometimes there's not much left to share.

Manners seem to go out the window when it comes to food for some people!

Floof: Much to-do about nothing.

But, everything to do about fun.

Pictures!

My projector is acting a donkey and won't play my Charlie Brown dvd,and people have already ticked me off over the candy and treats,but all in all its a hit this year.

If I were you, I would just not put up any decor and see what happens.

Wow, Amy! You definitely do go over the top with decorating, don't you!

I have no idea at all about what you can do about the candy and treats problem. But it does seem like something needs to be done. Maybe next year you could start in September to take up collections from all the employees who help themselves to too many treats? Just ask them for donations to help defray the costs of treats so that all may enjoy them? That in the future they will only be available when you are there to supervise who takes how much? And you will have a ruler handy to slap the hands of anyone helping themselves too often or too generously? I know that takes some of the fun out of everything, but it sounds like the current situation has affected the fun, too.

Good luck with however you decide to handle it!

Rusty

Rusty, the people who ticked me off weren't the moochers this time. It was the charmers. One rambled through the candy bowl until i finally asked "CAN I HELP YOU FIND SOMETHING?!?!?" to which he replied that he was looking for the double kit-kat bars, because of course two singles dont taste the same. He actually asked to come behind the counter and go through my "stash" to find some double kit kats. Yeah, no. GGRRRRRR. Then the other felt the need to interrupt me mid-sentence while i was conducting business with someone else to declare, :HEY! There are only 2 Reese's cups in that bowl!" Sigh. Happens every year. O well.

The bright side is i finally got the projector straightened out, and so my Charlie Brown is playing, which makes me happy.

You really do go over the top with the decorations! Wow!

Amy, I think the above comments show that the workers feel comfortable with you. Outside looking in, I mean I don't know them, it sounds like a fun camaraderie.

I agree with Rusty. If everyone chips in for the candy, then you would not feel an ownership over it.

Maybe eld . However, these were not coworkers at all. They were truck drivers,either bringing stuff in or picking stuff up. Mr. Kit Kat comes in frequently, and is rather obnoxious anyway, and Reeses boy just started coming in there recently,and had no clue that he was talking to the treat provider/decorator.

Again,I don't think I feel ownership over the treats. They are for everybody. I am just amazed at how rude and obnoxious some people can get about something that supposed to be a nice gesture and fun. (How DARE you not make sure that there is more than 1 free Reeses cup!) As for money,I do get contributions. It's usually the same people every year. So far, in my pumpkin pig I've brought in about 30 bucks. I don't get annoyed if people don't contribute and they get a treat or two.I get annoyed when people don't contribute,yet come get enough snacks to live off of. Or I get annoyed at the people who work in that office with me,as i mentioned above. They will nag people to put change in the pig(something I NEVER do. I put the pig by the candy for those that want to put in. I don't ever TELL people to put money in it. ),yet I get nothing from them,and they eat more than anyone.

It's a year round thing though really. The obnoxious entitlement that is.We provide them with free coffee. As a courtesy. They often complain that we only have regular and hazelnut coffeemate,not this or that flavor. They actually think it is a job requirement for us to drop whatever are doing if the coffee pot is empty and make it for them. Someone actually yelled at me that they would have me fired for not "doing my job" and get off the phone with a customer that second and make him some free coffee. Yeah. Good luck with that. You can't be nice to some people. They become rather entitled. I don't get it.

But, I refuse to let the few doofuses dampen my Halloween happiness,especially as I got my Charlie Brown working,and that made my whole month. I can feel it. This is the year that the Great Pumpkin finally shows up.

Great decorations!

Amy, as long as your good feeling out number the bad, then it's fine,

We are all supposed to be adults, supposedly!

Side story: for years I would make goodie bags to pass out on Halloween. We get about 100 kids coming to our door. I did this for two reasons. First because I didn't want kids grabbing fistfuls of candy, and the second is that I didn't want them picking through or making comments about the candy. Kids loved getting the surprise goodie bags. Win/win.

Now that my own DD's have been out of the house for years, and I no longer know any of the kids coming to the door, i decided to stop the goodie bags and just use my cauldron. I tell them to pick two, and there a few kids who try for three. Interesting. I wonder how these kids will be as adult compared to the ones who listen and take the recommended amount?

On the whole the majority are good polite kids. Although two years ago someone stole my miniature light up ghost off my porch. I no longer decorate.

I am convinced there is no solution to the candy issue. Having worked for over 35 years, it has happened forever the way Amylou describes and will likely continue to happen. Same with coffee. You can give it away free all week long, and there will always be those few jerks who feel entitled to more, want a different kind of candy, won’t make (or clean) a pot to save his/her life, and you never have the right sweetener or creamer.

Love your decorations, and I wish I had worked with someone as kindhearted and fun as you. Actually I did a few times, and it was a real pleasure and a heap of fun for everyone.