The Gift of Cubicle

So… I can admit; I’m not very motivated about contests-- whether it be a Halloween contest for best costume, or any other contest. I’m lazy. I don't want to do any of the work to win.

For example, when it comes to costumes, I have fabulous ideas, but I’m never motivated to actually implement them. Case in point: one year, I dressed up as a shadow… That’s right, I wore all black and attempted to follow people around all evening. (Guess I was really an annoying shadow.) I simply wore this costume because it was e-a-s-y to pull together. (Not my best work, I know.)

And, this past Halloween when my boss challenged us to dress up for Halloween, I knew immediately that I wasn’t going to dress up. Didn’t want to wake up early on Wednesday to pick out odds and ends to try and create something… anything. And, the thing about a good Halloween costume is that you cannot go about it half-heartedly. To really pull a good costume off, you have to include all of the important elements. (If I didn’t have a fur coat, a long fur coat, for Margot Tenenbaum, all of the other elements for the costume would’ve been pointless.) So, rather than wrap myself in toilet paper and go as a Mummy, I just wore my regular clothes to work. (But I did wear my Skeleton socks.)

Recently, my boss gave us another challenge. The challenge: decorate your cubicles (Yes, I live in a cubicle, or cubihell, for 8 hours of the day, just kidding- I truly enjoy my job.) for the holidays. She even tried to bribe us by stating that there would be fabulous prizes. And yet, immediately I thought- uh, nah thanks.

But, as I realized my co-workers had yet to really decorate their cubes, and since my boss seemed sorta bummed that no one was taking her challenge, I started to think… should I decorate… my cubicle…? (My house has yet to be decorated, but I suppose I could decorate the place I spend almost 40 hours a week in. Besides that, what if I won?)

So, I came up with possible concepts.

First up, Candyland. I would have candy canes hanging on streamers, with gum-drop chains, white paper pinned on the walls to look like snow, with gingerbread men cut out of construction paper to put on the walls. And, to top it off-- white lights streamed along the walls to give it a little glow…

But, I quickly realized this would just be too much work.

Then, Jeff suggested that I turn my cubicle into a Gingerbread house… fun, idea huh? But, after thinking about how much work would actually be needed to pull this off, I promptly vetoed that idea.

But, today while walking around JoAnne’s on my lunch break, I had a vision… okay- not really a vision, just an idea… a really-easy-to-decorate-my-cubicle-and-possibly-win idea.

So, I came up with this:

Welcome to my cubicle… it’s a present. A wrapped gift topped with a bow. Inside? A hard-working employee, of course. (Haven't fully thought through the entire concept... but, I'm getting there.)

And, although I went about this half-heartedly, I'm very proud of my gift.

(Though, I secretly hope I win.)

*A special thanks to Allison. Thanks for your help in wrapping my cubicle and for these fine pictures. Also, I apologize to Angie, Allison, and Holly, or any other co-worker, for writing about this work occasion here. I just couldn't help myself.