It’s the time of year when sales reps for various travel vendors bring treats and meals in, and the time of year when some people start to trot out their holiday decorations, and the time of year when people are selling crap for fundraisers.

For example, right now we have one of the most annoying types of salespeople evarrrr in our break room. In order to pump up enthusiasm for his hotels’ breakfast-pizza-and-sales peptalk, he bellows “welcome to the break room! yeah!” and claps his hands enthusiastically EVERY TIME SOMEONE WALKS IN. Also, they’ve got a boom box playing bad disco. This has been going on for half an hour already. Woops, someone just walked in the door. Welcome to the break room! Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap! I can hear him in there – everything he says is in Slightly Off-Key Bellow Mode. Oh. My. God.

Late last week my supervisor, who subscribes to the Wal-Mart theory of holiday decor (lots is good, more is better, excess is excellent) brought in her latest holiday musical novelty plushie. It’s a tabletopper with a snowman, a snowdog, and a highly annoying and long rendition of Jingle Bells – with barking and shaking. She has a large number of these things at home, plus lawn inflatables – yet every year she buys new ones. Why, Lord? Why?

Oh, sorry, must clap. Someone just went into the break room.

And someone else just went into the break room. “Welcome to the Break Room! How are you today??!!” There’s a lot of traffic in and out of there – every single person gets greeted in exactly the same way.

Oh, wait, maybe he’s just an advanced prototype for a holiday sales plushie? That’s probably it.

UPDATE: 12/8/2004 11:30 AM

Yesterday’s sales reps are long gone, today’s sales reps showed up with ONE BOX of bagels for an entire office of ravenous bugblatter travel agent beasts. That’s just not right.

Some more annoying habits around the office, in no particular order:

1. Loud talkers. Dudes and dudettes, I don’t need to hear every detail.
2. Incessant coughing from the office chain smoker. It’s depressing.
3. Whining when callers have been rude or the computer glitches. Again.
4. People who sell crap for fundraisers (I’m guilty of this one!).
5. Compulsive greeters: “(Name), how ya doin? (othername), what’s up?”
6. Chunky, pale shorts wearers in December who insist “It’s 50 degrees!!”
7. People who use speakerphone, on either end of the conversation.