Happy Holidays. Now GBTW

Expect "not much" to happen after noontime in the cubicle farms. In office parks and skyscrapers all over the map, this afternoon is an opportunity for companies to disappoint and anger their employees with crummy gifts and alcohol-free office parties. Slate magazine asked for entries for their Corporate Scrooge contest, and boy, they got some doozies.

Perhaps the most Dickensian example comes from Scrooge's homeland. One writer nominated his former employer, David Bury Ltd in the Dickensian-sounding town of Grimsby. "During my time with the company as a consumer electronic service engineer, the annual Christmas bonus given to all employees was a bag of potatoes," he writes. Apparently a relative of the boss owned a potato farm.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Years to all you HotHardware Bob Cratchits. Here's hoping you've got a better boss than these Slate contestants. Or you really like potatoes.

Slate's Corporate Scrooge Contest.