Thanks everyone! I feel better hearing that others would have loved to get fancy chocolates and that it might have gotten stolen, if it hadn't been the very last gift opened.

Leejosepho - thanks for pointing out that it would have been stolen, if only it had been opened earlier! And, I wish we had more chocolate lovers there! Maybe I would have ended up with some interesting chocolates to take home too...

Molinit - thanks. Yeah, it was hurtful of them to say that... I don't know what I could have done to make it obvious that this wasn't just a cheap box of chocolates (as they seemed to think). It seems like everyone thought the chocolates were just... cheap, but they weren't. Maybe this group just doesn't understand nicer, more expensive chocolates. (They weren't crazy expensive, but they were within the price range specified.)

I get the feeling people were happier with gifts that came in BIG boxes. If I go again next year, I may just buy a ton of cheap alcohol... I bet they'd be thrilled with 4 bottles of cheap wine, since everyone seemed excited by the alcohol.

I hope that I didn't hurt anyone's feelings when I gave away parts of my gift. I tried to make it clear that I thought it was cute and a neat idea, but since I don't drink, things like wine charms aren't going to get used in my house (I also don't entertain much, and don't own wine glasses).

Seesaw - Thanks, and I'm actually really happy to hear that you get along with your co-workers and are looking forward to the party! It makes me feel glad for you . I like my small team, but this was a bigger group, with a lot of people that I don't know that well - so that's a little awkward. I hope your party IS fun! (Ooh, yeah, and the diet thing during the holidays is really hard!)

ClosertotheMid - Oh, wow! The meat thing make me chuckle a little, but I used to be a vegetarian, and I would have had a hard time figuring out to do with a basket of meat. Yikes. It probably would have gone straight to a delighted co-worker. Good luck... I hope any get-togethers that they do aren't too awful!

Prefabsprout - Aww, thank you! I think there might be quite a few of us in the "OMG Please no!" camp... but the people who love parties don't really get it. One woman that I work with wants to do MORE parties and events and general group STUFF, so that we can "get to know each other". Oyyyy... I told her, I'm happy to chat with her between meetings or when we bump into each other in the office, and those are MUCH better ways to get to know me than forcing me to try to be social in a crowded, loud environment, where I'm not at my best!

Yzen - thanks! You're lucky that your current job isn't do the gift exchange thing. I think it ends up kind of being a waste of money. A few people seem to get things that they like and can use, but a lot of it is very "jokey", which just seems like a waste to me. Maybe I'm just not super "fun". Your book is a case in point - now, it's probably just more clutter for you to deal with at home. Even though it might not have been a terrible idea for a gift, it's hard when you're buying for random people to get things that people will enjoy.

Thanks. Hope everyone is otherwise surviving the impending holidays!