Just a few more weeks and it’s that time of year again, the time of year when your office furniture starts to dread the days. Very few office parties go off without any mishap at all, lightweight desks groan under the weight of too many bottles and the poor old filing cabinet is fed up with being pricked by the needles that fall from the tree – the least they could do is get an artificial one. The poor old office chairs also suffer, often having to support two bodies instead of one when someone gets carried away with the mistletoe. If this is what happens in your office then try to give your office furniture and your furniture budget a bit of a rest.

Small artificial trees don’t make as much mess as real Christmas trees and you won’t still be picking pine needles out of your files at the end of January. Limit the amount of alcohol at this year’s Christmas party, and if there is room bring in an old trestle table to save your office furniture. As for doubling the weight on the office chairs, well you could limit mistletoe to outside the actual office where people have to stand or you could give up the idea of a Christmas party in the office and take off to the local pub instead.