You need some Holiday Pranks that are sure to be awesome!?  Yeah,  you’ve got a loud-mouthed coworker, maybe one that’s too uptight planning for the holidays – even a workplace pal that needs a good laugh; never fear – these five pranks will be sure to make your day and that of the victim’s!  Be mindful of those suffering, super angry, not going to enjoy a laugh, and often just kind of emotionally wrecked coworkers – you don’t want to end up escalating the prank proliferation!  Office pranks are a great way to relieve the stress and monotony of working around the holidays!  Let’s get into ’em.

The Mousetrap

Tape the ball/laser tracker under the mouse.  Simple and fun, this is sure to be frustrating to your pranked coworker.  Simply take a piece of tape and place it directly on the tracker underneath the mouse and watch as he or she struggles to figure out why the mouse isn’t working on the computer!  If your coworker is like most, they’ll be under the desk, unplugging and plugging in hardware thinking something’s gone bad!

Greased Lightening Dialing

Grease the phone.  Vaseline works magic when you’re aiming to get at a coworker’s humor bone.  Take a small amount of Vaseline or some type of lubricant that isn’t H2O based and grease the phone.  Your coworker’s phone rings and voila!  Frustration, grease, and laughs all at once – and even more if the phone slips out of their hand! If you want to really get into the holiday spirit, you can use frosting instead after you’re done making cookies!

Did You Save It?

Unplug the computer/workstation, phone line, or something used frequently.  Just unplug and watch as your coworker panics trying to get their final Q4 sales in!  While it may disrupt productivity for five or ten minutes, it will surely make your coworker’s face melt as he or she tries to figure out what the culprit may be – never guessing it was you all along.

Office Mummification

Saran-wrap EVERYTHING!  We know it sounds a little too Halloweeny for the winter holidays, but what’s an April Fool’s/Saturnalia mash-up without some All Hallow’s Eve? When your coworker arrives to the office, watch as his or her face reddens and twists in frustration.  Not only will this person have to untangle everything down to the stapler – but the chair, computer, phone, any office supplies, etc.  This is surely to make you burst at the seams!

You can even use other supplies to wrap their office in a labyrinth of frustration!  The crazier the better.  Wrapping everything in gift wrap will keep your colleagues busy for hours, ripping through paper in anticipation of what office supplies hides behind it.  You could also use post-it notes, tin foil, or even, dare I say, Twizzlers?

What Stinks?

If you’ve seen the sitcom, The Office, you may have already done this; if not, try it out and see what happens.  Fill drawers and spaces with pungent foods – fruitcake, lutefisk, bologna, and other items that aren’t necessarily appreciated as gifts.  Even cans of unopened tuna will be comical when discovered in random places.  Fill your coworker’s world with stinky, useless foods that would otherwise go bad in your refrigerator!

Some of the funniest pranks are the simplest.  They make for easy clean up and cheap laughs that will last for days.  If you have a particularly angry coworker, proceed with caution.  Identify possible food allergies before lacing a meal with something excessive, like hot sauces, peanuts, or salt.  People don’t always appreciate pranks, so don’t be upset if your coworker isn’t laughing – yet.  It may take a couple of days, but you can definitely get a chuckle out of ‘em in time.  As a bonus, you could simply dip all chewed ends of a pen into some really spicy sauce – when your coworker frustratingly chews the cap or end of the pen, they’ll be surprised with a less-than-tasty treat and be reminded of that silly habit he swore he’d stop years ago – and why!

Make sure to take time when pulling any prank to ensure it isn’t a hazard to your coworker’s health – or yours.  Make sure you’re being considerate to others that aren’t a part of the office prank and that you’re not going to get in any serious trouble before attempting.  Try to be mindful of messy pranks, as they may end up costing you some change in clean up. And, most important of all: Pranks are a boost to office morale, but don’t let the distractions nosedive your productivity.

A version of this article was originally published as 5 Office Pranks to Pull on Coworkers by Andrea Cochran on January 2, 2014.