So, every year our staff does a Secret Santa draw and then we all go out for dinner. This year we went to this delicious Greek place.
So when everyone had gone, it was down to me and another co-worker, turns out we were each other’s Secret Santa!
We exchanged our presents with one another and around the table everyone watched as we opened our gifts. I was over the moon with my gift!
So over the moon in fact, that I didn’t notice one little thing.
It wasn’t until I heard something scream FIRE all around me that I was alerted to the fact that something was wrong.
Turns out that in my excitement over the hat, I had dropped the tissue from my gift next to one of the decorative candles…and it promptly caught on fire.
I couldn’t understand why everyone was screaming at me and freaking out. It was just tissue paper!
I’d blow out the flames and we’d go back to our chicken souvlaki. Unfortunately my logic didn’t really add up.
As soon as I blew on it – the flames ignited like a forest fire in my hands.
My co-worker later told me that I sat there dumbfounded and just stared at the flames, looking unnaturally calm.Then the fire began to lick my face and burn my fingers and I guess something in my brain said… Hey, this isn’t alright.
It was about that time that the waitress grabbed a bunch of the waters from our table and doused out the flames.
Then it was a moment of unnatural silence as I stared at everyone.
So, the waitress moved us and called me ‘Hot Stuff’ for the rest of the evening and for the rest of the week, my co-workers could not stop mentioning that I shouldn’t be allowed near an open flame. Awesome.
Odd but nice 
You would!!! Have a Merry (safe) Christmas!!!
Hilarious!
Ha! At least you didn’t burn the fedora.
Awesome. Somehow, dinners are never this exciting when I’m involved.
I love this. You will go down in staff party history.
So, so funny. Something like this would totally happen to me. Oh man, I died.
Merry Christmas!
i once set fire to my desk at work — i was trying to be nice, using a candle i’d been given by a coworker for Christmas. my desk. it’s a miracle i wasn’t sacked.
I so did that at the rehearsal dinner for my best friend’s wedding. Tissue from my bridesmaids gift right onto a candle. And the only liquids on the table were alcohol. Luckily, we were still sober enough not to pour alcohol on the fire and one of the groomsmen came to our rescue. I don’t think the groom’s family was particularly amused, though!