No box full of treats or vouchers this year. As a Christmas gift, the university will transfer an additional 35 euros to all employees with their December salary. It marks a new chapter in a long tradition of (the absence of) Christmas gifts on the Nijmegen campus.

Flip-flops, bath towels, coffee mugs, cake dishes, fruitcakes, balsamic vinegar, chocolate, Christmas ornaments, napkins, and a bottle of sparkling wine. These are just a selection of items that employees used to find in their Christmas gifts in the past, until the university put an end to the traditional Christmas gifts in 2012.

This year, the university is taking a different approach once again. Every employee will receive an extra 35 euros in December. ‘We consider it important to express our appreciation to everyone who has contributed to Radboud University over the past year,’ a spokesperson explains. ‘Everyone can spend this amount freely on something nice; it could be something sustainable or a donation to a charity.’

In the past two years, Radboud University employees were allowed to choose a so-called Radboud gift during the Christmas period. Options included a book voucher, a voucher for LUX (a cultural centre), or a donation to charity.

Criticism

Things were different in the past. Until 2011, employees received a special voucher that they could exchange in the Refter for a large box, which they then awkwardly maneuvered home on their bikes. However, this did not sit well with everyone; every year, there was criticism because the gift was deemed unsustainable or because the money could be better spent.

From 2012 onwards, a challenging period began for employees who favoured Christmas gifts. It was the year when Rutte II presented its coalition agreement, and significant budget cuts were required. By scrapping the Christmas gift, the Executive Board saved 275,000 euros at that time.

Even then, there were quite a few disappointed reactions. Employees mentioned missing the Christmas gift because it is a ’thank you from the organisation for all the efforts we put in.’

Even years later, employees nostalgically looked back on the Christmas gift. In 2016, philosopher René ten Bos referred to the abolition of the Christmas gift as ‘another tradition being tampered with’ in an opinion piece.

The abolition of the Christmas gift did not mean that employees received nothing during the Christmas period from 2011 onwards. For example, in 2019, all employees received a glass water bottle. However, there were complaints about that too: the glass water bottles, for instance, led to a dangerous shower of shards in the sports center.

Translated by Siri Joustra