Christmas bonuses have been a thing since the early 1900s, with companies swapping out traditional holiday gifts for cash. Famously, J.P. Morgan & Company once reportedly gave employees an entire year’s salary as a holiday bonus.
These days, the reward is much smaller, and the stakes feel higher. According to data by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only about 12% of private-sector workers received a bonus in 2024, and according to one viral TikTok, some companies now turn the bonus into a game you have to win. In this woman’s case, that game involved a frozen turkey.
Bizarre Bowling Game To Earn A Holiday Bonus
According to TikTok creator @cookiesandorangejuice, one of her former jobs didn’t hand out $100 Christmas bonuses unless employees earned them in a very specific way.
“That time I worked at a place that only gave $100 Christmas bonuses if you rolled a strike with a frozen turkey,” she writes in the video’s caption.
In the clip, which has now pulled in over 3.5 million views, she lines up in what looks like a makeshift bowling lane. Instead of a bowling ball, she grips a frozen turkey. Pins stand at the end. She rolls.
The turkey crashes forward, knocking down all pins but one.
Commenters Are Shocked, Amused, And Kind Of Horrified
A lot of people couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cringe.
“This looks like an episode from The Office,” one person wrote.
“This is something Michael Scott would do,” another echoed.
“A $100 bonus is so insulting,” another said.
“You guys are getting Christmas bonuses?” someone else asked.
“Having the poors play games to get holiday scraps,” another commenter added.
After the initial reactions, the comment section shifts into people sharing their own stories of underwhelming—or downright strange—holiday bonuses.
“My job give us a 10% off coupon,” one person shared.
“I had a job that would split the money from the soda machine into everyone’s bonus, I got $13 one year!” another said.
“We got a $100 ‘turkey’ bonus in the form of a bill in an envelope so it wasn’t taxed,” someone added.
“That’s f—— nuts!!!” another commenter wrote. “I’m blessed to work for a company that gives us a summer bonus that is equivalent to a 40 hour work week at your current pay rate, $100 dollar gift card for thanksgiving dinner, monthly lunches, and a Christmas party that EVERY employee gets a minimum of $500 and some of us that have been here awhile get even more on Christmas.”
@cookiesandorangejuice
Many Americans Will Struggle Financially This Christmas
The backdrop to all of this is a financial reality that keeps tightening for a large part of the country.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 10.5% of Americans lived in poverty in 2024, meaning more than 35.9 million people didn’t have enough income to meet a basic standard of living.
That pressure extends well beyond the poverty line. A recent analysis from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity found that in 2023, the bottom 60% of U.S. households by income fell short of what researchers define as a minimal quality of life.
The researchers point to rising costs cutting deeper into paychecks. Medical premiums climbed 301% between 2001 and 2023, travel expenses rose 170%, and rent jumped 131%. And the estimated cost of raising children, including saving for college, grew by 107%.
BroBible has reached out to @cookiesandorangejuice via TikTok direct messages for additional comment.