jno - //I hate to say Boris was right about anything, but he was right to claim it as a work expense and so was this woman. It's not a scandal at all, for either of them. //
I can see your point in terms of the letter of the law, but in terms of personal morality, the argument does not fly.
The only way a receipt is sent in for an expenses claim is if the recipient puts it there. Why not say to yourself, I am not going to claim for this wreath because it is a personal gesture, so I'll throw away the receipt, as I am not going to need it.
Either that, or get your office to order the wreath as an office expense, if you are happy with the morality of that point - they may be, I would not personally.
When I go and see bands, some venues have a charity box and 'guest list' attendees are asked to put a donation in, since they have had their ticket for free. I drop money in, and never think about it.
If I claimed my donation from the magazine with my expenses, and that became public knowledge, then I would rightly be pilloried, because I had made the conscious decision to claim back an expense which I undertake to carry, because it is the right thing to do.