12 Days of Christmas Fun at Work

Christmas was a little different this year at work. We decided to change it up a little when someone had the idea of doing a 12 Days of Christmas activity instead of giving gifts. This 12 Days of Christmas turned out to be so much fun; I think this will be our new work tradition. All of these ideas can be used for your own family Christmases as well.

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There were 13 of us who wanted to do this, so one day was doubled – which was completely fine. We all drew dates to determine who treated everyone on which days. The intent was to take the pressure off of finding gifts for everyone and just bring a treat for the office. It could be as simple or as elaborate as you wanted it to be.

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We had a few rules:

• Do not bring extra gifts in addition to your treat – the treat is your gift.
• Bring one Christmas card on your day for everyone to enjoy.
• Do not make an entire meal. This is simply a nice treat to enjoy.
• Have fun!

As you see the pictures, you will notice that not everyone followed the rules. Some went a little overboard, but we definitely enjoyed them! The pictures do not do them justice. I ended up having to go back and crop some of them because student names were in the background of some of the pictures.

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12 Days of Christmas Fun at Work

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Day 1

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What a way to start off this activity – A dessert charcuterie board! Meredith shared cookies, candy, and all sorts of sweet things! Look at all of the delicious variety! We definitely had a sugar high to help us through the day.

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Day 2

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Tonya made this amazing dessert called “Death by Chocolate Trifle!” It was delicious! It was sweet and chocolatey, but not too rich. Here is the link for this recipe.

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Day 3

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Next, Emily made Sausage Balls and Cake Balls. We had savory and sweet all day – Delicious!

Click here to see the Red Velvet Cake Balls recipe.

Here is what she used for the Sausage Balls:

• 2 Cups of Bisquick
• 2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Lb. of Breakfast Sausage (She used the hot.)

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together and roll into balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

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Day 4

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We had two special treats on this day. Amy brought homemade cinnamon rolls with a side of Egg Nog. Her daughter made them with her special recipe, and they were wonderful.

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Justina brought something called Samosas. I had never had them before, but I will have them again. She got them at Costco, so that is doable. They were so crispy – like Indian Cuisine empanadas. They also had a delicious cilantro sauce with them.

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Day 5

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We got to have a sweet and savory charcuterie “grazing table” on this day. You could say that Mel did not follow the rules since she bought us all our own individual charcuterie board! I like to justify it though by saying she bought those instead of disposable plates. It was all wonderful! I wish you could see the whole picture. It was amazing!

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Day 6

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We got to have variety on this day. Angie supplied us with cheese, meat, crackers, candy, and popcorn! It was all so tasty and filling!

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Day 7

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We had a special taste of the border on this day. Rachel shared amazing stuffed jalapenos and two (sweet) warm drinks that most of us had never even heard of before that day. It was all good, but I could have eaten all of the jalapenos by myself.

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Champurrado (Chocolate Cornmeal Drink)

3 c water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp nutmeg
¼ c Maseca 
2 c whole milk
½ tablet of Abuelita chocolate
1 tsp salt
½ cup ground Pilioncillo 

Bring water, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove cinnamon. Return liquid to a simmer and slowly whisk in Maseca until completely dissolved. Add milk, Pilioncillo, chocolate, and salt.

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Stuffed Jalapenos

1 lb. of jalapenos
1 pkg. bacon; chopped small
1 pkg. cream cheese

Cut jalapenos in half longways and deseed. Chop bacon into small pieces and brown in skillet. Drain when done on a paper towel. In a mixer, mix cream cheese and bacon until combined. Fill jalapenos with mixture and bake at 400 degrees until cream cheese is golden brown and jalapenos are soft. 

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Day 8

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Catherine has had a gnome theme going on in her office this year, and it carried over to her treats. She had homemade ice cream with toppings and two different gnome treats that were adorable! They tasted great too!

Check out the directions for her Gnome Cookie Cups by clicking here.

Here is the link for her Ice Cream Cone Gnomes.

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Day 9

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This was my day, and I chose a Grinch theme. The main treat was a Mint White Hot Chocolate with the trimmings and some cookies to add to the green theme.

Mint White Hot Chocolate

1 Cup White Mint Wafers
1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 Cups Half & Half
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 Teaspoon of Peppermint Extract (Optional) – I did not add this.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the white mint wafers and heavy cream. Stir continuously until the wafers have completely melted. Stir in the half & half and vanilla. Stir occasionally until heated through.

You can put it in a crock pot at this point to keep warm. It is just the right amount of mint – not too strong.

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Day 10

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Tina clearly did not get a copy of the rules. LOL! She honestly didn’t. We ate all day long! Part One was breakfast from Chick-Fil-A with all kinds of extras – YUM! Part Two was lunch – sub sandwiches with desserts included. Both parts had a gift for each of us. Can you see the waistlines growing?

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Day 11

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Suan fed us wonderful meat and cheese trays along with pita chips and different types of hummus. It was all great, but the olives!!! I need to find out where they came from. They were the best ever!

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Day 12

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Stephanie had the last day, and we knew it would be spectacular. She also did not follow the rules, but we loved it! She created a group so we could all order our lunch from Panera. We all had a delicious lunch, and she also gave us gifts.

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Besides the fact that we all probably gained a little weight in the last 12 days, it was a lot of fun. In fact, I had an emergency dental appointment one morning and was afraid I was going to miss out on the festivities. We changed up our Christmas at work, and we all loved it. I am already thinking about my plans for next year. We definitely had 12 days of Christmas fun at work!

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If you are looking for other ideas and haven’t seen the post about our family’s pajama party, click here. It was also a lot of fun. There is an easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe on that post.

I also shared a fun party idea with the Favorite Things Party a friend of mine hosted. If you haven’t seen that post, click here to read it.

I would love to have you join me each week as I post regarding faith, family, and food. If you would like to join with me, sign up below, and get 5 super easy candy recipes. They are great for the Christmas season!

Related Post

How to Have the Best Family Christmas Movie Night
110 Simple Things to Do to Get Ready and Prepare for Christmas

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What kind of parties or activities have you experienced this year? Please share in the comments.

Have a Grace & Joy-filled day!

Susan

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“When I am filled with cares, Your comfort brings me joy.” Psalms 94:19