Holiday Fun at Atalie's Office

A little over a year ago, my department at work had a reorganization after my boss (the head of Business & Financial Services units) and his boss (the Vice Chancellor of Administration) both left the University. After a little observation that their replacements might be more modern and progressive, I started testing the waters to see if they minded more festive approaches to the work place, and I encouraged others to do the same. 

Last Halloween I dressed in costume as a little German boy, and while my boss looked like a mix of amused & bemused, he didn't ever hint that it wasn't acceptable. So this year, myself and a few others were emboldened to ask if we could initiate a few activities, thinking the official approval would encourage more staff to participate as well. His blessing totally allowed the creativity and fun to flourish!

During the week of Halloween, entries of an anonymous pumpkin-decorating contest decorated our building's lobby- I felt so happy walking in and seeing it that first morning! People had a few days to submit/review, then we took an online vote and declared the winner, which ended up in a 2-way tie. The two winners pictured above were the McPumpkin Burger, and a carved bobcat face (our mascot) whose teeth spelled "UC Merced." They were all very cute, but below are 2 others I also thought were particularly innovative ways of exhibiting squash!.

I always thought a Viking would be a fun costume, so I spent a few late nights making a shield and a cape out of a ripped jacket and various odds and ends such as a ceramic plate and cardboard. I was told I looked a little like a 'Wildlander' from Game of Thrones as well. Either way, I felt like it turned out pretty well for being homemade/on the cheap.

We set up a 'trick-or-treat' potluck mid-morning as a chance to observe and comment on each other's new looks (I made the oreo spiders above).

I t was bittersweet because we ended up pairing the event as a farewell for my supervisor/friend Jason who was reporting for his last day in BFS before transferring to a different department. But it was awesome seeing a lot of people at work get into it- the whole Accounting department even did a theme and all dressed up as pirates- and since our Open Enrollment Fair was on campus that same day, it gave us a chance to show off our efforts and observe other alter-egos. Unfortunately half or more of the potluck attendees departed before I initiated a group photo, so I didn't get to capture the whole spectrum, but most of my closest coworkers were still around to help preserve the memory.

 During the month of December, more people in our building decorated their cubes and hallway spaces with garland/trees/winter decor than ever had before; they filled an SUV full of gifts for families in need; and the majority of my department's staff opted-in for "Elfing"- sort of like a combination of the Telephone & Secret Santa games. The first participant drew a name of the coworker they'd "elf", which meant they left a little gift or stocking of goodies in the recipient's desk space. That person would then draw a name of the coworker he or she would elf. We finished off the game with a lunchtime potluck, and on our last day of work before the campus closure, some of us celebrated via a pajama day on December 23, expecting it to be quiet, laid back, and hard to focus! That was pretty much the case, and before separating ways for our various vacation plans at 3pm (early release!), a small set of us clinked glasses to cheers the occasion.