‘Tis the season of… back to back holidays! I always forget how close together Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are until the kids are asking when it’s time to put up the Christmas tree and I they haven’t even finished their Halloween candy. You’ve already seen how LockNet celebrates Halloween and Thanksgiving, but the Christmas holidays are a true affair with the LockNet crowd!

We kick off the holiday season with a game of Secret Santa; the thrill of sneaking a gift onto your cubicle-neighbor’s desk while they’re in the bathroom is priceless! We kicked off the exchange on Monday – the rules are simple:We’ve been at this long enough to know EXACTLY how to execute a flawless Secret Santa exchange. This was just day one:

Candy is an integral part of proper Secret Santa gifting.

Brownie points for actually baking. (I couldn’t resist)

What’s your favorite drink?! Starbucks? A locally brewed IPA? At least one LockNet employee will have you covered.

Maybe you’re more of a traditionalist? No worries, we can make Coke interesting too.

Always remember, you made a commitment to surprise your SS – even if you’re out of the office for a couple of days.

So how do you reveal yourself? At the Christmas luncheon of course! This year, we traded in our boughs of holly for googly eyes and a glue gun year at the annual LockNet employee holiday party. Inspired by Monster’s University, we held a “Christmas with the Monsters” party, a bit untraditional I’ll admit, but once you see the fun that was had maybe you’ll reconsider your holiday theme next year!Who says you have to have a red and green holiday party?!

Good food and good conversation makes for a good day!

No good holiday party stands a chance without a handful of gifts.

LockNet employees lighten things up with fun Christmas wear.

I’d be cheesing that big if I was in my pjs on a Wednesday afternoon too.

Maybe we’re competitive; we seem to make a contest out of everything. LockNet employees determined their favorite Christmas outfit with a spur of the moment “Applause-o-Meter”

David Caldwell took home the Visa gift card for his festive wear.

We may not be sticklers of other people’s traditions, but we stand by our own. LockNet tradition dictates a departmental competition of teamwork, ingenuity, and construction. This year’s competition was nothing if not entertaining, each of LockNet’s nine departments put their heads together to craft a “Christmas Monster” no larger than 2’x2′. The results are beyond creative (and hilarious).

AccountingThe Nationwide Repair & Support Department’s Monster Architectural Door & Hardware Solutions’ “Twerkinator 300”The Sales & Marketing MonsterElectromechanical SolutionsThe Production TeamShipping

Who do you think won? See if your right:The production team won over the judges with their creativity. Their monster surreptitiously hid inside this cleverly wrapped present, but the fun began when you open the lid. Think of it as a “Franken-Santa” – a mashup of each of the nine (a couple of the team members were impossible to track down for this photo) members facial features combined into a monster unlike any other! Congratulations guys, enjoy your gift cards!

We love stepping outside the box at every opportunity. How do you celebrate the holidays at your office? Do you have any special traditions or events? Send us your pictures or leave a comment, maybe you’ll inspire our next contest! Happy Holidays!