Tag: theoffice

Posted in Party Planning Committee, The Office

Office Christmas Cookie Exchange

Posted on by Nathan Westerberg

Good morning everyone and welcome to a special post from the Breakroom Breakdown Party Planning Committee! One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the food, especially the Christmas cookies! Each year I bake batches (more and more each year) of various cookies that I give out as presents. And, of course, snack on all of the rest for the rest of the year and this year is no different. Technically I suppose it is different in that my husband will be baking them with me. And to be clear this was not me twisting his arm (I prefer to have the kitchen to myself) but he was insistent on baking with me this year so I am looking forward to it!

I have a few that I like to do every year and then I like to try out new recipes to see if I should include them and since I cannot personally bake you all cookies, I wanted to share my recipes this year. All found online, although I tend to play around with flavors like throwing in extra cinnamon. I am not affiliated with any of these websites, but am using their recipes so it is important I give them the credit. I hope you enjoy, tell me how liked them as well as share your own favorites!

A stack of red velvet crinkle cookies dusted with powdered sugar, with a bite taken out of the top cookie, placed on a wire rack. In the background, there is a blurred bottle of milk.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
https://bromabakery.com/red-velvet-crinkle-cookies/

I have been doing one for several years now and they are a favorite. My husband loves red velvet cake which is where I got inspired to find this one. They are pretty simple and what I love is how easy that crinkle effect is. By rolling them in a sugars before you bake, they crackle as they bake, and taste just like red velvet cake.


A close-up view of golden-brown crinkle cookies arranged in a circular pattern on a plate, showcasing their cracked surface texture and sugared tops.

Sugar Cookies
https://handletheheat.com/soft-chewy-sugar-cookies/

Everyone has their go-to sugar cookie recipe and this has become mine. Super soft and chewy (I am not a crunchy cookie person). I found this recipe one night we were snackish and haven’t looked back. While not inherently Christmasy, they remind me of snow balls so I think they work just fine.

A festive display of Christmas-themed cookies in green, red, and white, featuring tree, flower, and star shapes, set against a pink background.

Spritz
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-spritz-cookies/aa68df04-bd64-4f1b-8421-0df82064bca4

Not much is more Christmas than a spritz cookie and you cannot go wrong with Betty Crocker’s recipe. One of all time favorites, I only do them at Christmas because I will admit that although simple, I never have luck with the spritz gun. They get stuck and come out deformed and I tend to curse like a sailor the whole time. Are they worth it? I do them every year for a reason, plus you get a variety of shapes and colors to use.


A close-up of oatmeal cookies topped with white icing and scattered cranberries, arranged on a pink hexagonal plate, with decorative gold ornaments in the background.

Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookie
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a62611559/cranberry-orange-oatmeal-cookies-recipe/

I was drawn to this as similar to a biscotti I did last year, but this will be my first time making them. I love chewy oatmeal cookies but detest raison in mine. Normally I throw in butterscotch chips (Oatmeal Scotchies) but this has a holiday feel to them so I am excited to test these bad boys out!


A close-up of several ginger molasses cookies arranged in a row, showcasing their crinkled surface and sugary texture.

Molasses Cookie
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-molasses-cookies/

Rather than Gingerbread Men (which like to fall apart) why not do a simple, molasses cookie? Gives you the flavor, simple, and super chewy. Molasses is not necessarily everyone’s favorite flavor so do keep that in mind that it can be an acquired taste.


Baked peanut butter cookies topped with chocolate kisses, resting on a cooling rack.

Peanut Butter Blossom
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/classic-peanut-butter-blossom-cookies/a3563f6e-96b0-443f-ae0a-53cef4be6db6

This is a very classic cookie that many of us grew up with. I personally have not made them but my husband really wanted us to do them this year. We are playing around with it in that instead of only kisses, I got other candies (like mini Reese’s cups) to put on top. Again, this is a very simple cookie because sometimes the easy ones are the best.



And that is my Christmas Cookie list this year! Six might not sound like a lot but I will be making more than one batch of each so it does end up being a lot.

Like I said, tell me some of your own! If I see a good one I might try to make it this week, or I’ll have something ready for next year.

I hope you all have a great holiday this week spending time with loved ones and I Iook forward to seeing you all after the holidays right here in the Breakroom.

Posted in Business Article, Coffee Break, Opinion

Woke or Just Sans Serif? Is Your Font a DEI Hire?

Posted on by Nathan Westerberg

Good morning everyone and welcome back to Breakroom Breakdown! Now, there is a topic I have been wanting to discuss for a very long time and that is how to decide what font to use in your documents, emails, etc… I’ve been waiting for inspiration to strike me, but never in a million years could I have predicted it coming up due to a font being considered “too woke.1“

You read that right, the break news from the United States State Department is that their current font being used (Calibri) was started during the Biden Administration for “woke reasons” and they will be reverting to the previously used Times New Roman. For the record, Times New Roman was the primary font used from 2004 until 2023, which is likely also why this was the favorite required by most high school teachers. It was in 2023 that the decision was made to switch to Calibri, which has been the fault in Microsoft tools since 2007. The reason for the switch? Wokeness at its worse. The decision was to shift to a sans serif font to make it easier to read, in particular by those with impaired vision or reading disabilities like dyslexia. It is for those reason that the Americans with Disability Act requires the use of sans serif fonts on signs and similar postings. So we can thank Marco Rubio for making this decision to help squash out the silly woke notion of making it easier for people to read.

To help clear up the terminology for those who are unaware of the anatomy of font (which is fascinating, by the way) sans serifs simply means “no serifs.” Serif is defined as the small lines and flourishes on certain fonts as a means of guiding eyes while reading it. In particular, serif fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond) are ideal for use in print such as news papers and books. While they tend to work well there, on a screen they can blend together and make it more difficult to read. In particular for those with certain disabilities, which is why they opt for fonts known as sans serif (Calibri, Helvetica). If you have not noticed, I have opted to switch to a sans serif font (known as “Open Sans” here in WordPress). Is it different? Yes. Is it that big of a deal if by doing this I have now made it easier for people? Call me woke, but heck no.

If you view below, you can see a side-by-side comparison of the fonts in question being used at the State Department (courtesy of NPR)2:

Comparison of the fonts Calibri and Times New Roman, with dates indicating the years 2023 and 2025. Calibri appears on the left side for 2023, and Times New Roman on the right side for 2025.
Source: NPR

While I realistically can see they are different, the truth is at the end of the day I do not see them as so different that it truly matters. I must argue that Marco “Little Marco” Rubio is not truly accomplishing anything aside from continuing his assault on anything that can be considered “DEI.” But even this should be considered scraping the bottom of the barrel in an attempt to go against a font that he does not like, especially as I refuse to believe he types up any document himself. But it did bring up a good topic of how, what fonts are good choices to use in a professional capacity? Maybe we can help Little Marco come up with a suitable replacement instead of Times New Roman (which is tad bourgeois in my opinion).

Reviewing a few different sources, I keep running into the same details so evidently this is has been long thought out. First, it is evidently not uncommon to use two different fonts in certain forms of writing. It is often that you might use a decorative font for headers and then a simpler one for the body with Times New Roman and Arial being a pretty common example. It is also worth nothing that in addition to your font, you will also want to consider your primary size (the State Department was 14 to go along with their Times New Roman) and this is because the readability of efficiency of a font can be heavily impacted based on the size being used. As we will all remember from school, Size 12 was our go-to for documents but we are certainly free to up it a little bit.

Further, the type of font really should be impacted based on what it is being used for. Serif fonts like Times New Roman or Georgia are great for being printed out and read. But it is common for them to be a strain on your eyes for long reading on screens, in which case sans serifs should be considered3.

Besides readability, we also have other considerations often associated with certain fonts. Our serifs are so popular because they offer an older feel, as they are meant to be reminiscent of a type writer and so they have distinguished feel. Sans serifs, however, are designed to give us a cleaner and more modern feel. Interestingly, despite meant to feel modern they are also meant to also look more like handwritten script since most people do not have serifs on their handwriting4.

At the end of the day, the font you choose has a lot to do with the specific branding you want your choice to relay (you might not want to choose Wingdings) but it also has to do with how the font is being used. In Rubio’s case, he is changing the font used in the correspondence used by the State Department. Given that this is going to include both print and digital, it does make sense to try to stick to one font between both. And given that I will wager the majority of the correspondence will be digital, I would argue that a screen-friendly sans serif would make the most sense and that his argument about the font being “woke” simply does not hold water. As multiple sites have confirmed, a sans serif like Calibri is the preferred method for screens to the point that Microsoft fully switched over to it almost two decades ago.

As a friendly reminder to my readers who might be unaware, to be woke is actually a compliment. It refers to someone being mindful and knowledgeable of certain injustices and making the conscious decision to not ignore it. So I am going formally recommend to all of my readers, lets go woke and push for the use of sans serif fonts in the future. We might not be able to end the social injustice in this country, but we can certainly scare them off when they see the terrifying lack of serifs on our typography.

Please give us a shoutout if you have been inspired to go woke and limit your serif use online. Further, I have been very inspired to learn more about fonts and would love to hear from typography nerds out there. Drop some cool fonts and facts for us all to read going into this weekend.

As always, I’ll see you round the Breakroom.

  1. Lee, M. (2025, December 11). Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman. AP News. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from https://apnews.com/article/rubio-state-department-fonts-calibri-times-new-roman-1fcdc92f8229efd515fe44ae9ca16137 ↩︎
  2. Treisman, R. (2025, December 11). The State Department reinstates an old font, in a typeface about-face. NPR. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from https://www.npr.org/2025/12/11/nx-s1-5640715/state-department-font-times-new-roman-calibri ↩︎
  3. (2024, December 19). Best Professional Email Font: Ultimate Guide. Publicate. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from https://publicate.it/blog/professional-email-font ↩︎
  4. (2024, August 27). Different Types of Fonts And How to Choose One. Microsoft. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-life-hacks/presentations/different-types-of-fonts-and-how-to-choose-one ↩︎
Posted in Opinion

Black Friday: How is it still hanging in there?

Posted on by Nathan Westerberg

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving filled with loved ones and way too much food. And if you hosted like I did, plenty of leftovers to last you through the weekend. Now not only is today Friday, it is the most American of all holidays: Black Friday. Every year I really do have to ask the same the question: how is this still a thing?

Growing up I do have some pretty early memories of the relevance of Black Friday. My family would bring several news papers to Thanksgiving dinner and everyone would go through and start to pick out what we wanted for Christmas because this would be the best time because those products would be on sale. And as far back as I can remember, this was simply part of Thanksgiving and I know plenty of others who have the same memories. I never actually went shopping then, and my first official time doing Black Friday shopping wasn’t until I was in college. I will admit to doing it wrong compared to other people because I didn’t wait in line before open, I didn’t go crazy, I really didn’t even have a list.

But Black Friday truly was a full American institution that people across the country would partake part in, going back as far as the 1950s. Although, I believe it wasn’t until closer to the 1980s that it truly became more of a national event. And we have seen the pictures and videos on the news, plus seen them recreated in television and cinema. People would camp out days in advance for certain deals (usually electronics), people would push and force their way through the stores, and we have even seen people get damaged during these instances. For those who have never seen these videos, feel free to look up videos of sharks reacting to chum in the water and it is the same concept (but you get to watch sharks). But these days have long gone and as far as I know, people do not get quite as worked up over Black Friday. The true “magic” of Black Friday was disappearing perhaps even as much as twenty years ago, but then Covid Pandemic truly was the final nail in the coffin. Since then, we see Black Friday has truly expanded beyond just Friday. We get Cyber Monday, some stores were opening on Thursday for a few years, and plenty of websites start offering Black Friday sales a week in advance. In store, I couldn’t tell you if it is even worth it anymore because not only do I not go out I haven’t heard of anyone else I know talking about it. If I am being honest, most sales do not truly sound that great anyways and are likely on par with similar discounts offered throughout the year.

Now I have gone through all of this, and for those of you who grew up with these memories are likely nodding your head with everything I am saying because you have seen all of this happen. So we should both be able to agree that Black Friday popularity and revenue would have declined over the years, correct? Wrong, somehow we are both wrong. According to DemandSage, not only has spending over Black Friday continued to increase over the years but they are forecasting $11.7 billion in sales this year1.

I am as surprised as anyone as I would have bet money that the pandemic would seen Black Friday die out but here we are stronger than ever before. So how is this possible? Well I believe that lies with a couple reasons I previously mentioned. It is true we no longer see people camping outside of stores or breaking noses to get the last toy. Plenty of people still go to the stores, but it sounds like they are more looking to take advantages of perhaps slightly above average discounted prices to save money. So I believe it isn’t so much about getting so much money off the new television, it is focused on general Christmas gifts or personal shopping. But the biggest winner would be online shopping. As I mentioned, websites and stores have their discounts up earlier and longer than ever before which means people do not need to go to a brick-and-mortar location if they want to take part in the deals. And I do believe it is that a lot of people are no much focusing on big ticket purchases, but more focused on what are their personal favorite items that go on sale. They might have an Amazon list going all year that they are now watching to see what hits discounts. Or if you are like me, you have some personal favorite websites or brands that you pop in on to see if they have discounts on products that you would normally buy no matter way but can stock up cheaper. With the introduction of online shopping (which reviewing DemandSage, accounts for more than half of 2024’s Black Friday shopping) it means we can find more discounts, access it from anywhere, and be able to pick and choose the stores and products we are interested in. The current economic climate is always a questionable factor as well because if people are worried about money they typically do less shopping. But in this case it is the reverse because they are seeing it as a chance to save money, meaning it is the wise thing to do.

So my Breakdown of why I think Black Friday should have died out might not really offer anything new, but I hope it did point some factors out to those readers who are like me. Black Friday is an interesting phenomenon and it is interesting to evaluate what continues to fuel it each year. And if you like to shop it, then by all means go for it! As I mentioned, rather than hunting for big, fancy deals I was more focused on finding items I had added to my wish list earlier this year. But I have already made purchases on products I would have bought anyways but now I get a discount. For those who want to rail against the capitalist machine, I suggest focusing on local shops! Pop into small businesses in your town or even look up smaller stores in general that offer online shopping so that way you can support them over the big corporations that do not need more money.

I hope you all enjoy those Thanksgiving leftovers this weekend, while it is still the shopping season feel free to drop a comment with your favorite Black Friday shop this year so we can get a chance to share in the deals. Until next week, I’ll see you around the Breakroom (likely with pie).

  1. Kumar, N. (2025, November 6). 19 Black Friday Sales Statistics (2025) – Forecast & Trends. DemandSage. Retrieved November 25, 2025, from https://www.demandsage.com/black-friday-statistics/ ↩︎
Posted in Party Planning Committee, The Office

An Office Thanksgiving

Posted on by Nathan Westerberg

Good morning everyone and welcome back to the Breakroom. The big topic at hand this week is the impending holiday this next week, Thanksgiving Day! While it may not have the same level of decor and festivities as Christmas or Halloween, many offices still see this holiday come up in a myriad of ways. I am here to help navigate through the often murky etiquette and protocols that go into them.

Food Drive
Perhaps one of my favorite events that some offices do is holding a food drive, with those items then being donated to a local shelter. The question comes down to what to donate, as some people have issues with this topic. Some of you may be aware that Dunder Mifflin once tried to host one, and that clip can be found here. The main issue they came across was the donated some pretty terrible items including a dented can of water chestnuts, expired beans, racket balls, and something called “brown.” Darryl and Toby were so appalled they decided to force everyone to eat these disgusting contributions. The goal of a food drive is to provide food for those in need, not for you to clear your pantries of old and disgusting food.

So what should you donate? The best recommendation is simply go to the website of the shelter you wish to donate to (or call them) and they will typically have a list of things that can be donated as well as things they are in need of. Non-perishable is key so typically items that are canned but they will sometimes accepted things that are bagged and boxed. According to Feeding America1, their most common items are:
Peanut butter
Canned soup
Canned fruit
Canned vegetables
Canned stew
Canned fish
Canned beans
Pasta (most prefer whole grain)
Rice (most prefer brown rice)

Again, it does not hurt to specifically check with the organization you are donating to. But there are other ways you can give back. Besides physical items, most organizations will accept money donations so you can organization a fundraiser and donate the proceeds. You can also look into local shelters, churches, and similar organizations that might be hosting Thanksgiving meals for those in need and could use food donations to serve as well as volunteers to assist with the event. It is worth mentioning that we should be striving to give back more than once a year so perhaps this holiday event will urge your office to do this throughout the year.

Holiday Potluck
After a food drive or fundraiser, the other common occurrence is you might do an office potluck and if you are new to these, it is smart to be prepared. It is worth mentioning that these tips can certainly help with even a friends and family potluck-style event.

The key to a successful potluck is the organization of the event. The date and time needs to be made clear so everyone can coordinate around and if it changes, make that known to everyone. Next is the potluck menu which should involve a shared document that people can sign up with what their dish is going to be. This is done so people know what is already being brought and reduces the likelihood you end up with three potato salads, five pies, and several trays of deviled eggs. Some might have a rule that you must bring something to take part in the event but none of the ones I have been to have had that. Not everyone might have the time and resources to contribute and many people are like myself who tend to bring more than enough. I will mention that one rule people should stick to is if you put yourself down for something, you should stick to it. I have seen people who say they will bring on thing but change their mind and end up bringing something that someone else did and it throws of the menu. And please know that it is perfectly okay to buy something instead of cooking if you are not much of a chef. Cookies, salads, beverages, frozen appetizers; these are all great and no one will judge you for not cooking.

A few things to keep in mind, however. If you have a dish that needs to be frozen/refrigerated or kept warm, take that into consideration. Do some recon ahead of time to ensure there is a place that you can store your cold food and you will like need a crockpot if you are doing a hot meal. Another important one is I feel it is good to talk about dietary restrictions, especially allergens. I know people who cannot eat gluten and despite knowing the people for over a decade, no one bothers to try to cater to such allergens. Another big one might be someone who doesn’t eat meat, it is not hard to help cater to such restrictions to ensure everyone can enjoy a proper meal. I cook a meal every week that is gluten free and no meat for people so I can assure you, it is not that difficult.

So you are taking part in a potluck meal and want to whip something up but you have no idea what you an do, I am here with some good recommendations. I am including some recipes for the foods, some I have tried and some I have not, these are meant to give you a starting point.

Barbecue Meatballs
I have done these for a number of events because they are easy to make ahead of time and then just store in a crockpot. They also make create leftovers and can be eaten at any meal, I have even done them for a brunch. Basically you take your favorite meatballs and then get them into your favorite barbecue sauce, easy! My tips include using saltine crackers instead of breadcrumbs in your meatballs, and then I use Sweet Ray’s barbecue sauce but I like to spice it up with some cayenne pepper. I very much appreciate the sweet and spicy combination.

Sweet Potato Chili
Have not done this but it sounds great. Sweet potatoes of any form are a staple at Thanksgiving and by turning them into a chili we have a fun and tasty vegetarian option. Don’t forget to grab some toppings to go along with it!

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
My preferred method of sweet potatoes is mashed. Here is a nice starting recipe, but I will be honest that I throw mine all together. Additionally, I make mine extra sweeet with brown sugar, cinnamon, and topped with marshmallows. Needless to say it’s my husband’s favorite side at the holiday.

Charcuterie Board
Sometimes rather than cooking you an just organize! We all know plenty of people who load up on the pre-dinner snacks so while not get out a board of cheeses, meats, crackers, and vegetables for those snackers.

Pumpkin Pie
You can never go wrong with pie and pumpkin pie is one of the easiest to whip up and can be made a couple days in advance. Here is a standard recipe but almost any can of pumpkin puree will have a recipe as well so no worries. Tip: it is no big deal if you use a store-bought crust. Pie crust is notoriously tricky (no matter what Martha Stewart says) so if you use a crust from the store, you are fine. I recently found gluten-free version that I will be using and because of it, I feel more keen on making my pies extra pretty since the crust is already done.

Stuffing/Dressing
Along with mashed potatoes and gravy, the dressing is my favorite part of a turkey dinner. The difference between stuffing and dressing is stuffing has been inside the bird and dressing is made on its own in a dish. Dressing is the way to go, allows the bird to fully cook and it develops a slight crisp. Use your favorite recipe (this link is close to mine) but the key is that you want to let your bread to sit out a couple days so it gets very dry to soak up the flavors. And it has to be warm so I will say if you cannot use a crockpot or something to get it hot for serving, you can skip it. And I will go to the mat on this one, boxed items like Stouffer’s stuffing are terrible and you should stay away from them. Same goes for instant potatoes, they are not worth it so stay away!

And this, my friends and colleagues, are my hot tips for Thanksgiving in the office this year! I will say that I love being able to talk about food, cooking, and I would say I love talking about planning an event but it is more deciding what it will be. I never feel more seen than watching Angela having to deal with the people assigned to help her in the Party Planning Committee.

Have more tips, please share with us and our readers! Have questions or maybe need some Party Planning or cooking advice, let me know! Email me, message me on Facebook or Instagram or simply comment away and I will be all too happy to help you however I can!

I wish you all good luck this Thanksgiving and as always, I’ll see you around the Breakroom.

  1. Morello, P. (2020, January 14). What to donate to a food bank and what to avoid. Feeding America. Retrieved November 20, 2025, from https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-blog/what-donate-food-bank-and-what-avoid ↩︎