There is so much to be thankful for during the holiday season. At UGA Online we are so thankful for our staff, faculty and students. To give something back to those who mean so much to our office, we compiled some members of our office’s favorite holiday traditions and recipes. Check them out below, from our family to yours!

Dee’s perfect holiday night:

Dee loves playing board games with her loved ones and watching Die Hard. She also has the cutest dogs who are always dressed up for the holiday season!

Martha’s Christmas ornaments:

Martha and her family made their own tree ornaments out of balsa wood and miniature characters. She said one of her favorites was a little house that used lights from their tree to look like a fireplace.

Stephen’s advent calendar:

Stephen says every year his family has an advent calendar for their kids to open each night. Every night has candy and some have little notes with an activity for them to do together! Some say “movie night” or “make cocoa” but his favorite is the first night. On December 1st, they all take a jingle bell and run and dance around the house singing Jingle Bells until they all end up laughing.

UGA Online’s favorite recipes from the kitchen:

Chad’s Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

8 ounces pasta

4 Tbsp. butter

¼ cup all purpose flour

2 cups whole milk (heated)

2 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese (separated)

2 ½ cups shredded gouda

2 ½ cups shredded manchego

Directions:

Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain the pasta. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter over medium heat.Whisk in flour and cook, whisking 2 minutes, then whisk in milk. Add 1 tsp. Salt and whisk 8 minutes until thickening. Stir in the cheese. Stir in the pasta and cooking water to make a loose sauce. Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Add pasta mixture and top w/remaining cheddar. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Rachel’s White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened)

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. Salt

1 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the nutter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla. Combine the four, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the nuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

Joe’s Jalapeño Poppers:

Ingredients:

18 jalapeño peppers

¼ tsp. garlic powder

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup mayo

½ tsp. oregano

2 egg whites

1 tbsp. milk

3 cups crushed corn flakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix egg whites and milk. Cut jalapeños in half and remove seeds/membrane. Stori together the garlic powder, cream cheese, cheddar, mayo and oregano. Stuff cheese mixture into halved jalapeños. Dip stuffed jalapeños into the egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.