Well, tomorrow is my last day of school, we are leaving for the holidays, I have a job interview (for subbing after Xmas), I haven't wrapped a single present, most are unassembled, I haven't packed anything, I have a bunch of maternity clothes that I ordered ready to try on, and what am I doing?
A meme. I am such a dork.
But, Chelee did it, and it looked like fun, and since I've been laid up and haven't been able to do any of the usual holiday shopping, decorating or baking (though the eating of other people's treats I have excelled at), I consider it Christmas therapy. So, here goes.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Neither, too sweet. Cider, but without cinnamon. (I'm allergic.) Pre-baby? Wine.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Santa puts them next to the fireplace. He's busy! He's gotta jump back in that sleigh, and quick!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I love colored, but when some burn out and you buy more they never match. My tree is usually white, while outside is a mix. This year? Doodley squat.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Yep! I'm all for kissing under poisonous plants! What a wonderful tradition!
5. When do you put your decorations up?
The weekend after Thanksgiving. One year I got excited and did it the day after Halloween, but I got really tired of them by Christmas, so I learned my lesson.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
I love to eat, so just about everything, but I really love cranberry sauce. I love the sour stuff.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
One year my uncle Randy dressed up as Santa Claus (though the reindeer were "resting" and he took the SnoCat Snowmobile). He brought me and my cousin Angie big walking dolls, and his sack was a Hefty bag.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I think I figured it out around age 6 or 7, but I didn't let on to my parents. I didn't want to burst their bubble. (I'm thoughtful like that. They still don't know. Ssshhh!!!)
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We open all of them except the Santa gifts Xmas Eve. Both sides of my family do, so maybe it's Norwegian? My husband's family does Xmas Day (with one Xmas Eve). I hate waiting. We haven't decided which we'll do with our kids. He's very adamant about this one, so I don't know if I'll win this time. Maybe we'll switch off from year to year.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Full of lots of ornaments (gifts, mostly--mixture of lots of things), white lights, dark red wooden beads (they look like strung cranberries), and some icicle tinsel (I hate tinsel rope.) I also do a smaller "scrubby pine" with pinecones, straw ornaments from Scandinavia, and bright red wooden beads. Both have white lights.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
I'm a North Dakota girl and I love it! One of my favorite sights is the moonlight on the snow out on the prairie. (Viewed safely from a warm car, of course.) Snow is great: it covers all the ugly dirt, looks clean, and when it is cold, my pores disappear!
12. Can you ice skate?
Very badly, and not often. Last time was high school, I think.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
My Dad coming out of quadruple bypass surgery with flying colors. I also seem to remember loving a doll I got when I was 5 so much that I insisted on sleeping with the box she came in, too. (Not comfortable, by the way.)
14. What's your favorite thing(s) about the holidays?
I love choosing gifts for loved ones, decorating, baking and cooking, and the parties. I love seeing people forget their daily troubles, put on something cute and eat shrimp while smiling, laughing and having fun. I love watching people open gifts and knowing that what I chose was just right. And I love sleeping in!
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Frosted sugar cookies and Scotcheroos.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Xmas Eve, my family would have homemade soups, sandwiches (build your own), relishes, salads, etc. for supper, and sit around and talk for a few hours while listening to Xmas music. Then we'd open presents (snacking in between, of course--you build up an appetite with all that paper ripping). We'd open them one person at a time, which really annoys my husband. We took time to "ooh" and "aah" and take pictures. This would last into the very late hours of the evening. Afterwards, my mom and I would sit up and talk early into the morning. I really miss that.
17. What tops your tree?
An angel. I have two, but one (that my mom gave me) is pink, so I usually put her on a table with some candles and put the white and red one on the tree.
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Giving. Really, I do! I love to shop!
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
I love all the obscure older ones, like the Coventry Carol, the Boar's Head Carol, What Child is This? (not obscure, but it is from the Renaissance.) But, my favorite thing is to listen to Elvis at Xmas. My mom always did, and now Christmas, to me, means Elvis Presley singing "Ah-I'll Ah-Have Ah-a Ah-Bluuuuuuuuuueee Christmas without you..." Dr. B used to think I was crazy, but after a year or two, he got to love it and now insists on Elvis for Christmas. Heh. We have two of his Xmas albums. Also Dean Martin's and the Oak Ridge Boys' Christmas albums. Again, my mom's favorite. Plus, it's my personal tradition to wrap presents to REM's Green. (Not Christmasy at all, but it's what I do.)
20. What is your favorite holiday book?
Huh? I guess I'm too busy eating.
21. Candy canes yuck or yum?
Eh. They don't rock my world, but I don't hate them. I do love that chocolate candy cane bark stuff, with the white and dark chocolate and crushed candy canes. Does that count?
21. What's number one on your Christmas list this year?
A healthy baby, a healthy family, for my cousin and her husband to come home safe and sound from Iraq, and to walk again. For our leaders to work toward peace instead of power. For people to stop being so selfish and try, at least a little, to be good to each other and good to this planet (me included). Oops, that's more than one. Call me greedy.
Happy Hannukah! Merry Christmas! Happy Solstice! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy End-of-2006! Happy New Year!
5 comments:
I love it! After I was done with my list I felt a little bit more in the spirit.
Hope your doing well and have a wonderful holiday.
THis not getting much done for Christmas is just a prelude to how it will be with motherhood.....a bit harder to get everything done with a wee little one to care for. That sort of becomes the center of your life and not a lot of spare time. And by the second or third one starts to look for the fastest and easiest route to pkg wrapping(gift bags) and cookie making (ready made sugar cookies from Sam's club....that really taste just as good as homemade!!) Amazing when you have kids other things become a lower priority. Have a good one....Bobbie
I found your blog through Chelee, who is my sister in law. I had to laugh about your Christmas tradition. My fam. also is from ND and norweign (my mom's side at least, Irish on the other). We too open on Christmas eve and everyone does one at a time and OOOH's and AWE's over them. I LOVE it. There was always one present from Santa on Chrismas morning. It takes forever but is so fun. I alway's thought this was the only way to open presents, to me there is something weird about doing it in the morning in your PJ's...but to each is own! Merry Christmas and best wishes with your pregnancy!
I'm Australian (I was following Mrs B in Paris, and now I'm following this one - love it!), and our Christmas tradition is to open presents Christmas day morning!
But I think I'd like to have the celebrations and opening on Christmas eve; I think being able to have dinner and open presents by the christmas tree lights would make it all even more magical (doesn't quite have the same effect in the daylight)!
...So its always been in my pjs for me! And I guess I knew I was getting older when one year I thought about brushing my hair first before facing everyone on Christmas morning - whereas I'd always just bounded out of bed and got right to it!! hehe!
We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve after church. Even when I still believed in Santa, I was told he had to start delivering on Christmas Eve in order to get everyone their presents by morning. (He delivered ours while we were at church services.) When I asked about my friend a block away who was visited by Santa during the night, there was always some plausible explanation offered! BTW, Congratulations on your new pending family member!!
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