Christmas Fun

1. Egg Nog or hot chocolate?

I would much rather have egg nog, especially if it has a shot (or 2!) of spiced rum in it. But this holiday season I'd probably go with hot chocolate as it's somewhat healthier.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree?

Gifts from Santa are always wrapped, but they go under the tree Christmas Eve night.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

Our Christmas tree has white lights on it; I hate colored lights with all of the crazy decorations/ornaments we put on. The only lights we have outside (I wanted lights put up but C refused to do them) are white and they're just on the one tree in the yard.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?

Not anymore. I did for a few years when we were newly married. It was some fake stuff and somehow got destroyed; I never replaced it. Guess we must be past the lovey-dovey stuff!

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Usually the 1st weekend in December. This year it was the weekend after Thanksgiving because I wasn't home the 1st weekend and I wanted them up early for KT. I will never, never, ever put Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

I love holiday meals in general. I always make a ham for Christmas though and that's probably the thing I look forward to the most.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:

My youngest sister, A, would always set her alarm for an insanely early time on Christmas Day. She'd wake us girls up and then we'd spend a good hour getting my Mom out of bed. Mom would keep asking for 10-15 more minutes. My sister would even go so far as to make Mom a cup of tea and take it into her.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I don’t remember. I know that my parents were still together so it was before I was 8 but played along for my younger sisters. My guess is that someone at school enlightened all of us on the playground.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

We never did growing up and we don't when we're in our own home on Christmas Eve. On years that we travel to Michigan for the holiday, we do open gifts with one set of family that day because of logistics.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

Hodge podge all the way! I will probably never have an elegant tree that is all one color or has a theme. I'm okay with it though -- I love my tree. My grandpa had a tradition of buying the grandkids ornaments every year so I have 25 or so from that; C has ornaments from his folks that he got every year; and then we have an assortment of stuff we've collected together.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?

LOVE IT! I'm weird, I know. But as long as I'm prepared for it, winter is my favorite time of year. I love to be out playing in it or just sitting watching it fall. It's all about being dressed right for the cold!

12. Can you ice skate?

I tried once and it was not a pretty sight. The night/day itself was memorable but that's another story...

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

One that stands out the most is the year my Dad bought me a leather jacket.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

Letting people know that I'm thinking of them. We don't travel to see family every year, and I try my hardest to let everyone know that even though we're not there, we're still thinking of them!

15. Dessert?

I'm a sucker for anything chocolate. Christmas candy is hard for me to resist.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Decorating the Christmas tree. It changed this year considerably with the assistance of a 2-year old but was still fun.

17. What tops your tree?

A wire angel with white lights.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?

Giving. I'd buy gifts for so many people if we had it in our budget. I wish I could afford to buy stuff for more people, even if it was just little gifts for them. C and I always have a disagreement every year about the number of people on our list. So I send out a boat load of cards instead.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

I love "The Little Drummer Boy" by anyone. It's my favorite traditional song. Willie Nelson sings a song called "Pretty Paper" that I love. It reminds me of my Dad. There's also an a capella version of "I'll Be Home for Christmas" done by Rascal Flatts that is on my must-have list for this year.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or yum?

Mint chocolate ones are one of the few kinds I like.