A Christmas Meme

Snitched from Knit Think:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Gift bags seem like cheatin. I only use them if I just can't manage to wrap it in paper. Once, I bought James an office chair, and the box was so big, paper wasn't going to work at all, and I used a spare blanket. It was orange, and not very Christmasy, but he had so much fun trying to figure out what it was!

2. Real or artificial tree? Real! We always had fake when I was a kid, and it was meh.

3. When do you put up the tree? First or second weekend of December

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after its become good and dried out, so that as many needles fall off as possible during the removal process. Its too depressing to take a tree down before New Years, so it usually goes another week, at least.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but I only want a glass or two. I'm much more excited about the peppermint ice cream, which my Dad always snuck in every year.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? The My Little Pony playhouse. Loved it so much.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I want to get one. I'd also like to set up a Christmas Village, if I had room to put one up. As it is, I have to disassmeble my dining table to put up the tree.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My mother. She's almost impossible. Even if you buy her exactly what she requests, its a good bet she's gonna take it back.

9. Easiest person to buy for? ME! I always know just what I want! hahahah!

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm. Hard one. I've never had really bad gifts, and only a few that were, shall we say, odd. One year James got me a yoga mat, and I use it all the time, but it was a bit odd for Christmas, I thought. (Sorry, sweetie!)

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Neither? I am so bad at sending them out. Several years, I've bought cards, and left them sitting around until . . . February? Is it too late to mail them then?

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Cartoon: "T'was the Night Before Christmas" with Alfred Mouse. It creeps James out a little. Also, how come they never show the Claymations Christmas anymore? With the California Raisins? I love the "Carol of the Bells" in that, and the waffle joke.

Movie: Changes every year. Might be "Christmas in Conneticut," because I love when they sit in the sleigh and the horse decides its time to leave.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Major Procrastinator; I send out knitted gifts all year, as I complete them, so I never have a stash saved up at Christmastime, and I usually put it off to the last minute.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Never! (Wrappings/ boxes don't count.)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies! Gingerbread and molasses cookies are my favorite. Mom goes crazy making cookies -- she did it again this year, according to Dad. She'll make 18 different cookies, dozens and dozens of them. I remember one year, she made little chocolate santas. She froze them, and we had chocolate santas for months. Into July, I think.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored lights. And I don't want them to blink.

17. Favorite Christmas song? All of them? Hmm. I guess "I Wonder as I Wander" or "Little Drummer Boy" or "God Rest Ye Merry Gentelmen" or "Hark the Harald Angels Sing" or . . . .

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I prefer to stay home, but you gotta make the parents/ in-laws happy. We compromise by travelling every other year, to alternating family homes. Boston one year, Michigan the next, Boston the next year, Wisconsin the next.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Not only that, but I know the words to at least the first verse of nearly every popular Christmas Carol.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? For now, a star, because I have not yet found the perfect angel topper. When I find her, the tree will be perfect. No inferior angels accepted. When I was a kid, we had a perfectly hideous angel (her hands were made out of colored lights -- two different colors!) Honestly, she was dreadful.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We were never allowed to open them until Christmas morning. And then, we usually had to wait for my aunt to drive an hour and a half down from her house. And then we had to have breakfast. And then the children started throwing temper tantrums, and things would get ugly, until finally the adults would give in. Oh, agony.

Now? I've usually opened my presents before Christmas Eve even gets here! I'm so bad!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Hearing one Christmas song over and over, everywhere you go. This year it seems to be "Baby Its Cold Outside." I've heard it at least five times already and I haven't even done any Christmas shopping yet!

Actually, the thing I really, really hate, is when Christmas is NOT at this time of year. I saw Christmas stuff sitting next to Halloween stuff in October. I love Christmas, but I want it in one good dose.


23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Um, no. I can't limit myself to one palette. My tree is, uh, eclectic. And heavy laden.

24. What do/did you leave for Santa? The only time I recall doing this, I left a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. I'd figured out Dad left all the presents out, and that's his favorite. I must've left cookies and milk when I was small, but I just don't remember it.