Christmas meme

I've seen this on some other blogs, and I just received it from Melissa. I'm pretty Christmassy this weekend, so the timing is perfect. :) (yay Christmas I love it)


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper. Bags are so expensive!

2. Real tree or Artificial? I'd prefer real, but I currently have a fake tree. Tree disposal in this area confuses me. (and it seems that many that prefer fake prefer it because it's easier to put up than real. But.... Clint's real tree was far, far easier than my fake tree, even considering that we had to drive back to Long Acre's because they forgot to drill the hole in the trunk for his spikey tree stand. Also, my fake tree sheds almost as much as a real one, so I'm not avoiding post-holiday vacuuming at all by having the fake tree)

3. When do you put up the tree? when I was in college, my parents and I would decorate usually around the 22nd or 23rd, or whenever I got home after exams. Now I usually put it up the first weekend in December.

4. When do you take the tree down? not until after the 12th day of Christmas, January 6th.

5. Do you like eggnog? I keep trying to.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My American Girl Doll, in 1988.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Clint's dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? mom and Michelle

9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have my dad's mom's nativity that she used to have in her apartment, which is nice and small, but I really covet my parents' that my mom made for their first Christmas together.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? multiple sweatshirts in size XL petite, at least one with a collar. I don't wear sweatshirts, and I am neither an XL nor a petite. (and oh god, I'm not 75, I would never wear a collared sweatshirt). Also, a button-down shirt with changeable Christmas-theme collars, and plaid elastic waist pants, both in size 14. This is all from the same person, who doesn't get that I'm not a 14/XL petite. I've also gotten Halloween decorations as Christmas presents. I could go on, I've had some real gems...

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? You'll shoot your eye out (A Christmas Story), which is quite possibly my favorite movie ever.

13. When do you start shopping? always. I have been known to buy Christmas presents before the previous Christmas. I usually finish my shopping around Thanksgiving.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? um, see above, the XL petite sweatshirts.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? cookies, fruit cake, yorkshire pudding, mulled cider and mulled wine, stollen.

16. lights on the tree? the more, the merrier! Lately I'm into white lights, possibly because the rest of the room is lit with colored Christmas lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? the more religious ones, O Holy Night, etc, (which is half the reason I'm so good at going to church during Advent) and Wassail Song (not "here we come a-wassailing", but "wassail, wassail all over the town")

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel to go home. Usually it's Christmas Eve at my grandma's and Christmas night at my parents', but this year there's talk of doing Christmas Eve at Granby and have that be it, due to all the on-going construction mess at my parents' house.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? growing up, it was an angel, but my mom bought me this awesome fluffy, glittery star at Ikea a few years ago.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? extended family on Christmas Eve night, immediate family on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? that Christmas starts before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving's a great holiday, give it its chance!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? my parents have some lovely pastel ornaments, but I feel bad having a pink tree at Christmas. We set up a separate Disney tree and cat and dog trees. My NH tree has all the ornaments I stole from my parents, some home-made ones, some from trips, some were gifts, and a slew of glittery Martha Stewart Home balls. I'm bad at themes, because I want to put all the ornaments up... when I have a house, I'll probably have to have multiple themed trees.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? our Christmas dinner does not change. I tried to change it once, and people were angry. We have: shrimp dip and cheeses with crackers, and baked brie and gruyere puff pastry bites for cocktail hour, then roast beef with green beans (which are always canned, no matter how much I complain), mashed potatoes, salad, jello, yorkshire pudding (which I introduced a few years ago, and people were ok), and banana and maraschino cherry breads for the main meal, and Friendly's jubilee roll and assorted cookies for dessert. This year I'm considering axing the stupid jubilee roll (I've never liked it) and making a semifreddo with honeyed fruit.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I really have no idea. A security deposit for an apartment, perhaps? Or anything off our new bridal registries would be much loved. Nothing that I have to worry about packing when I move in February.