Holiday Meme

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We never got into Santa here. Not because we thought it was terrible or anything, just that we never wanted the people that were so generous with our kids to not be acknowledged for their gifts. Our kids talk about Santa but think of him more as a guy who turns up at the fire department Christmas party and gives them a little bag of candy and fruit.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? We don't do outside lights. Inside I would prefer white lights that don't blink, but my husband wanted to let the tree be kid-friendly, so we have colored lights that do about 10 different options of blinking, fading, etc. I don't like them, but the kids think it's fun.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. I thought about getting some this year, but, know what? It's really kind of ugly. I decided not to.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Some years we do it the day after Thanksgiving if we have relatives visiting that we are going to celebrate an early Christmas with. This year we just put our tree and decorations up 3 days ago.

6. What is your favorite holiday food (excluding dessert)? I don't know. I can never do just one favorite of anything. I look forward to really good mashed potatoes (they are best with sour cream and cream cheese in them!).

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Every Christmas Eve we would go to my grandparent's house to celebrate Christmas with my uncle and his family. We would have a big dinner and then open gifts. It was fun to see our cousins, and of course kids always like to open gifts. On the way home we would drive around neighborhoods that had really good lights and outdoor decorations. I loved that drive on the way home, and I would always look out the window to look in the sky and see if Santa was out there flying around......

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I just figured it out gradually, once I knew that the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy weren't real.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Some years we do. We don't have a set rule about it.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? It's all family memories. As I shared in a recent post, we only get ornaments that are meaningful to us. So, each year we now add 8 or more ornaments to our tree that each member of our family has chosen. So, no theme or coordination for us, other than family. :) Which I think is pretty good.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? A little snow for my kids to enjoy is fun, but I am thankful every single year that I no longer live in Central New York. I don't think I would ever want to live anywhere with a lot of snow again.

12. Can you ice skate? Well, I was able to as a teenager. Ice skating and hockey were a big thing where we lived. I don't know if I could skate now, though. I think it would probably be too likely for me to get hurt.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A few memorable gifts over the years include a Barbie townhouse (it even had an elevator that you could make go up and down the three floors of the house!), stuffed animals that my parents left unwrapped and looking very cute sitting on top of presents by our tree, and contact lenses when I was a teenager.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family and experiencing good stuff that makes happy memories.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Apple pie.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Purchasing special ornaments for each family member.

17. What tops your tree? A rustic star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Both!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I still like this one from high school chorus that was something about "Pinecones and holly berries, popcorn for you, apples for me, red striped candy, nutcrackers handy, kettle a-bubbling, holiday tea....." I don't know the title of the song, but it was really fun to sing and has stuck in my mind for all these years. Actually, now that I think of it, I think the song was "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" but had those lyrics as a bridge/vocal overlay during one part of the song. (like a round) I honestly do not like most Christmas carols. Most loathed Christmas carols include: Silent Night, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem, and What Child is This.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I like the little ones ok, but would prefer fudge any day!