A Christmas Meme

I will not tag anyone specifically with this meme--everyone reading this can consider themselves tagged!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate—egg nog is ‘ewwie!’

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Presents are ALWAYS wrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No

5. When do you put your decorations up? I have always tried to get them up on Thanksgiving weekend—that way I could take them down on December 26 without any guilt!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? We never have had a traditional Christmas meal---not our thing.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child. I don’t have many Christmas memories from my childhood—so, no, there isn’t a favorite memory. My LEAST favorite memory goes like this: I ALWAYS searched for my Christmas presents. The Mother always hid them in their closet and I would look for them whenever they left the house. AND it didn’t matter if they were wrapped or not! I became an expert at unwrapping and rewrapping without anyone knowing the difference. So, anyway, this one year I found and unwrapped EVERY present that was mine, so that, on Christmas, there were NO surprises left. That was the last year I searched for my gifts.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The year I couldn’t get to sleep and I heard The Parents putting the gifts under the tree. It had to have been when I was in fourth or fifth grade.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Ever since the girls were old enough to not believe anymore, we have opened all of our gifts on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Basically in white with white lights—everything on the tree (except for the lights and garland) I made.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Don’t really mind it—especially since I usually don’t HAVE to leave the house.

12. Can you ice skate? I used to—haven’t been for many, many years.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I think it was my three-stone diamond necklace from K. It was a hard holiday—on the outs with The Family as well as with at least one of the girls. The love it conveyed meant more to me than words can say.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?! I’m sorry to put it this way but, the most important thing to me is that they will be over soon and I can get on with my life. I HATE the holidays.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cranberry bread—which I haven’t made in toooo long of a time.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I always loved being in church on Christmas Eve for the candlelight service—something we haven’t done in far too long. My other favorite tradition is spending Christmas Eve at our friends’ house—we didn’t make it one year and it just didn’t seem as if the season was complete!

17. What tops your tree? An angel—which I made quite a few years ago.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I love to give and always wish I could give more. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to spend, without limit, on those I love. But it is also VERY much fun to receive!

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I don’t believe I have a favorite—I love all of the Christmas hymns—especially sung during a candlelight service.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? ! I don’t particularly care one way or another.

21. Favorite Christmas Show? I DO enjoy ‘A Christmas Story.’ I have seen it so many times that I can quote lines from it and laugh! ‘Fragile! Must be Italian!’ ‘You’ll shoot your eye out!’ Funny, funny movie.

22. Saddest Christmas Song? Most Christmas songs that AREN’T ‘Jingle Bell Rock’—or anything like it—have the tendency to make me melancholy. So, any of the traditional ones can make me sad. But, then, that is what the holidays are about to me: sadness. (Sorry for being such a downer!) :)