How do YOU do Christmas?

How do YOU do Christmas?
Here is a holiday meme regarding family traditions "borrowed" from my friend, Em, at
Notes from My Corner.

1. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. We used to only use real trees when the kids were little. We had a family outing to go pick out the tree every year. It was a whole lot of fun. I really miss the smell of a live tree, too. That part I don't miss is having to water the thing constantly, and dealing with dropping needles all over the place. Ornaments hang better on studier artificial branches, too. Well, they would if cats weren't climbing in it.

2. Do you like decorating the tree?
Yes, actually. This is the first year that I did the lights and that part was harder than I thought. But I didn't mind it so much. The ornaments though....that is my favorite part. A cup of hot chocolate, some Christmas music and pulling out all of our old favorite ornaments, remembering where we bought this one or that one. Once again, its not nearly as much fun without the kids around. But they started to opt out of doing the tree when they were in high school, so I am used to doing it alone. My husband does NOT like anything about it, and really makes himself scarce until its all done. LOL.


3. When do you put up the tree?
Either the weekend following Thanksgiving. Or, if we are out of town then the weekend after that. If its not up by the 5th or so then I start to get unhappy, but that rarely happens

4. When do you take the tree down?
I have this superstitious notion that its bad luck for the coming year to take it down before the Epiphany on Jan. 6th. January 7th is the earliest I would take it down.


5. Do you like eggnog?
I like the idea of eggnog. I get excited when I first see it in the stores around the holidays. But then I buy a small carton and it always leaves me disappointed. I do like homemade eggnog with LOTS of brandy though.

6. Ever broken a present right after opening it?
If I have then I have forgotten it completely. I really don't think so.

7 . Hardest person to buy for?
My husband. He buys everything that he wants all during the year leaving us nothing to surprise him with. My son is a close second though. He is something of a minimalist, and doesn't want any kind of clutter in his home. According to his wife, Hannia, he sometimes even considers useful items that are still necessary clutter and gets rid of them. Haha

8. Easiest person to buy for? My daughter-in-law Hannia. She thoughtfully keeps an ongoing Amazon wish list that makes gift giving so simple!!! My daughter runs a close second, because although she doesn't keep a wish list online, she can generally think of some things she would like to have if you give her enough time to contemplate it. Maybe its just that girls are easier to buy gifts for. :)

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We do. A small ceramic one. My husband and I are spiritual people, but not overly religious. Our holiday is mostly secular.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail. My husband and I try to find funny, somewhat irreverent cards every year. We believe in the gift of laughter.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A box of peanut brittle. From a customer. It had a small pebble in the product and it broke an expensive crown on my tooth. I contacted the company and they paid to have it replaced, so at least there was a little Christmas miracle to go along with the sucky gift. LOL.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
It's a toss up between "It's a Wonderful Life", and the original "Miracle on 34th St." I love them all, though, even the animated ones. We used to get so excited as kids when Rudolph (claymation version) came on because it meant Christmas was finally near.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually after Thanksgiving, but not on Black Friday. I always vow to start early in the year, like some really organized people do. But nobody has a clue what they want at that time. How do these people do it? Do they just buy stuff that they want to give regardless of the other person's wish list? How do you know that somebody won't just go ahead and buy a duplicate of your gift before Christmas finally rolls around? In theory, the early all-year shopping sounds great. In reality it just wouldn't cut it as far as I am concerned.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I don't think so. I may have given something away that I didn't want or use, but not as a wrapped gift. More of a, "Hey, do you want this thing right here? Cuz I am not going to use it."

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I can't narrow it down to just one thing. Maybe the cookies. Or the fudge....I am pretty sure it will be something sweet. As a kid the only time of the year that we got to eat Hershey's kisses was at Christmas time (my Mom was pretty strict about junk food and soda). My sister and I called them "silver bells". They taste like Christmas to me still.

16. Have you ever actually eaten fruit cake?
Yes, and I know it makes me weird, but I don't hate it. Its not my favorite thing, and I don't crave it or seek it out, but its not awful to me either.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
I just love Christmas music period. I love the religious standards (a strong voice singing O Holy Night can give me goosebumps), I love the children's favorites, and I also love jazz piano Christmas tunes. I can't single out a favorite. My favorite Christmas song memory is of my kids singing "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer" by the tree when they were really little. Stephen's line of "as he shouted out with BLEE" still makes me smile even now. I can't hear that song without chuckling about all that BLEE. It makes me positively bleeful. LOL.


18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Never when the kids were little. How would Santa have found us?? We have attempted to several times since the kids have grown up, and more often than not it just doesn't work out. We did have a fantastic family Christmas cruise in 2005. But we have decided it was just meant for us to be home for the holidays. Traveling then is stressful anyway.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Are you serious? Of course!!! Our cat that Bruce found around Christmas time was named "Vixen" for a reason.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Animated Santa. Its tradition.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We always have done both. When the children were young, they opened 1 gift from us on Christmas Eve, and then Santa loaded the tree down with more gifts during the night to be opened first thing Christmas morning. We still occasionally do the 1 gift on Christmas Eve thing just because...

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The Grinches who can't find any joy in the holiday.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I love shaped glass ornaments. Santas, snowmen, or any Christmas figure. I like the sparkle of the glass. Our tree is a hodge podge of favorites and we don't decorate it with a certain color or theme in mind. As far as other decorating goes I strongly prefer true reds and brilliant greens. I am not a fan of purple or pink or burgundy or whatever as far as Christmas goes. I like it to be traditional.

24. Favorite Christmas dinner?
Hard one. My kids always want a roasted turkey with all the trimmings, and I am fine with that. I never turn down a delicious turkey and stuffing dinner. Growing up, though, we usually did a roast beef. And that was good, too.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
World Peace. And maybe Elton John's newest CD.