Getting to Know You Meme

Holiday Edition
(No clue where I found this...surfing)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Oh, totally nog!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

When Sparky was little, I always tried to use completely separate paper for the Santa gifts compared to what I used for the Mom & Dad gifts. It got very complicated, and he never noticed anyway. When I was a kid, the Santa gifts weren't even wrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

Multi-colored on my tree. We don't do lights on the house, but I don't care either way on other people's houses as long as the lights are hung neatly.

4. Do you hang mistletoe on the house?

I usually forget to buy any. We've had it occasionally, but now with a 13-year-old, I suspect it's verboten for a few years.

5. When do you put your decorations up?

Normally, it's the weekend after Thanksgiving, but for some reason this year we're having a hard time getting it together. Sparky and Beast got out the little tree and the cards tonight while I was at a meeting. I think we'll try to get the main tree up Friday/Saturday/Sunday this weekend (this is a crazy weekend, so it will take part of three days). We take everything down between January 1 and Epiphany.

When I was growing up, the tree didn't go up until around the 15th and came down promptly on January 1.

6. What is your favorite holiday meal (excluding dessert)?

Fondue.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

Has to be the year Beast came home with me from college to meet my family. He was inundated by my oldest sister, her wacky husband and their two teenage daughters, and my brother and his 2-year-old. Beast spent one night at the local ER with my bro when the kid spiked a fever; interesting way to get to know each other....

Otherwise, Beast spent a lot of time hiding in the basement bedroom where he was sleeping--it was quiet there!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I think the myth was busted when I was in first grade, but I strung it out for another year or so.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Beast's family opens all their prezzies on Christmas Eve, including the Santa gifts. [Don't ask.] My family opens everything in the morning.

We split the difference early on by opening his side on the Eve and my side in the morning. Now we open one from his side on the Eve and the rest in the morning. The "Eve" is after church, so quite late, around midnight.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

We have two large ornament boxes stuffed full of ornaments, plus about 3 more cartons of lights and tinsel and more ornaments. We now use two trees (one small, one big), and we still can't fit all the stuff on branches.... Crazy. Beast does all the lights cuz he's OCD, and then Sparky and I go nuts with the rest of the stuff.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?

Love it, especially if I can stay home and look at it. I don't really dread it until much later in the winter.

12. Can you ice skate?

Uh, no. I fall down a lot.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

Either the Barbie Dream House I got at around age 8, or this laptop I'm using.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

Getting all the foofaraw done and being able to enjoy the peace of the day.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

Does home-made fudge count as dessert?

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

The fondue thing. I've been doing it for almost 30 years now....

17. What tops your tree?

A star. Angels...eh, not so much.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?

Both. It sort of depends on how confident I feel about what I've gotten people, and how well people shopped for me.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

Silent Night. I really like the Stevie Nicks version from about 15 years ago.

20. Candy Canes!

Eh, not so much. Hard candy is not working for me anymore.

21. Favorite Christmas Movie?

Not so much. I've seen very few of the ones people all go nuts about. Christmas is just not about movies for me.

Beast, on the other hand, has all the Christmas TV shows scheduled out for the whole month. Sigh. I could survive without seeing effing-Frosty EVER again, personally.

22. What would you most like to find under your tree this year?

Something small and surprising. Small in price at least. I always tend to appreciate the little stuff Beast finds. And Sparky is pretty hysterical in his gift-buying.

23. Favorite Holiday memory as an adult?

The first Christmas after we were homeowners. Just a fun year: we had a dog, our tree was in the basement, and we got pots and pans for Christmas. Life was good.