Christmas Meme #1

(from Allison)

1. Does your family send Christmas cards? Yes. Every year fewer, however.

2. How soon do you start shopping? The day after Christmas. I'm always on the lookout.

3. Who do you shop for? Immediate family and very close friends only. If I'm visiting at someone else's house, I usually try to bring something for them as well.

4. Do you put up a Christmas tree? Usually. I think we've only missed one year in 23...?

5. If so, is it fake or real? Fake.

6. Do you like tinsel? We use garland. The tinsel went away when Sparky was little: he and the dog had issues with it.

7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments? Mostly store-bought, but there are a few that either Sparky or I made.

8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house? No. Waaaay too much work.

9. Do you put lights on the tree? But of course!

10. How about popcorn and cranberries? Yeah, rotting food sitting in my living room for a month. No.

11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door? Yes indeed.

13. Do you hang up your stocking? Yes. Shoot, I still have to get some stuff for stockings! aaaaahhhh

14. Does your family read "'Twas the Night before Christmas"? That's kind of my sister's job. She has a collection of these books. I used to know it by heart, so I don't really need to read it.

15. Christmas Movie? For many years, we went to the theater on Christmas Day, before Sparky arrived. Otherwise, I am VERY grinchy about the whole movie/TV special thing. I really have come to hate most of them.

16. Character from any Christmas Movie: Max (from The Grinch)

17. Christmas Song: Most of them. "Buon Natale" sung by Nat King Cole, comes to mind today.

18. Christmas Memory: Being allowed to stuff stockings the first time when I was older (teenaged); my nephews were visiting.

19. Give or Receive? Parts of both.

22. Ham or Turkey? I prefer sandwiches and everyone hanging out and relaxing.

24. White Lights or Colored Lights? Colored.

25. Blinking Lights or Still Lights: Still.

26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year? Very nice. I'm clearly sick.

27. What do you want for Christmas this year? DVR. Which we got on Monday. Yay.

28. When do you open your gifts? One on the Eve, the rest in the morning.

29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? The Revereware.

30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten? A book I'd already read.

31. Who gives you the most gifts? Beast.

32. Have you ever had a secret Santa? We used to do this at work, but stopped about 7 years ago. We do a white elephant exchange now.

33. Do you like wrapping gifts? Yup. To a point. I bore easily.

34. Do you put change in those red buckets? I put dollars in, not noisy money.

35. Do you burn a yule log? Not as such. We usually have a fire in the fireplace.

36. Can you name all the reindeer? On Dasher on Dancer on Prancer and Vixen, on Comet on Cupid on Donder and Blitzen.

37. Do you bake cookies? Not anymore.

38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Claus? My mommy was Santa!

39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe? Yup. Not for years, though.

41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? Yup. Usually after we eat at the local Chinese place and before we head to the late church service.

42. Have you ever left Santa cookies? Every year, with a glass of milk. And carrots. For the reindeer. Oh, and a note. Which Santa always answers. Santa has odd handwriting.

43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap? I remember standing in line at the mall for this once. Presumably I eventually made it to the front of the line.

44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with? My family.

45. Where do you celebrate Christmas? In my living room, most years.

46. Have you ever had a white Christmas? Almost every year lately. There've been a few warmer years.

47. What part of Christmas do you look most forward to? The 12-15 hours from 5 p.m. Christmas Eve till all the presents are opened the next morning.

48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa? Probably. Don't know. No evidence has surfaced.

49. Does your family always take pictures at Christmas? I guess we do but it's just of us opening presents or whatever.

50. Have you ever heard the song "Thank God For The Kids"? No, but I subscribe to the general sense, I guess.