A Christmas Meme

(Found at Terminal Degree’s blog)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! Gift bags are expensive and often stuff doesn’t fit, especially if the box is big.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. Which sucks because we live on the top floor of a walk-up condo and dragging a real tree up and down all those stairs would not be fun. I love the smell of real pine and I miss it . . .

3. When do you put up the tree? At least a week before Christmas, but usually don’t decorate it until a day or two before.

4. When do you take the tree down? Shortly after Epiphany – usually the next weekend.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but not too thick – I hate thick egg nog, it just gets the gag reflex going . . . so if you make thick egg nog, warn me beforehand and I’ll try to cut it with some milk or rum or something . . .

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Books! Always books!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a teeny one. I’ve always meant to start collecting them and get some ones of diverse backgrounds, but I never get around to it until it’s right before Christmas and too late to get a decent one.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Me – because I hate asking for things, and I’m usually happy just to get stuff for other folks.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom. She loves any type of puzzles and loves old movies.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever got? I’ve received a lot of really unfortunate sweaters.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail . . . when I remember. I actually did send out cards this year, but usually I intend to send “New Year’s” cards and fail miserably . . .

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Scrooged. Oh, and there was once a Christmas movie on the Family Channel that starred Andy Dick (yes, seriously!) that I adored the couple of years that they played it . . . I should have taped it. I must find it, if I could ever remember the title . . .

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November, online.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? To Goodwill? Oh, yes . . .

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Freshly baked cookies, with egg nog, on Christmas eve.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored! Must. Have. Colored. Lights. Non-negotiable.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Pretty much most of them. Especially all of the ones we sing in the choir for the Advent/Christmas season. Least favorite? Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Christmas in Washington. Christmas Shoes. (I have a rant about this song which is several layers of sacrilegious, otherwise I would share . . . but darn, that song is SO schlocky, and I’m usually very forgiving of Christmas music.)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home. Mr. Random always threatens to want to travel across the country to visit his mom and sister, but then I remind him of how this time of year is travel hell. I’m not budging. Besides we have our own traditions now, after 10 years, and I’d hate to give them up.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Only if I say them as part "Night Before Christmas."

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A big red bow. To match the smaller red bows sprinkled around the tree.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Shopping in crowds. But I hate that any time of the year.

23. What I love most about Christmas? Everything! The Music! The Food! The Time Off! What’s not to love?