Getting to Crazy: A Christmas Questionaire (Meme?)

Favorite ornaments
Originally uploaded by lasassone

Mary Frances of the blog Frequently Wrong but Never In Doubt tagged me on her blog regarding something called a Meme I think. So I'm going to attempt to answer these Christmas questions! I'm not going to tag anyone since it's so late in the season, but if you read this and wanna play, leave me a comment below so I know, ok?

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Wrapping... usually. Unless something is odd-sized or I'm in a hurry! I don't mind the bags, but never think to buy them.

2. Real or artificial tree? Artificial and small too - 4 foot tall....after many years of having a real tree. But now we have no one but the two of us and if we aren't going to be here for Christmas, we don't even put up Tiny Tim (my name for the tree).

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually a week before Christmas. I grew up the youngest in a family that never put the tree up until Christmas Eve. I always loved Christmas Eve when it was all about the tree and getting to bed early in my room upstairs where I'd try to stay awake to hear Santa and the reindeer land on our roof. Alas, I always fell asleep despite the noise coming from downstairs. A few years ago I was comparing Christmas memories with my brother who is 12 years older than I am. I told him how I found it hard to put up the tree so soon (a week before) because I loved our family's traditions so much. He laughed loud and hard at me and told me that was no tradition; it was necessity. He said our Dad always waited until Christmas Eve to bring home a tree because they were half price then. Take note because little things you do just might be making memories/traditions that your children will remember.

4. When do you take the tree down? At least by New Year's Day! Usually G removes the ornaments while he is watching football games and piles them in a chair and I wrap and box them up.

5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE IT! In fact I just had a glass because today I got the results back from my bone density scan. There's only a slight change from 5 years ago, but the doctor made a note that I should up my calcium intake. So, instead of just the 2 chocolate calcium chews, from now on I have to work in a couple other milk products daily. I also still love the stuff off the grocery store the best!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Wow! It's hard to pick just one. I'd say it's a toss up between the Flexi-Flyer sled I got when I was 7 or 8 or the Terri Lee doll I got when I was 11 or 12. The sled was great and on Christmas Day my dad even took me to the local park to try it out. The doll was his doing too. I had asked and asked for that doll, but before Christmas my Mum took me to look at and buy a parakeet & cage, which I also wanted. She thought I was too old for dolls, so when I opened that box on Christmas morning and found that doll, my Mum stared daggers at my Dad, but he pretended not to see.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, but it's not on display this year because it's in storage. We usually display it in this wonderful hand carved (by G in college) small cabinet which is also in storage this year. The nativity set itself was my Mum's but we have added to it over the 40 years we have been married. Gosh, that's a long time!

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't recall anything but I DO recall one Christmas when I got nothing at all from my mil. We had all gone up to a Lake Tahoe cabin for a snowy Christmas and she gave G a desk set of letter opener & magnifier and each of the girls these pink parkas with fur around the hoods that they absolutely refused to wear. Me? I got nothing, nada, zip, zero. Perhaps she thought the desk set was for both of us, but my name was NOT on the tag! Truly never figured that one out cuz we had a fairly decent relationship all things considered.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? We sent no cards out last year because we were traveling in Texas. We also thought we'd be sending out wonderful newsy cards this year with our new address. Well, house didn't sell; that didn't happen. So, this year I did up a Christmas letter and sent out about 35 to family and old friends. So far we've only gotten less than a dozen cards. Guess everyone crossed us off their lists last year when they didn't hear from us. I will mail out electronic (Jackie Lawson?) cards tomorrow to close friends who we may not see before Christmas.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? "The Christmas Story" ....I always wanted a BB Gun and a train set, but my parents told me those things were for boys.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Since our girls are all over the map, if I can't make them something, they get a gift card from somewhere. This year I mailed the packages out on December 20th. The one for Atlanta made it there in 2 days! Amazing, huh?

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Yummmmm! Ham, this baked pineapple souffle and the potato dish made with Potatoes O'Brien! Oh and fudge & Italian Pizzelles too! Just made a batch of Pizzelles last evening. Will probably have to make another so that we can eek them out until about the end of January. Wonderful with coffee!

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights on the tree. No lights outside, but we normally have blue icicle lights all over the house. ....Yup, those are in storage too!

14. Favorite Christmas song? "Here comes Santa Claus" definitely. When I hear it I feel like I'm 7 years old again. Back then we sent letters to Santa and he was on the radio station every night at 5 p.m. That song was the one they played at the beginning of the show. All this month, in the car I have had the radio tuned to an all Christmas music station and in the house on the computer I have XM Holly station playing that comes through AOL. Our stereo, alas, is in storage. Are you sensing a theme here?

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? This year we are staying home, just the two of us. There's a slight chance that our eldest daughter may come down out of the mountains just for the day to see us. Next year, although we don't know where we will be, perhaps we will go to Texas again so we can see our two youngest daughters and their families. They are married to brothers and one lives in San Antonio along with the brothers' parents who are also our friends.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Used to be able to, but am out of practice.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? There is nothing on the top of Tiny Tim. He is pre-lit and from the outside the neighbors can't tell he has no ornaments on him. Truly a cut-back Christmas here. Somewhere in storage there's an angel that we've had for 40 years!

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Oh, always Christmas Morning. And we always took rotating turns opening one gift at a time going from eldest to youngest. It takes all morning but we don't start until we have the morning food on the table and then everyone just waits on themselves. For G and I it was a big shock the year that we turned out to be the eldest and had to go first. The reality of it all was overwhelmingly sad.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Shopping, crowds & rude people. And stories of decoration vandalism.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Nope, but the tree used to be mostly things the girls made in school or special ornaments to commemorate achievements. Next year I hope to have enought crazyquilted ornaments to dress TT to the hilt. I may even give our elderly angel a makeover with a white cq skirt!

21. What do you leave for Santa? When we are with the grands we HAVE to leave eggnog and pizzelles cuz that's what Santa likes, doncha know? (and all the cats do too!)

22. Least favorite holiday song? I can't think of any I don't enjoy. I grew up singing in groups and choirs in church and school and love all the music. There's so many new ones now too. I especially like "Mary Did You Know" that is new to me this year.

23. Favorite ornament? Well, with this post, I have included a picture of 4 ornaments that I just adore. For many reasons but mostly because they were made for me by my stitching students. Alas, I actually couldn't find my very favorite which is a cq old fashioned ice skate complete with curled blade.

Let's say it together now....."It must be in STORAGE!"

LOL!

Merry Christmas to you All!