Christmas Meme (stolen from crse

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate: Both (esp with alcohol!)
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Set them up under the tree. But the gifts to each other are wrapped (and under a different tree)
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? multi on kids' tree, white on others. Outside, white, and white and red.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? I have a fake kissing ball.
5. When do you put your decorations up? Well, usually Nov 25, but since I started decorating for all the galas and stuff, it takes me longer to get the whole house done
6. What's your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? stuffing. And my amazing cranberries (well, Bon Appetit's amazing cranberries that I make. I don't put them ON anything, they are more of a side dish for me)
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: most of them. One fave in first year university - my parents were living in Atlanta, and it was unseasonably warm (in the seventies). On Christmas morning, my Mom went to open the shutters in the bay window where the tree was and I asked her not to so I could pretend there was snow. My Dad took this one step further and cranked up the AC so we could have a roaring fire in the fireplace.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? grade one - I had been asking my Mom for ages about whether Sanata was real and she'd been dodging the question. Then Suzie Crush told me, and I confronted my Mom. Her answer? As long as you have people who love you, there will always be a Santa.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?Not since we had the kids - too flippin' tired, or too busy setting up Santa's toys!!!!
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? which one? The kids tree with the ornaments they make, and teddy bears in sweaters and a few other ornaments, with a rustic star and birch bark garland (purchased, I did NOT peel the bark off any trees). Oh, and a lot of large bells. The real tree in the living room has all the collectible and unique ornaments, red glass balls, real tin tinsel, pearls, and gold coils. The tree topper is a glass finial, but the tree this year is too tall, so this year it's an angel ornament. The family room tree has a silver star, silver non-breakable balls (shiny, mottles, and sparkly/glittered), white snowflakes, white ribbon with snowflakes, and these crystal droplets that belonged to these ugly lamps of my mother-in-law's that her mother gave her (what a cool way for Hubby to remember his grandmother), the porch tree has red and white lights, a silver star, and red bows. And the tree in the bedroom has white lights and fake snow (and Hubby's disdain - secretly, I think he likes it!).
11. Snow: Love it or Dread it? Love it. But if we don't have it for Christmas, then we don't need any at all!!!!!!
12. Can you ice skate?Hello, I'm Canadian - of course.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? my piccolo from my Dad. My cedar chest from Hubby the year we got engaged, the unicorn pendant from Hubby the first year we dated. All the awesome table linens my Mom has made for us.
14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with my family, and watching the kids enjoy the whole magic if it all. And the kids' Christmas service that is kind of a pageant, kind of a service
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My mom's shortbread.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? All of our traditions (which do not include microwaved turkey, but I have to deal with that this year, so I'm doing my own dinner here on the 26th, but I digress. . . )
17. What tops your tree? See #10.
18. Which do you prefer: Giving or Receiving? Both. I love finding the perfect things for people, and this year, I can't wait to see what Hubby got me - he's all grinny and weird about it!!! (my guess - 80's trivial pursuit, but maybe not)
19. What is your favorite Christmas song? The Huron Indian Carol ('Twas in the Moon of Wintertime). Since we had the kids, we haven't been to the carol service, and I keep begging Gordon to add it somewhere else, but it's only Advent music until the evening service. Well, this year we did the first ever Christmas concert at our church, and I was grinning like an idiot (and thanked Gordon profusely) because he put it in. I, of course, was unable to sing the last two lines of the last verse because they always choke me up, but it was awesome (esp with the orchestra!!!!)
20. Candy Canes? Only peppermint, not weird coloured or flavoured. Esp good when crushed and mixed into melted white chocolate to make peppermint bark. Yum!