Saturday, December 6, 2008

It's the most wonderful time of the year!





Hollie, my SIL, emailed me these questions and I thought, "Hey, those would be great to put on my blog!" Of course, she beat me to it, but I'm going to put the questions and my answers on here anyway.


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Well, it depends. If it's a present for the kids, wrapping paper. If it's a present for friends or older family members, gift bags. So, both!

2. Real tree or artificial? I like my little, three foot, fake Christmas tree that I just put up on a table. But even if I had a bigger tree, I wouldn't want a real one, because I don't want to have to vacuum any more than I absolutely have to.




3. When do you put up the tree? Right after Thanksgiving. I want to enjoy it for as long as possible.


4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime before I have to go back to work, but never before New Year's.

5. Do you like egg nog? Heck yeah! What's not to like?! Sugar and fat are always my favorite holiday treats.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I wonder what a "child" means. Does that mean before I turned 18 or before I left home or is it before I stopped believing in Santa? Maybe it's just the gifts that I actually remember receiving. That's what I'll put. My Cabbage Patch doll named Norma, my dollhouse made out of cardboard, and my stereo. Sorry, that's more than one.

7. Hardest person to buy for? TSH. I always try to get something that makes him jump up and down because he's so excited, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe he just doesn't do excited.


8. Easiest person to buy for? Myself! I always know what I like the best! And my mom because she always tells me what she wants other people to get her for Christmas. And we have pretty similar tastes. (Hollie said, "Andria (she likes gift cards)." Well, it's true. I do like gift cards because I always know what I like the best!)


9. Do you have a nativity scene? Notice the emphasis I put on "a"? That's because I don't have just one nativity scene; I have multiple nativity scenes. I don't even know how many I have, but I'm going to try and remember now: eskimo nativity, cheap-o porcelin nativity from Big Lots, Charming Tales nativity, Precious Moments teeny-tiny tea cup nativity...I think I have others too, but I can't think of what they are right now. This year I only put up my Fontanini nativity that I bought on clearance last year and I bought 3 Wise Men for it this year on eBay. I'm going to see if I can find a star for it too.


10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I am so bad with Christmas cards! I've gotten to the point that I've just given up on them. But I love the cards I receive!
11. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? An electric can-opener. TSH gave it to me the first year we lived in our own apartment because I had said that we needed an electric can-opener. And, now, five years later, I still can't figure out how to use the stupid thing, so I always just use a hand can-opener. The only present that I've received that was worse than that one was when TSH told me that he had a surprise for me after I had been gone for a week on a trip, and I came home to find that a vacuum cleaner was the surprise.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? I think it has to be a tie between White Christmas and A Christmas Story. It wouldn't be Christmas without Bing singing "Sisters" or without an evil Santa saying, "You'll shoot your eye out!"

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually start some time in September, but I'm slow this year and didn't start until just before Thanksgiving. I'm almost done. I just need to think of something for my SIL, Michelle.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course not! At least I don't remember doing that. That explanation would hold up in court, right?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Honey-baked ham, funeral potatoes, and fresh rolls.

16. Lights on the tree? White only. I think they're so much more elegant.

17. Favorite Christmas song? BNL and Sarah McLachlan's "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" and Barry Manilow singing "Ave Maria."

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I like to do both. We usually do a year at home, and then the next year we go somewhere. This year we'll be home; next year is Disneyland!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Mmm, Olive?
20. Open the gifts Christmas morning or Christmas Eve? Christmas morning, even though, even as an adult, I can't sleep all night Christmas Eve.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? I think this is the one time of the year that I try really hard not to be annoyed. So, I can't think of anything.

22. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I used to do lots o' snowmen, but I've kept them put away this year and I'm not putting as much out. So, I guess I'll just say red and gold are my colors. I have red and gold poinsettias on my tree.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I want for my entire family to be healthy and happy so we can have fun while TSH is home for 2 weeks.