christmas meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. I like ribbons and bows and stuff, but rarely get around to using them.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Artificial. The smell of a real one is divine, but I kinda like leaving them in the ground.

3. When do you put up the tree?
December 1st.

4. When do you take the tree down?
After Christmas day, before January 1st.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Love it, as long as it's non-alcoholic.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Books. I got lots of other cool crap, but I was a bonafide bookworm, so yeah, books.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. Ceramic. It's simple and pretty and I like it, but I haven't found the perfect one yet.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad, hands down.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
Keyboard Kid. I see him every week and he talks constantly about whatever he happens to be into at the time.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Both. Mail is nice thoughj.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Something lame like scented talcum powder. That's a gift for a granny. A granny you don't know very well.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Miracle on 34th Street (either version, though the original is lovely), Mr Krueger's Christmas, and from now on, The Nativity Story.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Around October I start getting ideas. From then on if I happen to see something right for a particular person, I'll get it. The bulk of the shopping gets done early December.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Maybe, but can't remember for sure. Why not, if I won't use it and someone else will?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Crackling.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Coloured.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Too many to pick one. Good King Wenceslus, Little Drummer Boy, O Holy Night, Mary's Boy Child, etc, etc. I know for sure that I like Christmas carols way better than Christmas songs like I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, or Chestnuts Roasting.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Varies.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Oh yes I can! Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (notice that his name is NOT Donner? You know who you are...) Blitzen. *sigh* and Rudolph, the interloper.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas Day, after lunch.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
The absence of Christ from Christmas. A particular friend rambling on about every stupid faddy toy their kids just have to have, even though said kids will have broken the toys and moved on to the next thing that TV commercials preach to them within weeks of receiving the gifts. It's like their house is running a crash course for kids on how to be materialistic and ungrateful.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
No one theme, though I love silver things. I am drawn to beautiful stars and nativity sets.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
We tend to focus on traditional West Indian foods at Christmas. It's a a leftover tradition from the days when the whole extended family still got together and we had foods we didn't get all year round because maybe they're not so common in Australia. Now they seem like Christmas foods.

25. Leave cookies & milk for Santa?
Nope. Maybe if I had kids and we did the whole Santa thing I would.