My Holiday Traditions

I swiped this meme from June over at Spatter because, well, I need something to write about and it is holiday time.

So here goes:

1. Wrapping or gift bags? I do both. My husband, I confess, is the better wrapper of the two of us. I always crinkle the paper or just don't cut it straight. Gift bags are easy - but then, again, they are easy.


2. Real or artificial tree? We have an artificial tree. I am allergic to real ones. I used to become ill every year in December and never knew why until I married. Then I realized it was the tree. One year we went through trees. We started out with a pine, switched to a fir, and then bought an artificial tree. Regular readers might recall that we have actually misplaced a tree before.

3. When do you put up the tree? Anytime between December 1 and December 10. Usually on a Sunday evening.


4. When do you take the tree down? Anytime from the day after Christmas to January 2. This year it will probably come down on December 29 or 30.

5. Do you like eggnog? Not particularly. I don't drink milk products as a rule - lactose issues. But my husband's family *loves* boiled custard, which I had never heard of until I became family member.


6. Favorite gift received as a child? I received my first bike when I was five years old. It was blue and had training wheels. It had a Bat Girl doll riding on the seat.


7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. I have a hand-carved one and a few others.

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

A hair-rolling set. This came from my grandmother in California, who I have met only twice and who knew nothing about me. In particular she did not know that I am not very capable when it comes to hair. I need a nice no-nonsense cut and always have.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? I do both, but mostly mail. I sent out about 70 cards this year. I intend to cut back on the list every year but it is always hard for me to leave someone out.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't really have one. My favorite Christmas TV show is "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," the original version with Burl Ives as the Snowman. It is must-see TV for my husband and myself.


11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Generally in September or October.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge, hands down.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Always colored. Clear lights are so formal.

14. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night, particularly the Jim Neighbors version. Here it is on Youtube.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I stay home. Christmas Eve is celebrated by family coming to me - an aunt, a cousin, and now the cousin's wife and child, my great aunt. The numbers have dwindled. This year I will be missing my grandmother. It will be the first time in 24 years she has not been to my home for the holiday. She passed away in June. Christmas Day, we go to my in-laws to spend the hours with them and my husband's sister's family.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, and Olive, the other reindeer. ;-) I think there is also one named Clyde.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? At the moment it's an angel, though it has been a star. We have a star outside as a decoration.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Christmas morning. When I was a child, my parents would let my brother and I open our gifts to one another.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I must say, having Christmas carols blasting on the radio on November 22 annoyed me a lot. It takes away the specialness of the season. By the time you've heard some of those songs 100 times, you don't want to hear them again when it matters most!

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Not really. I do have a lot of Santa Mouses and firefighter decorations on the tree, but it's not really a theme.

21. What do you leave for Santa? I don't leave anything for him; I just take him to bed....

22. Least favorite holiday song? I like almost all of them, but some of the "funny" ones can be rather grating (Grandma Got Runned Over by a Reindeer, etc).

23. Favorite ornament? A Santa Mouse that my parents purchased on their first Christmas. I do not have it, though.

24. Family tradition? Just being with my husband spending time with people I love.

25. Ever been to Midnight Mass? My area churches have a community service that I have attended. It is a lovely way to spend Christmas Eve.

26. Most memorable good deed you witnessed or participated in during the holidays? The Social Services Department does the angel tree and ensures a happy Christmas for about 4500 families in our area. I applaud them for that.

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Anyone reading this is welcome to participate in this meme either by a post on a blog or as a comment here. For the bloggers, you're supposed to:

Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
Share Christmas facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I am not tagging anyone. But if you want to do the meme, please do!