Getting to Know Me--Christmas Edition

December 1st....where has the year gone? It is so hard to believe that Christmas is almost upon us, that 2008 is thirty days from closing. Mom is getting ready to do this "tag of sorts" on her blog, and I thought I would do it on mine as well. You can get to know the "me" that comes every December. I do enjoy the Christmas season!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper with lots of curly ribbon! Of course, I tone it down for Garrett's packages.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I do love the smell of real evergreens, but Mom is allergic to the pine. She gets these terrible headaches.....so we use an artificial. There is a story behind our tree that Mom has said I should share with you all......I probably will. =)

3. When do you put up the tree? It depends, but it is NEVER the day after Thanksgiving. Garrett doesn't want Christmas to overshadow his birthday and I can't blame him. I think the plan is to decorate this Friday.

4. When do you take the tree down? That I do not know. Usually a few days after Christmas, but the winter decorations stay up until March.

5. Do you like egg nog? Yes! Definitely! Though for some reason, I always forget it is in the fridge when we have it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Aren't I still a child?! =) Sort of. But I think my favorite gift has been my American Girl doll, Samantha, that I received at age 10. Though I have seen video of getting my doll house around age 5. I was screaming so loud with that gift, my voice went hoarse.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, we have a Precious Moments one that we've used ever since I can remember. When I was younger, I used to keep the baby Jesus in my room until Christmas.....on that morning, He was gone.....and where He should be. However, Mom would like a more "serious" looking one now.

8. Hardest person to buy for? it used to be Garrett, but I have gotten him down pat. Dad has gotten harder =)

9. Easiest person to buy for? Hands-down, Mom. I could bascially buy my personality for her.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail cards, though I send e-cards as well. Mom does a Christmas letter every year to long distance people. I love to re-read what she has written each year.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I have zero idea. I like all of things people give me. After all, they don't have to think of me.

12. Favorite Christmas movie(s) What a hard question!! I love White Christmas--there's the musical lover in me. I also have to watch The Christmas Box every year. And It's a Wonderful Life is Christmas night tradition.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I work on the handmade things all throughout the year...or I start compiling ideas.But I will really start in the next week: buying things, ordering things, sending things =)

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes, I do it some. I know I have done it with bath products. I have so many....why not pass them on so someone could use them more readily.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Orange Bread--our traditional breakfast Christmas morning. And peppermint cheesecake!! Christmas wouldn't be complete without cheesecake!! I will post that recipe.

16. Clear or colored Christmas lights? Colored on the tree--clear if we decorate outside--and we don't that much

17. Favorite Christmas song(s)? I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day; Mary, Did you Know; Christmas is All in the Heart; Angels We Have Heard on High; Joy to the World; and White Christmas (if that counts =)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Nana and PopPop used to come to our house when we lived in Florida. Now, we stay home here--and we like having it just the family for this holiday. We have shaken things up, as we eat a brunch, slowing and thankfully open gifts, and then we eat snacks (and cheesecake) as we watch It's a Wonderful Life.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen and Rudolph. (This was a given, since I never deleted Mom's answers...but I could have named them myself)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? An porcelain angel Nana made. But know that we have low ceilings....and it can't fit on our big tree....I put the angel on my own little artificial treee.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The commercialization and materialism. I won't deny that is my majoyr pet peeve with Christmas. It isn't about Christ and giving any more; it's all gimme, gimme, gimme. And I detest the selfish shoppers who are rude as all get out.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love all of our ornaments. You can easily forget what ones you have, since you only see them once a year.

24. Favorite dinner for Christmas? I already said what we do for our meal. We used to have a tradition of going out to dinner on Christmas Eve at a nice restaurant. But that meant expensive....and that isn't in the budget anymore.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? That's a self-centered question! I would love for our adoption papers to have speedy results, we're going to get another beagle puppy! We decided this year that we wouldn't buy that much this year and got a family gift instead--a new TV on sale. And I am buying myself the MP3 player. So, I guess I want my family to just feel blessed this Christmas--and we do.

26. Do you bake lots of goodies during the holidays? Absolutely!! It is a must. I love the peanut butter cup cookies that for some reason only get made at Christmastime. Then there are sugar cookies, Dad and Garrett make the fruit cake, and all sorts of other stuff.

27. Do you decorate different rooms of your home? Yes. Downstairs we have the Christmas tree. The main level has garland, the nativity scene, and some other things. My room gets a little Christmas tree with special ornaments (at least of me) I also put up fake pointsettas.

28. What decorations do you put outside? WE used to, but Dad doesn't exactly want to battle the winds (which we have plenty of) and put them up. So, we use our cross all in white lights. That's the true meaning of Christmas after all.

29. How do you spend Christmas Eve? I already told you--we used to do the nice restaurant thing and look at Christmas lights. But no one really puts them up any more. And expensive dinners aren't in the budget. (Cheesecake Factory for graduation was a treat!) So, I don't quite know what we will do this year.

30. Is Christmas your favorite holiday? Yes. I love planning the gifts I want to give my family and dear friends. But when it gets too commerical.....I detest it =)

Okay, so I tag all of you who are in to these things! I would really enjoy hearing!