It's the most wonderful time of the year, and my addiction to lists compelled me to put together a little holiday questionnaire. Feel free to use the survey on your own blog (just link back to me, if you please!) and make sure you leave your info in the comments so I can read your answers. If you don't want to fill out the whole survey, I'd love to read about how you celebrate the holiday season in the comments.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Favorite Christmas song(s): My favorite song is "Carol of the Bells" by Celtic Woman, and I also love Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo." We actually got to see TSO live a couple years ago at Christmastime and it was so much fun!
As for general carols, I love "Jingle Bell Rock" and (even though I'm not religious) I've always liked "The First Noel." When I was little I loved "The Little Drummer Boy," which we had on vinyl album for the record player.
Favorite Christmas movie(s): "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" ("Shitter was full!" "I don't know, Margo!" "...the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse!") and "The Holiday." I totally want Kate Winslet's English cottage!
Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch or Charlie Brown?: Tough choice, but I'll go with Rudolph. (Though now that I'm a grown woman, I find it appalling/hilarious how sexist some of the scenes are: "This is man's work!")
Best and/or most memorable Christmas gift you ever received: One year I asked Santa for a pogo stick and he came through! I also remember asking Santa for proof that he was real and he left me a reindeer bell, which is still in my stocking to this day.
Real tree or artificial tree?: Growing up we always had an artificial tree, but my husband's motto is "real tree or no tree." We used to get our trees from Lowe's or the parking lot tree stand, but the past several years we've gone and cut down our own. This year I'll miss the place we went in Ohio, Young's Dairy, which rewards visitors after their muddy trek through the fields with cocoa and popcorn, but here in Hawaii we'll go cut down a wacky-looking Norfolk pine, which is always fun.
What tops your tree? Star? Angel? Bow?: A clip-on aluminum boxer dog!
Do you send out Christmas cards? Do you go photo card or traditional?: For the longest time I sent out regular Christmas cards and hand-wrote a personal note in each and every one. After we got our fur baby, Conan, and got married, we'd take a family Christmas photo every year and include it in the card. But a few years ago I finally joined the masses and started ordering photo cards. Our beloved Conan passed away in 2014, so more recently I've made collages featuring some of our travels and adventures each year, plus one of our kitty, Lily.
When did you stop believing in Santa?: I'm pretty sure it was third grade. I was looking in our filing cabinet for something or other and of course I couldn't resist the folder labeled "Lindsay." In it was one of my Santa letters that should've been at the North Pole! Luckily my brother is eight years younger than me (he was born that same year) so I got the excitement of Santa for several more years!
Do you have any special Christmastime traditions?: Leaving "A Christmas Story" on TV all day. Watching "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" as a family (which has carried over to Jarrod and me watching it together every December). Driving around to look at Christmas lights. Also, my mom and I do our calendars together every December. We go through and write down birthdays, add stickers and reminisce about the past year. I also do up a calendar for my grandma, which is one of her Christmas gifts each year. Now my mom and I have our calendar date via Skype.
Do you have a favorite type of decoration -- snowmen, trees, Christmas village, etc.?: I love holiday decorations (and I mean every holiday)! I have some of everything, but I especially love reindeer. I also have a propensity for stuff with pine or holly adornments, and pinecones!
Do you have any sentimental decorations or ornaments?: I have a cherished 1989 Hallmark ornament of a white bunny stringing up cranberries. He's now adorned with a bit of glue -- I distinctly remember using him as a toy when I was little -- but he's my most favorite ornament and he always gets a place of honor on the tree.
White lights or colored lights? Big old-fashioned lights or mini lights?: Colored mini lights on the tree, colored icicle lights on the house.
When do you start decorating for Christmas?: I always put up my mini tree on Thanksgiving (which holds sentimental value for me because most of the ornaments came from my grandma -- my mom's mom -- who passed away in 2004) and the rest of my decorations sometime in the next week. We usually go get our tree the first or second weekend in December. I love Christmas, but I'm totally opposed to decorating before Thanksgiving. Part of the joy and fun of the season is the excitement and the anticipation and the expectation -- it only comes around for one month each year! Extending the season more and more makes it less special, I think.
Favorite Christmas treat: Anything and everything peppermint! Some particular favorites are the peppermint mocha from Starbucks and the peppermint chip milkshake from Chick-fil-a (which, sadly, I can't get in Hawaii). I also love baking chocolate cookies with peppermint frosting.
Do you like sugar cookies? Gingerbread cookies?: Nope, not really! But I love decorating them. (And, I mean, if they're right in front of me I'm not gonna turn them down.)
Do you say cocoa or hot chocolate? Do you like your warm chocolate-y beverage with marshmallows?: Cocoa girl here! Marshmallows occasionally.
What do you eat at your Christmas feast?: Ham, sweet potatoes and a slew of sides. And of course dessert! Last year I made a yummy Bailey's cheesecake. (It just occurred to me that this would be a fun dessert for an "It's a Wonderful Life" watching party -- Bailey's cheesecake, George Bailey...)
Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve or do you wait until Christmas morning?: When I was a kid we'd all open one gift on Christmas Eve, but now my husband and I usually wait until Christmas Day. As an adult, I'm all about delayed gratification.
Favorite Christmas-y secent:? Cinnamon!
If you could ask Santa for any gift this year -- and know that he'd bring it -- what would it be?: Plane tickets to visit my family in Colorado next Christmas. And, hey, let's go ahead and make them first class. Alternatively, a female brindle boxer puppy.
As for general carols, I love "Jingle Bell Rock" and (even though I'm not religious) I've always liked "The First Noel." When I was little I loved "The Little Drummer Boy," which we had on vinyl album for the record player.
Favorite Christmas movie(s): "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" ("Shitter was full!" "I don't know, Margo!" "...the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse!") and "The Holiday." I totally want Kate Winslet's English cottage!
Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch or Charlie Brown?: Tough choice, but I'll go with Rudolph. (Though now that I'm a grown woman, I find it appalling/hilarious how sexist some of the scenes are: "This is man's work!")
Best and/or most memorable Christmas gift you ever received: One year I asked Santa for a pogo stick and he came through! I also remember asking Santa for proof that he was real and he left me a reindeer bell, which is still in my stocking to this day.
Real tree or artificial tree?: Growing up we always had an artificial tree, but my husband's motto is "real tree or no tree." We used to get our trees from Lowe's or the parking lot tree stand, but the past several years we've gone and cut down our own. This year I'll miss the place we went in Ohio, Young's Dairy, which rewards visitors after their muddy trek through the fields with cocoa and popcorn, but here in Hawaii we'll go cut down a wacky-looking Norfolk pine, which is always fun.
What tops your tree? Star? Angel? Bow?: A clip-on aluminum boxer dog!
Do you send out Christmas cards? Do you go photo card or traditional?: For the longest time I sent out regular Christmas cards and hand-wrote a personal note in each and every one. After we got our fur baby, Conan, and got married, we'd take a family Christmas photo every year and include it in the card. But a few years ago I finally joined the masses and started ordering photo cards. Our beloved Conan passed away in 2014, so more recently I've made collages featuring some of our travels and adventures each year, plus one of our kitty, Lily.
Christmas 2012
Do you have a favorite type of decoration -- snowmen, trees, Christmas village, etc.?: I love holiday decorations (and I mean every holiday)! I have some of everything, but I especially love reindeer. I also have a propensity for stuff with pine or holly adornments, and pinecones!
Do you have any sentimental decorations or ornaments?: I have a cherished 1989 Hallmark ornament of a white bunny stringing up cranberries. He's now adorned with a bit of glue -- I distinctly remember using him as a toy when I was little -- but he's my most favorite ornament and he always gets a place of honor on the tree.
White lights or colored lights? Big old-fashioned lights or mini lights?: Colored mini lights on the tree, colored icicle lights on the house.
When do you start decorating for Christmas?: I always put up my mini tree on Thanksgiving (which holds sentimental value for me because most of the ornaments came from my grandma -- my mom's mom -- who passed away in 2004) and the rest of my decorations sometime in the next week. We usually go get our tree the first or second weekend in December. I love Christmas, but I'm totally opposed to decorating before Thanksgiving. Part of the joy and fun of the season is the excitement and the anticipation and the expectation -- it only comes around for one month each year! Extending the season more and more makes it less special, I think.
Favorite Christmas treat: Anything and everything peppermint! Some particular favorites are the peppermint mocha from Starbucks and the peppermint chip milkshake from Chick-fil-a (which, sadly, I can't get in Hawaii). I also love baking chocolate cookies with peppermint frosting.
Do you like sugar cookies? Gingerbread cookies?: Nope, not really! But I love decorating them. (And, I mean, if they're right in front of me I'm not gonna turn them down.)
Do you say cocoa or hot chocolate? Do you like your warm chocolate-y beverage with marshmallows?: Cocoa girl here! Marshmallows occasionally.
What do you eat at your Christmas feast?: Ham, sweet potatoes and a slew of sides. And of course dessert! Last year I made a yummy Bailey's cheesecake. (It just occurred to me that this would be a fun dessert for an "It's a Wonderful Life" watching party -- Bailey's cheesecake, George Bailey...)
Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve or do you wait until Christmas morning?: When I was a kid we'd all open one gift on Christmas Eve, but now my husband and I usually wait until Christmas Day. As an adult, I'm all about delayed gratification.
Favorite Christmas-y secent:? Cinnamon!
If you could ask Santa for any gift this year -- and know that he'd bring it -- what would it be?: Plane tickets to visit my family in Colorado next Christmas. And, hey, let's go ahead and make them first class. Alternatively, a female brindle boxer puppy.
I don't decorate, exchange gifts, listen to Christmas music/carols or send cards. Home Alone 1 or 2 are the only Christmas films I watch if they are on tv. I usually spend the festive period watching cricket and darts and favourite dvds instead of all the usual repeats! As a kid we had an artificial tree which I loved and gifts were Christmas Day only. I do cook a turkey joint with sage and onion stuffing, bread sauce and then a pavlova or cheesecake or something for later. I didn't see a button or link to press to take me to a survey to fill out so I just answered here.
ReplyDeleteOh goodness, I'm not that tech savvy. I was just thinking copy and paste! ;) "Home Alone" is a great Christmas movie! I haven't seen it in ages, though -- maybe I need to make a point to watch it this season. Thanks for sharing your answers!
DeleteI love this survey so much!!! Totally doing it too. I am a real tree gal myself. I would do artificial if it was awesome looking but just haven't found one I love. Photo cards are the best - so easy and I love seeing everyone when I get them. Hope you have a love holiday :)
ReplyDeleteYay! I'll stop by to read your answers! I love receiving photo cards too -- it's so nice to open up an envelope and see a picture of a smiling, gorgeous family (or fur family, in some cases!).
DeleteI'm definitely going to do this on my blog next week. It's a great survey. Also, LOVE LOVE LOVE the boxer dog on the top of the tree. The year out first boxer passed away, my mom ordered us an angel tree topper that has wings but a porcelain boxer head. I will treasure it always. I'll be sure to add a picture when I do my survey!
ReplyDeleteThat's great, Barb! I can't wait to read your answers! And I'm looking forward to a photo of your tree topper, which sounds so wonderful! We always had a hard time with toppers -- they don't make a ton of them that fit right on real trees -- and the last Christmas before Conan passed away I came across that boxer topper on Etsy and instantly knew we had to have it. Now Conan's memory tops our tree every year. :)
DeleteWhat fun! I'm going to post my answers tomorrow!
ReplyDeletePS. What a cute tree topper!!
We adore our topper! Our beloved boxer, Conan, passed away in 2014 but he'll always be with us at Christmas! :)
DeleteI found my way here through some other blogs that I follow. I love your survey (which I will definitely be borrowing), and now I'm following you as well. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Katie! :)
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