Christmas Meme

1.Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both--Nog is better with adult-beverage additions, while I like my cocoa unadulterated. We get our nog from Longmont Dairy, and it is really, really good.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Wrap, unless they're unusually oddly shaped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? This year: multicolor lights outside, probably white inside if/when we get to it. If I ever get organized enough, we'll probably get single-color lights for outside, but that would require much more measuring and aforethought than I had time for this year.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope, though largely because I can only find the fake kind as opposed to having any aversion to mistletoe.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, probably mid-December although I have a few things up/out now.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Mashed potatoes, followed closely by cranberry sauce that my husband makes. Mmmmm, carbs and sugar.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Opening presents the year Mom got us all matching flannel pajamas. The pictures from that year are really funny since we're all in various shades of plaid. Also, covering our schnauzer Heidi in bows from head to tail, and playing trash basketball with all the wrapping paper leftover in the family room after all the presents were opened.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember NOT knowing the truth about Santa, but we still get gifts from Santa every Christmas through my parents.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I open several because it's my birthday!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Ask me if we finally get around to getting one this year. :) I have lots of ornaments I've collected over the years that I usually find some way to display, but this will be the first Christmas we spend in our own house instead of with our folks, so we're just figuring out what traditions we want to have. A tree is on the "definitely maybe" list but I'm still waffling between real and fake.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it (except when I have to drive or fly long distances in it).

12. Can you ice skate? I can. I haven't done so in a long time but I am capable of it. No triple axels, though I could probably come up with a Lutz. That sounds like something an amateur could handle.

13. Favorite Holiday movie: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," specifically the old animated version narrated by Boris Karloff. I refuse to see the Jim Carrey version.

14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Birthday dessert! I am not a big cake fan so this might be tiramisu, cheesecake, ice cream...depends on what I'm in the mood for. I'm pretty much burned out on Christmas cookies and we try something different every year in the realm of baked goods. My aunt used to get these fabulous chocolate-and-cherry-center cookies at her teachers' cookie exchange every year...I loved those, so maybe I'll look for a recipe for them this year.

15. What is a favorite holiday tradition? Stocking presents. Just started that "tradition" last year but we plan to do it again this year. Twice is a tradition, right? Also, driving around looking at Christmas lights is a fabulous way to calm cranky children on Christmas Eve (or any time in December really). Fave tradition I haven't started yet: an Advent calendar--I keep intending to make one every year and it's already the middle of the first week of Advent before I remember.

16. What tops your tree? We don't have a tree (yet). I will probably lean toward the star/colorful topper rather than an angel, as I've yet to find an angel that I would really like even after some time looking.

17. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving.

18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I Wonder as I Wander...or Handel's Messiah, especially "For Unto Us a Child is Born" and the "Hallelujah Chorus" because I still know the alto parts by heart.

19. Candy Canes? Not big on them.