Christmas Meme

I got this from Lola and it looks like fun.

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Tough choice. I think egg nog at Christmastime, particularly if it has some brandy in it. On the other hand, I love hot chocolate.....

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I used to wrap everything carefully, but once you have a child, it seems pointless to do more than just wrap the presents. Now that she's almost grown, I do the bag thing.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Always white. I come from New England, and white lights make me think of icicles.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, always!

5. When do you put your decorations up? Until a couple of years ago, the earlier the better. I always used to put the tree up on Thanksgiving weekend. But then my parents were failing and it was hard to get everything up. Last year was the first year without my folks, and I just couldn't get into the spirit, so I think we finally got the tree up about a week or so before Christmas. Our tree still isn't up - we were going to do it this afternoon, but both of us are sick. This week for sure, though!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? For Christmas, I like to eat either chicken cooked in wine or roast pork or kibbee.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Most of my favorite childhood memories have to do with my mother, her sisters and my grandmother cooking for weeks prior to every holiday in that old green kitchen on B St.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember, I really don't. I don't remember that I was devastated or anything.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? As a child, the family would go to midnight mass, and stop at our house on the way home to wake me up so I could open my presents. Once I married, my husband didn't want to do that - he was used to Christmas morning presents. We moved to the other coast, and there was no family around, so it was easy to do the Christmas morning thing. I like it better.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I have enough ornaments for probably 4 or 5 trees! I love Christmas trees! For a few years I did theme trees, but I usually prefer the old favorite ornaments that have been passed down from my parents and that I have collected. Every year I purchase or make a few new ornaments to commemorate that year, and always get a new ornament or two to put away for dear daughter.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love the look of it! Hate shoveling it. Hate the cold.

12. Can you ice skate? Unfortunately, no. I am Uncle Conrads ONLY failure.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Yes, absolutely. Each year, I would receive a brand spanking new box of 64 Crayola crayons. What more could I have wanted?

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Passing traditions on to my daughter.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Cannolis. Buche de Noel. Baqlawa.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? The christmas ornaments that I've collected.

17. What tops your tree? A star with an angel just below it.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I really wish that presents were not part of Christmas.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O House of Ephratha; Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming; O Holy Night; Slava Vishny Bogu (sorry for the butchered spelling!)

20. Candy Canes… yuck or yum? Nice to look at, not to eat.