Christmas Traditions

I've seen this cute Christmas survey going around lately, so I thought it would be fun to post!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate, no question. Egg nog is gross.

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just put them under the tree? Well, I think if you want to get technical, the elves actually wrap the presents. But yes, under our tree, the presents are definitely wrapped!

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white? White all the way. I adore the look of a tree full of twinkling white lights, I think it's so classic and beautiful. And white lights in the snow? The perfect Christmas decoration!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I do hang up what I think is called a kissing ball. It's made of tiny pine cones and berries and greenery and I do believe it's supposed to have the same effect.

5. When do you put your decorations up? I aim for the first weekend in December. Any earlier and it just feels wrong, any later and it feels like I just put them up before having to take them back down again. Although, this year I was guilty of putting the lights on my house before Thanksgiving, but that's only because it was 60 degrees outside and Sweets was taking a good nap!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My mom's Christmas cookies! Every year she and I do our "Christmas Cookie Blitz" where we spend an entire day baking and frosting and decorating. I love looking at the pile of cookie tins and deciding which cookie I want for dessert for weeks afterwards (you have to store your cookies in the fridge, that's the key to keeping them fresh as long as possible).

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? I loved decorating the tree together every year and pulling out all the ornaments to reminisce about when we got them.

8. How and when did you learn the truth about Santa? I think I was maybe 6 or 7. Too young to be robbed of the joy of Santa. My childhood best friend and her big sister sat me down and told me that Santa wasn't real. My mom was upset that they told me, but I'm pretty sure I held onto to Santa for a few more years, until his handwriting started to look an awful lot like my dad's ;)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we open our gifts from Hubs' family on Christmas Eve. And I think this year we'll start giving Sweets his Christmas pjs to open so he can wear them to bed that night.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With white lights and gold gossamer ribbon and our collection of super special ornaments. Pretty much every ornament we have is very  meaningful, whether it came off one of our parents' trees or was given to us. My grandma started the tradition of giving me an ornament every year and when she passed away, my parents carried it on. So I have all of those, plus our growing collection of family ornaments, like the ones from the years we got engaged, got married, bought our house, had Sweetie Pea, etc. I can't wait to start giving him his own ornaments! 

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? I think there's something magical about the first snowfall. Then I hate it for the next 7 months of winter!

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, if you consider staying upright on a pair of skates "ice skating."

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I'd have to say my engagement ring, which Hubs gave me on 12/23/2006.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Appreciating how truly blessed we are. I know we should remember this all year round, but the holidays make me especially thankful. And the special time with our family and friends. Everyone is so full of joy during the holiday season, I love it!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My mom's aforementioned Christmas cookies :)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I have a lot of favorites, but right now I'd say my most favorite is that we get to spend Christmas Eve with Hubs' family and Christmas Day with mine. I really love how that works out!

17. What tops your tree? A wooden star.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I love giving! Especially when I've found the perfect present, and especially now that I'm a mama. Is there anything better than buying presents for your child???

19. Candy canes: yuck or yum? YUCK.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Movie? Show: The Christmas Toy. It was on like 1 year, in the 1980s, but we used to have it on VHS (until my dad tracked it down on DVD!) so we would watch it every year. It's a Jim Henson Christmas special about all these toys who come to life after their children are in bed and what happens when some new toys join the mix on Christmas. It's a gem, you should Netflix it! Movie: White Christmas, hands down. We watch it every year. There's nothing like a little Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney to really make it feel like Christmas!

21. Most annoying Christmas song? Feliz Navidad. I can't change the channel fast enough when it comes on!

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night. It gives me goose bumps. I love it not only because it's beautiful, but because it totally embodies what Christmas is really about: the birth of Jesus Christ.