Christmas Meme

Pilfered from Mom-o-matic.

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot chocolate by default. I've never tried egg nog, and I'm terrified of new things.

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped, of course. It's my favorite part of the gift process, the wrapping.

Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I prefer the simplicity and clean look of white lights, although my parents' tree always had colored lights.

Do you hang mistletoe?
No. We do enough kissing on our own. Still honeymooning. And besides, we almost never have visitors. Impinges on our kissing time.

When do you put your decorations up?
Hah. Well, since moving out of my parents' house when I was 18, I don't decorate for Christmas. I imagine I'll start next year when Ben's old enough not to put everything in his mouth. Then I'll put up the decorations after Halloween.

What is your favorite holiday dish?
The mashed potatoes, I guess. Love the starchy stuff.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
The temperature game my father would play on Christmas Eve. As a tradition, we opened all of our presents on Christmas Eve after we got back from church. My dad liked to torture us, so he'd make us wait until the temperature dropped six degrees. We'd be calling the local time/temperature automated system every thirty seconds. It was a control game, but we thought it was fun.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My mother is a devout pentecostal Christian. Therefore, no child of hers will participate in the tomfoolery and sacrilege that is the secular Christmas. I never believed in Santa. Gifts came from parents and friends.

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
My parents' tree was always fake since my dad is allergic to conifers. We'd start with a base of twinkle lights, add on some garland or beads, and then layer on the ornaments, both the glass store-bought ones and the home-made ones that the kids created over the years. My tree with my own family will also be fake with white lights, beads and ribbons.

Snow. Love it or Dread it ??
Absolutely love it. So crisp and clean and twinkly. I love early morning after a snow fall, and the sun is hitting the snow just right and everything sparkles like diamonds. I don't even mind shoveling. It's like a meditation.

Can you ice skate?
Yes, but not comfortably. I don't think fat girls were meant to skate across an expanse of ice on two tiny steel blades. Makes my ankles hurt just thinking about it.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Probably my Cabbage Patch doll. We were po' when I was a little kid, and as a rule, none of my toys were new. I didn't really notice, but I really really wanted a Cabbage Patch doll, and they were too new to be able to find second-hand yet. But I got a precious little doll with red yarn hair. Mom even made a cheerleading outfit for her in my brothers' high school colors.

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Getting together with family. We never manage to get around to it otherwise.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Mom's apple pie. I can never get the crust right.

Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving. I very much dislike receiving because I find it embarrassing. Since we're hard up for spending money, though, giving is kind of embarrassing too. I wish store-bought gifts could be outlawed for this year. I feel bad giving my siblings tins of home-made cookies when they got me a cd or a nice sweater or a giftcard.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
I rocked out to The Little Drummer Boy last night. Pah-rum-pah-pum-pum. Ding. Ding.

Candy canes?
Not a big fan of the peppermint ones. I like the fruity kind. In the holiday season I suck on them as a substitute for the cigarettes I still miss smoking.