Readers' Guide to How We Celebrate Christmas*

*but didn't care enough to ask.
Disclaimer: This Q&A was taken from http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/.  No worries Mr/s. Plagiarism Police, she said I could have it!  (She's a giver.)  So :P (that's a smiley with his tongue out for all of my +40 crowd.)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Both.  Although both are highly caloric (especially the REALLY good ones), one glass of egg nog per year is a must.  Plus, calories are kinda out the window for holidays, right?  Unfortunately, my jeans would not agree.

*Now picturing a recent conversation I had with Zoey, while putting on my jeans. It went as follows:
Z: Mom, why are you jumping and kicking like that?
Me: (Breathless) Because...(breath)...this is how we women do it.
Z: (Bewildered) Ohhhhhh.

Having a mug of hot chocolate after braving the ridiculously cold, north Oklahoma wind can be a life saver (and a possible tongue scorcher).  I remember the best hot chocolate I ever had was from Barnes and Noble.  I swore they made it so good by melting a chocolate bar right into my drink.  In fact, they probably did.


2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?  Santa is a funny man around this house.  He gets confused every year.  Which presents are from mom and dad and which presents are from Santa?  But he's starting to get the hang of it.  Smaller (a.k.a. boring) presents (like clothes) are usually from mom and dad and wrapped in cute, coordinating gift wrap.  And the big, tada, of a present is from Santa.  It usually sits unwrapped, close by the over-stuffed stockings...that is, if it will fit in the house.  


3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? This one varies per ornaments used. As a child we always had colored lights on the tree, so that's what I wanted when I got married and started doing my own tree.  Now I think the monochromatic white lighted trees are beautiful.  But I have come to the conclusion that I like white lights best when done with a monochromatic ornament theme, which is the case for our "pretty" tree that is displayed in the front window of our house.  It looks fancy pants.  As for the good ole homemade ornaments that my husband and I have from our childhood, and the ole obligated-to-hang-on-the-tree-this-year-because-the-kids-just-made-them-at-school ornaments, we put those on our real (as in alive) Christmas tree with colored lights...just like when I was a kid. 
As for the house, I'm currently seeking therapy because my dad wouldn't ever put lights up outside (still won't).  So, to even out the lack of lights from my childhood, we go "Griswold" when it comes to exterior illumination.  (Yes, Griswold is also a verb.)  Ok, maybe not that extreme, but Sean and Gavin do a great job putting them up.  They're mostly white, but our neighbors down the street have some that are red, green, and white and I have been coveting thy neighbor's lights. 


4. Do you hang mistletoe?  No.  I have two kids...don't need any more.


5. When do you put your decorations up? They are up!  All 'cept for the tree.  Decorating does not begin until the official sign of Christmas has appeared...the unveiling of the Christmas apron.  Once the aforementioned apron is adorned, decorating commences.   The digital music Christmas station gets turned up loud, I put on my apron, place tape, straight pins and scissors in my fancy pocket and get to work tying red bows on anything that will hold still.  Since we get a real tree (for the aforementioned homemade ornaments), and since it never seems to drink any decent amount of water to make it more than a couple weeks, and since we aren't real keen on the idea of burning down our house, we usually wait a while longer to get the tree.  NOTE: I am a stickler for decorating anything Christmas related until AFTER Thanksgiving.  One holiday at a time, please.  No need to jumpfrog the holidays.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? All of them.  Just the idea that it's ok to snack ALL day long, even if you're not hungry.  I love it.  Ok, that is an outright Christmas lie with all the trimmings (thank you Merry Madagascar).  Christmas Eve dinner is da winner, hands down: the biggest crab legs you've ever seen, dad grills out filets, we have baked potatoes (you know, the kind with kosher salt on the outside, baked until the skins are just a bit tough...yum!!!), burgundy mushrooms, and a fabulously delicious Caesar salad. 


7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?  Opening up presents on Christmas Eve night, then anxiously going to bed, hoping I could actually fall asleep before Santa would catch me awake and fill my stocking with coal.  Then, waking up in the middle of the night, not knowing if he'd been there or not, and trying to quickly fall back asleep just in case he hadn't.  Finally, waking up and it being Christmas morning, slowly making my way down the stone hallway to peer around the stone corner to find a bunch of wood in the living room.  Going to my mom and dad's room and telling them, "Santa brought me a bunch of chairs!" and not knowing whether to be totally excited or totally mad for being ripped off.  And finally discovering those chairs were really the parts to my brand new waterbed!

OR

Crying on Christmas day because my dad and uncle were hogging MY new Nintendo and wouldn't allow me to play...Mario Brothers! (Another cause for today's therapy need.)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?  The year I wrote Santa a letter on my white wash board and realized when he wrote me back it looked an awful lot like mom's handwriting.  That was last year.


9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?  Oh heck yeah.  And I officially petition to start earlier and earlier each year!


10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?  Usually take my childhood ornaments, put a hook in 'em, then place 'em approx 5'8" above the ground.


11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it.  At least for a couple days, then it gets boring to be cooped up in the house, cabin fever sets in quickly and it seems like it's always the days that I know we can't get out that I want to get out the most.  "Hey, let's GO rent a movie.  Oh wait, we are snowed in...never mind (pouty face)".  And the weird thing is we never GO rent movies...ever.  But I always have the desire when I know we can't go.  So I, instead, opt for some homemade hot chocolate (bereft the chocolate bar).


12. Can you ice skate?  I can.  You should see my triple sow cow. 

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? See #7.  Oh but now that I'm reading back on this, I would probably be put in wife jail if I didn't say the marriage proposal I received in the snow, one blustery Christmas Eve night.  (true story)

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?  I think it's considered blasphemy of the Christmas Spirit if you don't answer the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ, right?

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?  Hmmm, probably overly decorated and iced Christmas sugar cookies. 

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?  See #6


17. What tops your tree?  Nobody's tree tops my tree.


18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?  I prefer for people to give me gifts and I prefer to receive them.  (I know it makes people feel good to give gifts so really, that's my gift to them, they get to feel good.  And you can't buy that at a store.)


19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Mary Did You Know...gets me every time.  And not as much until I became a mother.  How could she have known?  "Mary did you know, when you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God?"  "Mary did you know, that sleeping child you're holding is the GREAT I AM?"  Wow.  Goose bumps as I type.  Powerful.  Coming in at a close second is I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas.


20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?  Only good for decorating with and giving to my children as pacfiers.  They are crazy yummy smashed on top of my chocolate covered oreos though!

21 Favorite Christmas Show?  Elf.  Hands down.  I wish everyone was that happy and innocent all year long.  "Do you need a hug?"  "You're so pretty, you should be on a Christmas card."  Seriously.  Who wouldn't love to be told that?

22. Saddest Christmas Song?  Christmas Shoes.  It's my most hated song too.  Whoever wrote it ONLY did so to jerk tears out of innocent Christmas shoppers.  Who wouldn't ball over a child who's only Christmas wish is to buy their dying mom a pair of Christmas shoes so she looks nice when she meets Jesus?  WHAT?!  That is UNNECESSARY and UNCALLED for!  You can't have my heart strings!!  I turn off the song every time it comes on.  Besides WHO wears Christmas shoes??  And if this is the new trend, I want some!  (Then you can see my new Christmas shoes and be happy for me.  See?!  I am a giver.)


Until next time.  Mwah!