A Fun Holiday List
Jennie, fellow list lover over at Trim and Fashionable put me onto this. Chime in with your own answers or copy the questions and answer them on your blog.
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Egg nog if it is the stuff made with whipped egg whites, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and rum. It’s like eating a tasty cloud.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped them with the same paper my mom and dad used. Mom evidently didn’t think much of our deductive reasoning abilities.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Both, mixed together. I also use the big colored lights mixed with the small ones and I like a random twinkle here and there. Outside I don’t outline corners of the house or anything. Just a lighted evergreen garland over the doorway.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No, but I love hearing stories about people taking their shotguns into the woods to shoot it out of trees. It's so cavemanish. A violent start for such a romantic tradition.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
In fits and starts beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving. I’ll keep putz and rearrange stuff until after Christmas. I even put out all of the ½ off after Christmas bargain decorations I buy, even if it is just for a day or two.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
My mom’s cornbread dressing.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
My sister and I and our cousins Kara and Howard all got matching sleds one Christmas Eve at our Mamaw and Grandad’s. We were ready for bed when we opened them, but since it was one of the few Christmas Eves that it snowed when we were kids our parents let us take a quick nightime spin down the bank by the driveway in our pajamas. I hope when I get to be a parent I have the good sense my parents did not to ruin the moment.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My sister took me up to the attic before Christmas where our presents were hidden so we could play with our Santa gifts. Any dissappointment was offset by the knowledge that my net fun was increased by opening my presents early.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We open one on Christmas Eve. Sometimes John gets so excited about the things he gets me that he wants me to open more so I do. I'm just selfless that way.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Anything not nailed down is fair game. My mom and Mamaw hid some of our presents in the tree. If my mamaw thought something looked Christmasy she would just go ahead and put it on there. One year she whipped up some suds from ivory soap flakes and she and I put those on her tree. We thought it looked like snow. I loved how random everything was. I’m definately a more is more tree decorator-mostly German blown glass ornmanents, but also love ones people give me. About 800 lights (I put the shiny silver balls on the inner branches so they reflect light out for more sparkle). No garland but a few years back I found three packages of the old-fashinoned heavy (I think they are actually made of lead, which is probably why they stopped selling them) shiny tinsel icicles. I put them all on. I love vintage and tons of it, but I aslo always admired Judy Nall’s restrained tree with its limited number of matching (cross-stiched) ornaments and white lights (only).
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Even now that I live in the cold midwest I still LOVE snow.
12. Can you ice skate?
Barely.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
A red wool, short-waisted jacket my mom got me when I was in high school. She had seen me eyeing it in the store. The fit was perfect, and there hasn't been much in my wardrobe before or since about which I can say that.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Being with family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Fruitcake. Not really. I love a coconut cake at Christmas time. I actually do like some fruitcake now.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Watching White Christmas with John and a little bourbon on the rocks. We sing along to all the songs. Sometimes we dance along, too. Then, John’s mom’s Cookie Bake and our church’s Christmas Eve service.
17. What tops your tree?
A faded vintage silver star tree topper that Miss Pat (McClain) mailed to me when I was in college. She was with me when I’d admired it at an antique shop but didn’t have the money to spend on it. It showed up in my mailbox just in time for Christmas.
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Buying (kidding, sort of). I’m honestly very happy doing either, but I’m never that confident in my gift giving abilities.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Last Month of the Year, sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama.
20. Candy canes! Yuck or yum?
Yum. Especially big Bob-o-Canes and the ones First National Bank used to give out to customers to hang on their trees back in 1970s.
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Egg nog if it is the stuff made with whipped egg whites, sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and rum. It’s like eating a tasty cloud.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrapped them with the same paper my mom and dad used. Mom evidently didn’t think much of our deductive reasoning abilities.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Both, mixed together. I also use the big colored lights mixed with the small ones and I like a random twinkle here and there. Outside I don’t outline corners of the house or anything. Just a lighted evergreen garland over the doorway.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No, but I love hearing stories about people taking their shotguns into the woods to shoot it out of trees. It's so cavemanish. A violent start for such a romantic tradition.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
In fits and starts beginning the weekend after Thanksgiving. I’ll keep putz and rearrange stuff until after Christmas. I even put out all of the ½ off after Christmas bargain decorations I buy, even if it is just for a day or two.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
My mom’s cornbread dressing.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
My sister and I and our cousins Kara and Howard all got matching sleds one Christmas Eve at our Mamaw and Grandad’s. We were ready for bed when we opened them, but since it was one of the few Christmas Eves that it snowed when we were kids our parents let us take a quick nightime spin down the bank by the driveway in our pajamas. I hope when I get to be a parent I have the good sense my parents did not to ruin the moment.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My sister took me up to the attic before Christmas where our presents were hidden so we could play with our Santa gifts. Any dissappointment was offset by the knowledge that my net fun was increased by opening my presents early.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We open one on Christmas Eve. Sometimes John gets so excited about the things he gets me that he wants me to open more so I do. I'm just selfless that way.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Anything not nailed down is fair game. My mom and Mamaw hid some of our presents in the tree. If my mamaw thought something looked Christmasy she would just go ahead and put it on there. One year she whipped up some suds from ivory soap flakes and she and I put those on her tree. We thought it looked like snow. I loved how random everything was. I’m definately a more is more tree decorator-mostly German blown glass ornmanents, but also love ones people give me. About 800 lights (I put the shiny silver balls on the inner branches so they reflect light out for more sparkle). No garland but a few years back I found three packages of the old-fashinoned heavy (I think they are actually made of lead, which is probably why they stopped selling them) shiny tinsel icicles. I put them all on. I love vintage and tons of it, but I aslo always admired Judy Nall’s restrained tree with its limited number of matching (cross-stiched) ornaments and white lights (only).
11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Even now that I live in the cold midwest I still LOVE snow.
12. Can you ice skate?
Barely.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
A red wool, short-waisted jacket my mom got me when I was in high school. She had seen me eyeing it in the store. The fit was perfect, and there hasn't been much in my wardrobe before or since about which I can say that.
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Being with family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Fruitcake. Not really. I love a coconut cake at Christmas time. I actually do like some fruitcake now.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Watching White Christmas with John and a little bourbon on the rocks. We sing along to all the songs. Sometimes we dance along, too. Then, John’s mom’s Cookie Bake and our church’s Christmas Eve service.
17. What tops your tree?
A faded vintage silver star tree topper that Miss Pat (McClain) mailed to me when I was in college. She was with me when I’d admired it at an antique shop but didn’t have the money to spend on it. It showed up in my mailbox just in time for Christmas.
18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Buying (kidding, sort of). I’m honestly very happy doing either, but I’m never that confident in my gift giving abilities.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Last Month of the Year, sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama.
20. Candy canes! Yuck or yum?
Yum. Especially big Bob-o-Canes and the ones First National Bank used to give out to customers to hang on their trees back in 1970s.
posted by Troy at 1:21 PM
4 Comments:
I had forgotten that story about the tree topper from my mom - Very sweet.
I love those huge candy canes you referenced (and not just because they made good weapons). It reminded me of the giant jawbreakers I used to buy at the mall. I would work on those suckers for what seemed like YEARS. How disgusting. Don't worry; I kept it wrapped in saran wrap because that makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE.
I hope you'll take a picture of your Christmas tree - I'd love to see it, although I realize they're always much better in person. I loved Miss Judy's tree as well...
Oh this is really fun...and captures the true holiday spirit...and the holidays are approaching and time for all of us to get into that holiday mood...and also visit my Holiday Blog sometime fot ome more of the holiday fun and spirit...have a great time during the holidays!!!!
Troy! Rosie told me about your blog when I saw her last weekend. I love lists like these, too. I posted my own answers on my blog.
-Laura
I can't remember all of the questions and I'm too lazy to write them all down, so here are the answers I can remember. I love egg nog, I HATE snow, my favorite Chistmas movie is "Holiday Inn". I like candy canes, and we start to decorate on Thanksgiving day.
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