I'm totally using the same questionnaire found at SortaCrunchy's blog. What can I say? I like waxing poetic about myself.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
I like egg nog, I really do. I'm not sure why I want to say egg nog, but if I'm honest, I'm a hot chocolate person. In the winter months we drink A LOT of hot chocolate. M, on the other hand, loves him some pumpkin spice egg nog. He's had 3 quarts in the last two weeks. Time to lay of the nog dude.
2. Does Santa wrap?
You know, it really depends on the year. Growing up at my house Santa always wrapped. R's house on the other hand was definitely a not wrapped house. This was a bit of an argument for the first few years of parenthood. R wanted to come home from the festivities and go to bed. I would still have loads of wrapping to do. He would proceed to tell me I was crazy, I would call him a lazy scrooge. Fun times. Now if I'm in a hurry, no wrap. This year there was a mix of both.
3. Colored lights or white?
I bought LED lights last year for outside. I can't say I've fallen in love with the look, but I'm all for the environmental and financial benefits. Inside I usually go for white. I bought a pre-lit tree last year, which my cat promptly went to town on. For most of this year and last there was one section that I couldn't get to light so we had the tree on blinking lights as a distraction (worked pretty well if I do say so myself). This morning I went to turn on the tree and none of it came on, so currently the answer is: none.
4. Do you hand mistletoe?
No. I always think I would like to though. Where does one even buy mistletoe?
5. When do you decorate?
Many years it is right after Thanksgiving. Last year I had friends giving me loads of crap because I started before Thanksgiving. This year we are in the middle of a remodel and are having wood floors installed on the 28th. Originally we thought they were going in on the 15th so I told the kids we would wait until the floor was done and then do the tree. When that day came and went I figured I better put up a tree. So we (or more accurately, I) put up the tree on the 19th. Rich is often the first to put up the house lights because he like to get it done before it really snows. This year, I don't know what happened, but it happened pretty late as well. Slackers, we are.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Hands down it is my mom's Sweet Potatoes and Sausage recipe. I've never like the sweet goo that most people try to pass off at Thanksgiving. Apparently my mom felt the same way. I was in my late teens when my mom found the recipe in a low-fat cookbook. It is:
1 lb. turkey sausage browned, add 3-4 leeks, sliced, sauteeing until transluscent, add 1/2 t thyme. Slice 4-5 sweet potatoes. Layer with sausage mixture, starting with sweet potatoes, twice. Pour 1/4 C apple juice over the top, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and pop in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Soooo yummy!
I'm also a fan of R's grandma's 7 layer cake. An old Hungarian classic that she makes once a year. She is 84 and didn't have the energy this year :( I guess I better learn how to make it to keep the tradition alive.
7. Favorite holiday memory?
Hmmmm.... I'd like to have some P.C. memory that isn't about stuff and is filled with the spirit of Christmas, but honestly, the first thing that popped into my mind was the HUGE Barbie dream house I got in 1st grade. The funny thing is, I really only played with Barbies because my best friend Cheri liked them. But it was a really cool house. My parents told me later it took my dad 8 straight hours to build. He kept calling my mom to swear and bitch about it. See, there's your Christmas Spirit. Isn't it beautiful my dad would do that for me? True sacrifice and unconditional love and all that.
Actually, I also really like helping my mom wrap the Santa gifts to my youngest sister late on Christmas Eve. She is 8 years younger than I am and it was really fun to know what she was getting and watch her surprise and happiness.
And last but not least (OK I realize this is 3 memories but it is my blog right?), I realize now that I liked when my brother would come into my room to get me and we would sneak up the stairs, partners in crime for 1 morning a year, to peak into the living room. We weren't allowed to go in or wake up our parents (who I now realize were trying unsuccessfully to sleep in a little) until 8 am. We'd take turns crawling or tip-toeing to the doorway, scan the room and report back. Usually we'd get busted once or twice. Finally mom would tell us we could look at the stockings. There was always, among other things, an apple, orange, Avon chap stick, Fernwood sandwich mints and barrettes in mine. Good times.
8. When and how did you learn about Santa?
I think it was about 3rd grade. I was definitely a kid that wanted to believe, so I remember just choosing to do so even when the other kids were choosing not to believe. And my older brother swore he believed, and he was older and cool, so if he believed, I believed. At some point, I just realized it didn't make sense. I had found presents under the bed one year, the tags were in my mom's handwriting, etc. I told my brother he didn't have to pretend anymore, he told me I better not tell my younger sisters and to pretend for mom and dad's sake as well. So I did. I realized he pretended for several years for me and that I appreciated that, so I did that for my sisters. I wasn't sad or mad or disappointed. I guess I felt more clever for having figured it out and pulling one over on my parents. Plus I knew Santa would still come because I had younger sisters and my parents had to give us stuff to keep up the charade for the younger ones.
I'm figuring it is our last year around here. M is in 4th grade and I see him going through all the mental gymnastics I did to continue believing. Z keeps saying it doesn't make sense, but since M believes, and he is still fairly easy to lie to, he vacillates. I know the younger ones stop believing earlier, and M can't keep a secret worth shit, so I figure this year was it. I'm kinda sad. I can't believe it went so fast and it makes me feel like time is going WAAAYYYY to fast. On the other hand, I'm kinda relieved to not have to be so careful and to move on to the next phase where the kids can help me pick out what they want, or we can choose a vacation instead of gifts. And I wonder if we should still keep it up even though both kids know? Not sure how to proceed at that point.
9. Do you open a gift Christmas Eve?
Nope. I guess cuz we didn't as kids. R's family did the PJ thing I think, which I considered doing, but my SIL L. gives them PJs at our V family Christmas shindig every year (which I think is such a cool aunt thing to do by the way), which is usually the Sunday before the big day, so they wear those.
10. How do you decorate the tree?
It's kind of an evolving thing. This year we used only red, white and silver ornaments. I thought it looked really pretty while the lights still worked.
11. Snow. Love it or leave it?
Since I live in Utah I'm stuck with cold for the Winter. If it is going to be cold, it might as well snow so we can at least snowboard or sled. And I'd rather look outside to a white winter wonderland than a gray bleak landscape. And it clears out the dreaded inversion gunk, so that is always a nice benefit. But honestly, I could move someplace warm for the winter and be just fine. A yearly snowboard vacation would be just fine by me. I HATE BEING COLD!!!!
12. Can you ice skate?
Can I skate? Technically yes. Can I skate well? With any amount of grace or fluidity that one thinks of when one thinks of ice skating? HA! No. But I do think it is fun to give it a go once or twice a season, preferably outside.
13. Do you remember a favorite gift?
Aside from the Barbie Dream Mansion? I remember a few, mostly from my teen years, and mostly clothes . In 4th grade I had my first fight with my mom about clothes. China doll shoes were very in style and I wanted some. They were total cheapy cloth shoes and she wanted me to get some Bass loafers. I threw a fit and we compromised on me getting both. Of course the loafers were warmer in the winter and lasted way longer. In 6th or 7th grade I received a Scritti Politti tape from my brother. It was significant because he was a rocker and I was a waver and it was an ongoing feud about which was better. So the fact that he gave me a waver music tape was really nice. In 6th grade I also started wearing women's sizes and my mom took me to the Limited and I got several very cool outfits. In 7th grade I wanted some Reeboks with the straps but there were sold out everywhere so I got the low tops with the laces. I just never loved them. And my Freshman year a got a new Columbia ski outfit with the black tights and big puffy bright coat. I looked good.
14. What is the most important thing about Christmas?
Bonding as a family.
15. What is your favorite holiday treat?
I still love the Fernwood mints.
16. Fave tradition?
Opening gifts? Is that weak? It's true.
17. Star or Angel?
Totally a star person.
18. Giving or receiving?
After reading The Five Love Languages I realized my primary love language is gifts. R's is not. For years I felt bad that I spent a lot of time and effort to give him the perfect gift and he often didn't give me anything at all. I've realized that I like to give great gifts and it doesn't matter if the other person matches my gift to them. That said, I do love receiving something heartfelt. I love the cheesy stuff my kids make me at school. R and I have talked about our Love Language and he is doing better.
19. Do you like candy canes?
Sure.
20. Fave Christmas show?
Probably A Christmas Story. Makes me laugh every time.
21. Saddest Christmas song?
Well obviously it is Christmas Shoes. I mean come on, his mom is freaking dying for hell sakes. I seriously hate that song. Who the hell writes a song like that?
22. Thing You are most looking forward to for next Christmas?
That my sister and her husband will have moved back. They are both pretty cool cats and S has a wicked dry sense of humor that I so appreciate. And the kids love them. They didn't fly home this year and they are definitely missed.
23. Best thing about this Christmas?
We are going to Disneyland. TODAY! So excited.
24. Fave gift this year?
It's a tie between the bag I bought for Rich to give me and the bicycle basket I bought myself. I got a really cute note from Myles too.
25. Christmas Wish?
Sounds cheesy but I truly do wish for each and every person on this earth to find Peace within their heart.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
