Current mood:

Christmas-y

What about all that Christmas spirit and good will?
Kind of bored at work today. Time for a little Christmas meme! Stolen from Alex, and a few others.



1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I really enjoy wrapping gifts, and the look of wrapped gifts. A bag is fine if you're lazy or in a hurry, and I promise not to judge you, but I love putting together my paper/ribbon/card color scheme every year.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I definitely prefer real. My family and I always used to go cut our own when we lived in Folsom and I just loved it. Our favorite story is the time that Dad tied the tree to the roof of the car by rolling down the windows and threading the cord through the inside of the car. The only problem was, we couldn't open the doors to get inside afterward! So we had to all carefully take off our shoes (it was very rainy and muddy that day) and climb through the windows into the car. Real trees do have a lot of messy clean-up, though, so I guess artificial will do in a pinch.

3. When do you put up the tree? My parents usually buy their tree the first weekend in December, so they should be putting it up this weekend. Since I'm always gone for Christmas, I don't get my own tree. I do have a little wooden tree decoration that my parents brought me from Germany, though, which I love and always put up. I should put it up when I get home from work!

4. When do you take the tree down? I feel like we used to take it down January 2nd? My mom might take it down sooner than that now, I'm not sure.

5. Do you like eggnog? I've never actually had any. It sounds kind of gross, but I guess I can't knock it until I've tried it!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Definitely Duma, my stuffed cheetah that I got the Christmas I was 7. She's nearly 18 years old now, and still sleeps in bed with me! Yep, I'm that girl.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad is hard to come up with spontaneous ideas for, but he's good at providing lists of potential ideas. I found Brandon kind of hard to buy for this year, but it's the first time I've ever bought him anything, so it kind of makes sense. My grandma is also hard to buy for because there are all sorts of unspoken rules you have to follow (like no knick-knacks, preferably buy it second-hand, etc.).

8. Easiest person to buy for? I can always find something fairly awesome to get Sara G. That's mostly because I can fully utilize my creative side to make her something completely crazy because I know she'll love it anyway. This year is no exception.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Not one of my own. I'd like to get one someday once I start doing my own Christmas decorations.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I did Christmas cards one year and found it a wholly unsatisfying experience. I haven't done it since.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Once at a white elephant gift exchange, I got a single lightbulb. I know white elephant is supposed to be lame, but come on! That crosses a line.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Lord of the Rings trilogy! What do you mean, "that's not a Christmas movie?" In my house, it sure as hell is.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I usually start thinking about it around November or so. I try to have everything done by mid-December. I still have three presents to buy this year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably not a real one, but possibly something lame from a casual acquaintance or something.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? I adore my dad's popovers. And also my mom's holiday breakfast casserole. And pasole (a New Mexican red chili stew) on Christmas Eve! And . . . food traditions are very important in my family.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, I like the white ones better than the colored ones.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Favorite traditional Christmas song is probably First Noel or Carol of the Bells. I also really love Sufjan Steven's "Sister Winter" though. I listen to it all year long even though he wishes everyone a Happy Christmas repeatedly at the end.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Since high school, I travel every year back to my parent's house for Christmas.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Um, are there people who can't? On Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen! And Rudolph, obviously. But if you've seen the claymation Rudolph movie, you'll also know that Donner is a total asshole.

20. Angel on the treetop, or star? I think we usually have an angel now, but we used to have this awesomely crazy silver tinsel star when I was a kid.

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Opening them on Christmas Eve seems like ruining Christmas to me. I'd refuse to do it.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the commercials, maybe, or the shopping crowds.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Not sure. I love silver with anything. The traditional red and green is a bit much, but red and silver or green and silver are beautiful.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? A job? Since that seems unlikely, I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever I get.

25. Most favorite Christmas Tradition? I love that my family watches all of the Lord of the Rings movies in a three-day marathon every year. I also love our little Christmas morning routine, it's just so fun and familiar. Christmas is just the most comforting day.