Christmas Survey

Found this survey over at Cactusfreek's.


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate with lots of marshmallows.


2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Santa wraps everything.


3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?

As a kid I always wanted colored lights and we only had white on our tree. I swore that when I grew up and got my own tree that I'd use colored lights. Did that one year and realized that the colored ones aren't very bright compared to white and the tree looked very dark. So now I use a mixture of white lights with some blue lights that I got on clearance at Target for $0.19 per strand (90% off!!!).


4. Do you hang mistletoe?

No.


5. When do you put your decorations up?

The day after Thanksgiving.


6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Smithfield Spiral Sliced Ham


7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?

Sneaking peaks at the wrapped presents. This was one of the few times my sister and I got along as kids. We'd carefully unwrap gifts to see what they were and we'd go looking around the house for hidden gifts. I don't think our parents ever knew. :-D


8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

I pretty much figured it out on my own by 3rd grade.


9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

I don't open a gift, but I started a tradition a couple years ago where my kids get to open a gift I select for them. Of course the gift is new pajamas for them to wear that night. This way they are dressed nicely for the Christmas morning video taping. :-)


10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

Blue and White lights with both newer and older ornaments. I have a couple of ornaments from my childhood which I treasure. One of them is a foam apple covered with tiny little mirrors so it looks like a miniature disco ball. The other is half of a walnut shell with some kind of fabric, stuffing, and what looks like a thumbtack with a baby's face painted on it. It's supposed to be a baby in a cradle. I don't know why, but I totally loved it as a kid and I keep it for that reason.


11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?

Love it! Two years ago we got a surprise snowstorm the day after Christmas. Since we live in the south, any snow is unusual and that time we got 14"!!!


12. Can you ice skate?

Can I stand and move forward on ice skates? Probably. I used to when I was 10ish. I've never been able to do any kind of figure skating though.


13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

My favorite gift ever was a Barbie Dream Pool that I got in 1981 when I was 8 years-old. I played with that thing forever. It even had a little grill with tiny hamburgers, hot dogs, spatulas, etc. I remember filling the pool up with water and trying not to spill it as I put it on the floor. I had the cleanest Barbies on the block!


14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?

Making sure my kids have a memorable time.


15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?

Chocolate Chess Pie.


16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Driving around to see Christmas light displays...both neighborhood houses and professional displays.


17. What tops your tree?

A fiber optic Santa.


18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving?

Giving. I hate surprises.


19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?

Since the question is "Song" and not "Carol" I'll have to say:
Band Aid's - Do They Know It's Christmas?
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Mad Russian's Christmas


20. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?

Love the peppermint variety, but the fruit flavored ones are nasty!


21. Do you have music playing while decorating your tree and house?

Yes.


22. Artificial tree, pre-cut tree, or cut-your-own tree?

For the past few years we've had a fake tree, but with the severe flooding we had a few months ago our tree was exposed to water in the shed. We didn't know until we pulled it out a few weeks ago and noticed some rust. I looked for a new one at 8 different stores, but all of the decent looking trees were around $300. Anything less than that looked like a "Charlie Brown Tree". So in the end we decided to go real this year.


23. Do you have Christmas decorations in your bathroom? Or, where is the oddest place you have decorations in your house?

We keep it simple around here. Just a tree in the livingroom and a wreath on the door.