Okay. I am more than a tad bit hesitant to share this photo (even though I must have only been about eight or nine years old), as I like to stay as anonymous as possible here. But in keeping with the Christmas spirit and because I thought eveyone might need a good laugh, it seemed appropriate to go along with this Christmas meme that I found at Bookie. Anyway, I can always chuck the photo later after I have lost my nerve. I am the one with bangs in case you were wondering (those are long gone now). Don't you like my stylish knit cap and pimp-like coat? Please keep in mind that this photo must have been taken somewhere in the mid to late 70s. Who else had a mother who liked to dress their kids alike? And, yes, I think we were way too old to be visiting Santa, but remember the 70s was another world entirely.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate. I never could get into egg nog.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa disgruntedly wraps them. It wouldn't be the same otherwise.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Lots of colored lights with a few of the invisible ones thrown in.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No--never did get into that tradition.
5. When do you put your decorations up? I put it off as long as I can. Unfortunately my niece is just the age where she knows when the decorations come out and she wants to do it as soon as she can!
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? My mom makes the best stuffing--it's my very favorite.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Christmas is pretty predictable with my family, but it was always amusing when my older sisters would unwrap their presents (well, not completely) to see what they got ahead of time. I, of course, would never stoop so low.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly don't remember, but with two unruly older sisters I bet I was pretty small.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sometimes we do, but it isn't really a tradition. Sometimes I will open a package that I have received from a stitching friend (since I open those separately from the family free for all).
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? I wish I could say it looks like something Martha Stewart would decorate, but with a niece who drags out every ugly ornament (I really need to go through and weed out those boxes of decorations), it usually looks pretty hodgepodge. Homey we'll call it!
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Generally I dread it (as someone who walks a lot and lives somewhere where people are less than conscientious about cleaning their sidewalks), but I do like it when we have a white Christmas (though that has not happened in a long time). It would be perfect if it only snowed the two weeks around Christmas and that was it. Silly me.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes. I love to ice skate, but it has been a long, long time since I have skated. When I was little we used to go all the time.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I always loved those paint by number sets. I was one happy kid on Christmas if I got one of those--I would spend all day painting. They must have looked really horrible, but I loved them. Curiously my parents didn't seem to save them...
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Hanging out with my family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Just one thing? Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas turkey dinner! We're a pretty laid back family, so we really don't have many annual traditions.
17. What tops your tree? It's hard to describe--it is this pointy thing that has a Christmas bulb type middle that slides over the top of the tree. It's really much prettier than I make it sound.
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I know I should be good and just say giving, but the receiving part isn't too shabby either.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Currently--Ella Fitzgerald's version of "Jingle Bells" or the Peanuts soundtrack from from A Charlie Brown Christmas.
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum, but I really don't eat many of them (one pretty much suffices for the year).
Is anyone else going to play? More importantly is anyone else going to share their favorite Santa photo?!