Thursday, December 15, 2011

25 Questions about the Holidays

There are a lot of things happening around Casa de Hall right now... stay tuned for some big announcements soon. Things are so busy, in fact, that I am worried we won't be posting much. I thought I'd do this quick meme about the holidays to share a little about how Jay and I celebrate.

25 Questions: Holiday Style

  • Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Eggnog! Especially now that Jay has a great recipe of his own. And you haven’t lived till you’ve lived through Duk-Nog.

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

When Santa dropped off his gifts, he left them under the tree unwrapped. Gifts to/from family are always wrapped.

  • Colored lights on tree/house or white?

We use colored lights – some people think they are tacky, but we love them.

  • Do you hang mistletoe?

Nope, plenty of kissing at our house without it!

  • When do you hang your decorations up?

Typically within a week after Thanksgiving.

  • What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?

Jay makes a wonderful roasted duck with apricot glaze, and I love the fresh baked rolls.

  • Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Christmases with my grandparents – that was the best. My grandma had an ornament that sang like a bird, I was obsessed with it.

  • What is on your Christmas wish list?

Sanity, and some peace and quiet in our lives.

  • Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

No, we never do, unless we go see family on Christmas Eve that we won’t see on Christmas Day.

  • How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

With eggnog in hand, listening to Christmas music, wearing a Santa hat. We have a tradition wherein we get an ornament from a place when we travel there, as a souvenir. Then when we decorate the tree we can reminisce about our memories of that trip.

  • Snow? Love it or dread it?

To be fair, since I’m from Georgia, I’m not a snowy day kind of girl. I detest driving in the stuff. But I don’t mind it otherwise.

  • Real tree or fake tree?

I have always liked the ease and convenience of a fake tree, but Jay loves real ones so our last tree was a real tree. No tree this time around. Maybe next year…

  • Do you remember your favorite gift?

My doll Dorrie. She was as tall as me then, and I thought she was beautiful. My mom kept her put away since she wasn’t really for playing with, and I still have her now. As far as playing-with toys, probably my microscope or my robot-controlled cat. Both have clearly played a role in shaping who I am now… a scientist with a beloved pet cat…

  • What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Time to relax and enjoy Jay.

  • What is your favorite holiday dessert?

That’s a hard one! Every year I usually make a dessert called Chocolate nemesis, but to be honest I love the Christmas cookies we bake even more.

  • What is your favorite tradition?

Watching Christmas Vacation with Jay and decorating the tree, and receiving Christmas cards. I love to hear from far-flung family and friends.

  • What tops your tree?

Jay insists on an Angel, but I’ve always liked stars.

  • Do you prefer giving or receiving?

Both! I love to select and give gifts, it’s especially wonderful when the person really enjoys their gift. I’m really big on giving “useful” gifts – things that I know someone will use. But when I receive a gift, it makes me feel very loved to know that someone thought of me and took the time to select something that they thought I would enjoy (that includes gift cards – that means you took the time to think about what places I enjoy shopping, and also gave me the gift of spending a lovely afternoon shopping for myself).

  • What is your favorite Christmas song?

Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

  • Candy canes, yuck or yum?

Yum!

  • Favorite Christmas movie?

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Jay and I watch this together every year, and every year we laugh just as hard.

  • What do you leave for Santa?

Homemade chocolate chip cookies and bourbon.

  • Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Just opening gifts!

  • Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?

This year I did a little bit of both.

  • Christmas letter or Christmas card?

Christmas card – I try to send them out every year with a picture. This will be the first year I don’t have a picture. We just had too much going on at once.

No comments: