Christmas Meme

What a fun idea to do a Christmas Meme! Here's mine:

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? Absolutely hot chocolate, with a little nutmeg and cinnamon and very chocolatey.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We don't do Santa at our house. But when we give presents, we usually wrap them.

3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white? White lights. Can't resist a beautiful display of twinkling white lights. So pure.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not in the house. But at our Christmas ball with our reenactment unit, someone usually climbs a nearby tree to pull a sprig down. It certainly can be fun. ;)

5. When do you put your Christmas decorations up? I used to put them up after Thanksgiving but the older I get, the smaller my decorations get. ;) Some years I'm afraid I end up running out of time to even bother. But I try to put them up as quickly after TG as possible.

6. Favorite holiday dish? My grandmother's cranberry sauce. Yum!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Being about 8 years old and waking up at 4 am to see if "Santa" had brought me a Barbie townhouse. He had. And I woke up my sister just to brag about it. :)

8. When did you learn the truth about Santa? At eight. I had seen my parents' silhouettes from the light from the den, as they put the aforementioned townhouse together, so this was also the moment I realized Santa wasn't real. Thinking back on it, I kinda think I already somehow knew that, though.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Not usually.

10. How do you decorate a tree? My husband doesn't believe in having a Christmas tree up, so we don't decorate a tree now.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Considering we rarely get snow -- I love it!! I don't even care if it's preceded by ice (which is awful), because I'll take it wherever I can.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but it's been a while. Used to love to go.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My most favoritest was probably my Baby Soft Sounds doll -- my first doll that was just like a real baby (to me).

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Now that I'm a mother, it's very important to me that Victoria grows up enjoying the holiday without the commercialism that has sometimes nearly destroyed it. It's a warm, honest, charitable time -- and I want her to feel that way. I don't want her spending the month prior just thinking up all the stuff she wants; rather, I'd prefer her think more about others, than herself.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Apple pie! Or Apple Crisp. Or Cheesecake...oh, my...how can I decide that??

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Driving around on Christmas Eve to look at Christmas lights, and then coming back home to make hot chocolate, and sometimes smores.

17. What tops your tree? No tree. :(

18. Which do you prefer-Giving or Receiving? Oh, I love giving! As I've gotten older, I rarely think much about getting anything, and most often I try to deflect any inquiries regarding my "Christmas list". I just don't need "stuff" anymore. Life is about the memories you make -- not stuff.

19. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night, hands down.

20. Candy Canes-Yuck or Yum? Not so much.

21. Favorite Christmas show? Muppet Christmas Carol.

22. Saddest Christmas song? Blue Christmas, I think.

I can't wait to see everyone else's meme!
-Amy