Christmas

Got this from Julie
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. Gift bags for really odd-shaped things.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial... we had a real tree one year and the watering caused a big mess on our carpet and red "stain" from the tree stand. Never again. Pine scented candles do the trick.

3. When do you put up the tree(S)? Usually Thanksgiving weekend, but it went up a little early this year at the demand of my bossy daughter

4. When do you take the tree down? Early January

5. Do you like eggnog? blech

6. Favorite gift received as a child? "Joe Cook" my hobby horse. I bounced on that thing until I fell asleep.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mother-in-law.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Maddy & Emma.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes – Right now, Maddy has all of the "people" sleeping in the manger until Christmas :)

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? These hideous beads/necklace thing from the dollar store - my Grandma (God Rest Her Soul) was the worst shopper.

12. Favorite Christmas Movies? Right now I am a little sick of them all because we are watching them constantly - Frosty, Rudolph, The Grinch, Charlie Brown. That's what we watch. every. single. night.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Black Friday - it's always the start of the madness

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Sometimes we'll recycle gift cards, just because we would've bought them anyhow for people and we get TONS of them from Jerry's students.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? All the yummy desserts, and especially all the cookies I make every year.

16. Lights on the tree? I prefer clear lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? All songs on The Osmond Christmas Album (I have the CD version) because it is what we listened to every year when I was kid while we put up the Christmas tree

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Make many stops in Northeast Ohio

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes. This is Maddy's fascination. She has learned them all this year and we go over and over them every. single. night.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Haha! On my special "Disney" tree, there is a Winnie the Pooh tree topper. On the other "fancy" tree there is a crystal star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We'll open gifts with my family on Christmas Eve, but Santa presents are for Christmas morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? There's never anywhere to park at the stores.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? My Disney ornament collection. My grandma collected ornaments for me for years through this "ornament a month club." And there are amazing. I am really enjoying passing the tradition on to my girls when we put up the tree - we take each one out of its special box and talk about which movie they are from. I let Maddy hang up all the special ornaments this year, and I left them on the tree just how she arranged them. She did a pretty good job!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Whatever I decide to make on Christmas Eve each year. I do a full-course meal from scratch for my family, and it is probably the most rewarding experience of my Christmas for me. To have my whole family around my table actually eating GOOD food that I made!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A new job.