Christmas Questionnaire

OK.  I get it.  Christmas was last week. 

It's called savoring.  And running behind on recapping the holiday. 

And a little bit of  New Year's resolutions procrastination.  ( I take them very seriously!)

I received this questionnaire WAY back in the middle of December and thought it would not only be fun to answer but I might get some fun ideas as well in reading other people's traditions.

Oh well,  I guess we can just treat it as getting a head start on next Christmas. 

I'm all about doing things in advance.  Yes, that's the ticket.

But before I start, I need for you to know how much in love I am with this animal...

 I don't know if it can get any cuter than a hedgehog in winter attire.

However, after tons of research, it has been reiterated to me that hedgehogs are very high maintenance.  And there can only be one of us like that in the house.

And now for the questions...

1.  Does Santa wrap presents or just place them under the tree?

Santa does NOT wrap our presents.  Never has.  Our Santa present reveal has always been somewhat of a process, though.  When we were little, we would all sleep downstairs and upon waking we would line up on the stairs in order of age and wait to be called in to the living room.

We couldn't all rush in at once - because #1 the gifts were all unwrapped.  But also because #2 we needed a picture ( and eventually a video) of the "excited to see our Santa gift face". 

There is NO WAY to capture six children's excited faces at the same time. 

But due to the fact that I am the mean and nosey and sneaky big sister.. I would usually have already crept up the stairs to get a peek OR would have found the stash in the "secret" closet in the garage. 

I've never been a good one for surprises.

Plus - my Mom always knew how to handle my gift discoveries and would tell us that since we had so many kids in our family, Santa had to drop off our stuff off early for my Mom to store.  But then he would come back on Christmas Eve to get his cookies and milk.

A VERY believable story if I do say so myself. 

To this day, we still line up in order of age.  And we still get called in one by one.  But instead of being under the tree - it is in the formal living room complete with blanket in the doorway to keep lurkers out.

In case you were wondering... blankets are EASY to bust through. 

Not that I would know anything about that.  Wink wink.

2.  Colored lights on tree/house or white?

Growing up it was ALWAYS colored lights!  I loved them.  Especially the big, old fashioned ones that probably set a lot of things on fire. 

When we moved to South Carolina, though, it was made VERY clear that white lights were the only way to go.  My parent's entire neighborhood was fancy white lights and our house stood out like a mullet in the future.  And my Dad didn't just do a couple of lights - he went ALL OUT.  Like blinking, flashing, crazy all over the place lights.

It was AWESOME!

Still is.

And now it seems that the colored lights are making a comeback.  The majority of my parent's neighborhood now has followed their lead.  Colored lights are probably considered cool and vintage now. 

As for my house, we went with white lights in the yard.  Mainly because our house is white and it is kind of our theme.  And white lights on the trees inside.  I only have one tree with colored lights and that is my Disney tree in the "kid's" bedroom.

Kev did add in a little color when he decorated the back deck area.  And I foresee a little more being added in next year because we enjoyed seeing them all over the place this year.

3.  What is your favorite holiday dish?

Geez.  That's a hard one.  I'm a TOTAL carb-a-holic.  So, I guess I would say the potatoes, bread, and mac n cheese. 

I realize that is not just one dish - but they are all carbs so it's ok.

4.  Favorite memory as a child?

Wow!  Another super hard one.  I have SO MANY amazing childhood Christmas memories!  No detail was ever spared.  I loved it all.  The tradition.  The anticipation.  The story telling.  The treats. EVERY.SINGLE.THING.

But the two standout Christmases for me were:

When I received my HANDMADE dollhouse!  ( My Dad asked Santa if he (my Dad)  could make my gift that year.  And he built my dollhouse from scratch.  Shingle by shingle.  I still have it and still love it.  And plan to (one day) restore it back to it's original shape.

And the year that I received my first Cabbage Patch doll.  It was a fight to the finish for my Mom to score four cabbage patch dolls that year.  I'm sure she still has the scars to prove it.

I wanted a boy doll so bad.  Probably because I was SO sick of having sisters.  haha.

5.  Real tree or fake tree?

I LOVE real trees.  But the thought of going out and finding one, lugging it home, watering it, and then disposing of it..is just too overwhelming for me.  Even though I'm surprised that Kev hasn't insisted on it based on how much he loves his plants and how our dining room is now a greenhouse.

Plus, Kev grew up with a real tree. 

I did not. 

We own FIVE fake trees now.  Even though I only decorated one this year.

6.  Favorite holiday dessert?

I would have to say wedding donuts!!!  I also love cake - like carrot, coconut, or caramel.

7.  What is your favorite tradition?

So hard to choose...

The reading of The Night Before Christmas ( which is why my parent's gift this year was the best ever!!)

My Dad handing out our stockings and gifts < = he makes the perfect Santa!

Our big feast.

Spending time with family and PLAYING GAMES!

Look how serious we were while playing Disney Cranium.  Family game time is quite intense.  Even if it is just a kid's game.

8.  What tops your tree?

Our main tree is pretty tall and to top it requires pulling out the BIG ladder.  Therefore, we went without this year.  Also, because we were afraid that the hot lights were going to catch the angel's dress on fire.

9.  What is your favorite Christmas song?

First of all, I must tell you that the Michael Buble cd was/is the greatest thing ever!!  Once I warmed up to it, I think I listened to it eleventy billion times. 

It is awesome!

As far as a favorite song... I have always loved Carol of the Bells and Silent Night.  And Michael's version of Jingle Bells is pretty sweet.

10.  What do you leave for Santa?

I don't leave anything anymore... but we used to leave cookies and a note.  Santa would always leave us a "thank you" note that my Mom would read to us first thing Christmas morning.

I thought it was so cool.  Until I started recognizing my Mom's handwriting.  It was the same writing that would be on my notes she would send to school with me that would grant me early release.

Growing up is the pits!

But luckily it hasn't stopped me from acting like a kid.  And using my imagination like a kid.

And enjoying Christmas like a kid.

The End.