1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper unless the gift is odd shaped...Tearing paper is so much more satisfing than just opening a bag.
2. Real tree or artificial tree? Artificial all the way! (can't stand the smell of a real tree in the house)
3. When do you put up your tree? sometime before Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as I get around to it...
5. Do you like eggnog? No Way!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? hmmm...lots of random gifts keep popping in my head. One year my cousin Melissa bought me a curling iron. I felt so grown up, that I had my very own. I remember the year we got the Nintendo. I wasn't that excited about the gift itself, just that I figured out what it was before we opened it, even though it was the last thing we expected from OUR parents.m Peaches and Cream Barbi was a good one. I remeber a gift box with Snow White on the outside. I don't remember what was in it, just thew wrapping, so appartly apperances do matter (that one was from Aunt Jessica). Birthday and Christmas presents seem to merge together in my mind, so I'm not sure which occasion I recieved this next one...I had stolen my mom's necklace! Ok I borrowed a necklace from her that she got when she was 16. I wore it ALL of the time, even though it was missing some stones. Then it just dissapeared. That year I unwrapped my mom's necklace, that had been cleaned, repaired and put on a new chain. To this day, it is still one of my very favority pieces.
7. Hardest person to buy for? My brother in law...if he would just hurry up and find my sister, maybe I'd might find out what he is interested in!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have two- one is Aaron's from his childhood and one was a gift from my mother on my birthday last year.
10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? I like to receive mail.
11. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December 26th. I am always on the lookout for a good gift!
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yeah. It was a birthday present (Dec 5th). It was a very nice set of bath oils and sprays and salts and stuff. It was very pretty, but when I was talking to a friend one day, she had mentioned that she was on her way to do some shopping for a family. The single mom had just lost her job, and they weren't going to have a Christmas that year. She also mentioned that the mom loved bath stuff, I new she would appreciate it more than me. So off it went!
14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My sister and cousin both mentioned our moms' english toffee. Its good stuff and I love to eat it too, but I look forward to my single piece of milk chocolate covered carmel in the See's box. (see #25)
15. Lights on the tree? Either one. I grew up with colored lights, but my husband is a racist, so its white lights only. (ok that was TOTALLY a joke! Please don't believe what you read! he does prefer white lights though and he's not a racist.)
16. Favorite Christmas song? I love them all! I do like, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" probably because its not one we hear all the time.
17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? HOME!
18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes I can, and it is DonDer not DonNer! That is my biggest pet peeve! There is a Target commercial playing right now with a kid saying all of the reindeer's names and it drives me nuts! I yell at the TV everytime!
19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
20. Do you open Presents Christmas eve or Christmas day? Christmas Day.
21. The most annoying thing about this time of year? Not enough hours in the day. Too many families to visit Christmas day and not enough time for a nap.
22. Favorite ornament theme and color? I don't have a favorite theme, I do a traditional country style tree. I do appreciate the pretty trees that have a theme or color, they just don't fit in my home. I need a place to hang my construction paper poinsettias and styrafoam snowman!
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner? We used to do a turkey or ham with all of the fixings. I miss that. I miss the ranch with the huge living room that we all ate together in THE SAME ROOM, and went back for as many plates of 2nd or 3rds as we wanted. Then Melissa, Janet, Pam and Julie and I got to do ALL of the dishes...good times, good times!
24. What do you want for Christmas this year? A house....and a studio.
25. Favorite Christmas tradition? Every Christmas Eve, we pull out the box of See's Candy. (nuts and chews only please) We all get ONE piece starting with the oldest in the room and going down to the youngest. You will never see a line form more quickly and "gracefully". Its almost like a dance...with a little bit of bicker and yelling, but its all in good fun. If anyone in the family starts dating a new someone special, the first questions is always "How old is he/she"? For many years, I was ALWAYS the last piece of the top layer, which means, no choices for me. Then Janet got married, and I got the first piece on the 2nd layer. That was the best Christmas eve ever! Thank you Lawrence!
And I tag...Steven and Jen Morris and Monica....and Martha Stewart ...and Oprah ...and Rachael Ray ...and David Letterman....and Jay Leno....and Santa Claus ...and.....The Tooth Fairy.
I found the directions for this snowflake at hotmamahouse. Its about 16 inches across, so its pretty big, for a snowflake. It was pretty easy, only took about 20 minutes.
