I haven’t been tagged in a good long time. I’m so excited! Thank you, Susan!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? I’m going to go with hot chocolate, since I usually love one eggnog per year, but hot chocolate is forever.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? What nonsense is this? Wrapped of course! Unless it’s a bike.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Nothing on the house, but colored twinkle lights on the tree. And they have to be twinkle, not blinking. And they have to use real red lights, not this new pinkish red nonsense.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. I don’t have to beg for kisses. 
5. When do you put your decorations up? This year, we aren’t, since we’re going to Florida for Christmas. My mom put hers up last weekend, and they’re totally gorgeous, and fortuantely, unbreakable, for my new little niece and nephew that, um, like to climb trees, paw at things and, uh, stretch their claws.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? One that I’ll never have again. there used to be a baker at our local Publix who made the best poppyseed roll on the planet. I’m not even kidding. My mom used to order about 50 rolls every year and put them in the freezer and we’d eat them for months. I’m so glad we didn’t have random drug tests in the fifth grade, because the entire household would probably have tested positive for opium. I remember how we used to think our teeth would turn black from all that poppyseed. Then he retired, and if I remember correctly, my mom tried to bribe the store into giving her his phone number so we could wrangle the recipe out of him or hire him privately or something, but to no avail. And no one makes poppyseed rolls like that guy. So many of our family and friends, knowing our affinity, have tried to give us other poppyseed rolls, or find us new recipes, but nothing has been the same.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: My father usually had to work on Christmas morning, and because of the design of our house, we couldn’t leave our bedrooms without seeing the tree. So my mom devised this way to keep us occupied and in our bedrooms until my dad came home. We had, in addition to our stockings, these bags that would be hung on our doorknobs, and filled with a book or a game or something to play with. My brothers and I always spent a few hours playing games together first thing Christmas morning. When we remodeled the house, it was no longer necessary, but we still wanted our bags!
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Diana’s mental health advisors have instructed her not to look at this question, as it brings back traumatic memories.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Huh? Why? People do that?
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? First I put on the lights. then I start with the big ornaments, then the smaller ones to fill in gaps. Angel goes last. (I’m not sure I answered this right.)
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I’m from Florida. Snow is the harbinger of hell.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes, but not like Brian Boytano or anything. I actually love skating of all types — roller, rollerblade, ice…
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I remember several favorite gifts. Several dolls, a magic kit, lots of books that I remember adoring and count among my favorites to this day, a bike, skates, some clothes that I loved, a set of knives, the trampoline we all got one year… Santa must think I’m a good girl.
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family. I love my family.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Sniff. Poppyseed. Now that’s gone, Xmas cookies, but I don’t think mom makes them anymore.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? The bags. I guess it was always special because it was ours — no one else had it. Also, I love watching old holiday movies with the family. A Christmas Story, Holiday Inn, Scrooged, Scrooge, about ten other versions of A Christmas Carrol, The Bishop’s Wife, It’s a Wonderful Life... has anyone else seen that old movie about Santa Claus starring John Lithgow and Dudley Moore as an elf? And also, when I was young I sued to make a treasure hunt for my brothers to find their presents every year. that was a lot of fun. Finally, always reading the book I get for Xmas on Xmas afternoon, on the couch in my living room, with the fire crackling and the tree twinkling and Xmas music on.
17. What tops your tree? My parents have an angel. Last year, SB and I used an aluminum foil star because we didn’t have a tree topper.
18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I think I’m supposed to say “giving” here, right? I love giving the most when I get it right, like with the treasure hunt. But there’s so much pressure. I never know if it’s what the person really wants. My mom has set an especially high bar. She’s REALLY good at finding presents. She also really drummed into us the whole “thought that counts” thing, so I think we’re pretty good at receiving –we love everything. So maybe I should go easier on myself about the giving, figuring that most people are like me and just love getting presents. But I do get stressed out about finding “the perfect gift.”
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Oh, that’s a tough one. Silver Bells, probably. Or Carol of the Bells. Or the Chestnuts one. Or We Three Kings. Or Good King Wenceslas, or I Saw Three Ships. Or… (I know, I know, I can go on like this all night.) Actually, one I always loved but not many people outside my family know is called My Christmas Tree is Hung With Tears, and it’s kind of jazz/blues meets Miss Havisham. Seriously.
20. Candy Canes? Mmmmmm…. Love ‘em. Big ones, little ones, flavored ones, ones on those little strings of plastic baggies, ones in non-cane shapes, the starburst-flavored ones, stirring the end of it in hot choclate to make it peppermint hot choclate. Yeah, I love em.
Who should I tag? I think… Carrie, who needs to get her minds off things, and Colleen, who needs to take a break from fondling her brand new book.
December 1st, 2006 at 8:27 am
Yes, Diana, people do open gifts on Christmas Eve! This is a German tradition (may be other countries, too). In fact, Santa used to arrive at our house while we were at church on Christmas Eve. Then, we’d come home and open all of our presents and stay up way too late playing.
Since my husband did the Christmas Day thing, we have combined traditions in our house. Family presents (anything Santa doesn’t bring) are opened on Christmas Eve. Then, the kids go to bed and Santa delivers what we like to call “the 2nd wave.”
To me, Christmas Eve will always be the real Christmas…the lights on the tree while the rest of the house is dark, music playing in the background, cookies and hot chocolate. Just not the same in the bright light of morning. Everything seems more magical at night.
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December 1st, 2006 at 8:34 am
My “shopping guru” just sent this to me yesterday. I didn’t send it forward though. Just filled it out and sent it back to her.
The year I lived in Sweden, the family I lived with opened all their gifts on Christmas Eve. It made Christmas day so anticlimatic and boring. I love the early-morning, sitting in PJs with the fake yule log fire on the TV going present opening
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December 1st, 2006 at 9:59 am
I’m not a candy cane person… but I always eat one. They’re kind of like peeps. You may not like them, but they’re traditional:)
Teri
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December 1st, 2006 at 11:18 am
“I’m so glad we didn’t have random drug tests in the fifth grade, because the entire household would probably have tested positive for opium.”
This made my morning.
And reminded me how very lucky I was to not be tested for drugs during my Otis Spunkmeyer poppy seed muffin addiction phase.
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December 1st, 2006 at 11:35 am
HOLIDAY INN is without a doubt *the best* holiday movie, ever. You can watch it on any holiday, although it’s always around at Christmas. I just love it. CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT is a must, as well, although my hubby abhors Barbara Stanwyck, which I can’t explain.
My favorite Christmas memory is when my brother, sister (both way older than me) and my parents staged this visit from Santa where they left boot tracks in the fireplace and cookie crumbs all over the floor. Awww…
Marley = )
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December 1st, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Diana, love the bags-on-the-doorknob thing. What a sweet tradition. Your mom is really smart.
Marley, doesn’t Holiday Inn have that great Rosemary Clooney song, “Love, You Didn’t Do Right By Me,” or something like that? I think that’s the coolest, sexiest song in any Christmas movie ever. Love those backup male dancers, including the guy who went on to star in West Side Story (Maria’s brother who gets killed).
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December 1st, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Thanks for playing, Diana! I wish I could have one of those poppyseed rolls right about now…
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December 1st, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Marley:
Yes on Holiday Inn and Christmas in Connecticut! I just posted my holiday movie list, and they’re both on it…
Try White Christmas with Bing too, if you don’t already. The dancing scene with Danny Kaye and Vera Ellen is amazing.
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December 1st, 2006 at 1:36 pm
I think you’re thinking of WHITE CHRISTMAS, Robin? HOLIDAY INN is all Irving Berlin songs with Bing and Fred. In fact, the song WHITE CHRISTMAS was done for this movie (as well as EASTER PARADE) and then the movie WHITE CHRISTMAS came later. Sorry…movie buff!
= )
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December 1st, 2006 at 2:39 pm
Marley, you’re absolutely right. Thanks–now I know what to watch for in the listings.
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December 1st, 2006 at 4:39 pm
It never even ocurred to me Santa didn’t wrap presents until I met the dh. Santa didn’t wrap his presents. I’m sure this has something with him being naughty.
Santa no longer wraps presents at our house.
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December 3rd, 2006 at 7:30 pm
What does ‘dh’ stand for besides designated hitter?
Domesticated Husband
Dominant Human
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December 4th, 2006 at 12:05 am
Your bag tradition sounds very memorable.
And I happened to stop the remote on that ‘Dudley Moore as elf’ movie on Saturday. I couldn’t help but stare, rather creeped out by the look of it (and him).
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December 4th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Thanks for the tag Diana! I had so much fun thinking back on Christmases past – so many wonderful memories!!
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December 4th, 2006 at 4:08 pm
Thanks for tagging me Diana! I hope to get to it later this week…but don’t hold me to it. Too bad there aren’t 13 questions so I could make it my Thursday Thirteen.
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December 4th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Yoink.
I’m nicking this.
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