Christmas Fill-In
Colored lights or white lights? White lights. Colored can look okay, but it still seems a bit tacky to me. And now with the new LED lights (as Meg said), they’re just way too darn bright and terrible - they clash with each other and don’t look like Christmas at all.
Real tree or fake tree? Real tree. I know some people who are environmentalist types would kick me out of the club for this answer, but really, isn’t it better to use a real tree than all those fake ones that inevitably get used once or twice than sent to the landfill when people move to houses and will remain for thousands of years in the earth because of all that plastic? Besides, I live in a tree-filled country. And I swear when I get to the point of having a tree, I shall plant a new one to replace it each year. That being said, I DID have a fake tree with Matthew, but planned on using it for a while and then taking it to Value Village or elsewhere for reuse afterwards. Most people probably don’t bother. Most people suck.
What is your least favorite thing about the holidays? That most people suck. No, just kidding. The worst thing is the super-commercialism that goes on. It’s pretty bad when you’re scared to set foot near a mall or in Bayers Lake on Saturdays after Halloween. I know people have to get presents for each other, and I do it too of course, but GRRRRR! Seriously, they really need to bring back Sunday shopping, at least over the holiday months, to cut down on the craziness.
What is the one thing that you would like to see under the tree this year? No point saying as it won’t be there.
What is your favorite thing to do/build in the snow? I love tobogganing/sledding/whatever you call it, though I usually only do it once at most all winter these days, when I'm home. But it's a great thrill!
What is your favorite holiday drink? I don’t really have one... I don’t like the traditional holiday drinks - eggnog, cider, etc. - but I guess I’m more likely to drink hot chocolate at Christmastime, so I’ll say that. And the wine at Christmas dinner.
What is your favorite holiday smell? The Christmas tree. I really missed that last year when Mom and Dad got their fake tree. Boo!
Who is your favorite reindeer? Blitzen. Ha! I don’t know!! That’s silly!
What is your Christmas Eve ritual? Well, it’s been changing slightly or not-so-slightly each year, but the gist is: go to my elderly Aunt Shirley’s place for dinner (usually take-out or cold cuts and salads, as we don’t want to make her work so hard preparing a big turkey dinner) with my immediate family (meaning my parents and my brother these days, and of late, Matthew, but this year Chris will be with me), spend time with her and exchange presents with her and each other, then go to Greg’s parents’ place in Sackville till around midnight or so, so the parents can hang out and we “kids” can hang out. In the past few years, this means the “boys” (Greg, Jon, Matthew, Kory, Pat, and usually Keith, and sometimes neighbors or friends of Pat’s) make each other in a stupid wrestling video game and/or go to Smokey Elementary to shoot toy guns at each other, while I roll my eyes and am bored. I alternate between trying to hang out with them and spending time with the parents. This year I shall bring a book. And Chris will be there to keep me company - Yay!! Then we go back to my parents’ place, put the presents under the tree (that will be retarded this year, as there ARE no presents for anyone but Kory as my parents are giving themselves a cruise for a present and me and Chris the wedding stuff they’ve paid for, so there will be essentially nothing), and then go to bed.
Are you a Friday after Thanksgiving shopper? Usually I DO start my shopping early, or at least my thinking about what to get people and list-compiling. This year, though, was much too crazy with other big things going on to really start until this past week. And I still have a long way to go. It’s gonna be a very stingy Christmas indeed. Le sigh.
What is your favorite holiday food? The dinner itself on Christmas day is ALL good. I love the many different veggies Mom now makes at my suggestion - potatoes and sweet potatoes and carrots and sometimes turnip, and Brussels sprouts, and often green beans or peas - as well as the stuffing and cranberries. Both are out of packages, but who cares? We love them. Yum, yum! And she always buys some kind of delectable cheesecake or other yummy dessert - that’s great too. And the sparkling wine. I can’t wait to stuff myself!
Who do you want to be under the mistletoe with? My husband, of course! (Tee-hee! Getting used to saying that!)
Have you bought all your presents yet? Hells no! But I have my nephews done, Shirley done, some of Chris’s done, my sister done, and ideas for the rest. Oh, except my brother. Gotta figure that one out.
Do you spend Christmas with a lot of family? Just the immediate ones, as mentioned above. We visit Erin and Shawn and the kids on Boxing Day usually. Other than that, no other family anymore. I haven’t really seen my aunts and uncles forever. But that’s what the wedding is for in July.
Do you still make snowmen and snow angels? Sometimes. But only at home where I can wear Dad’s full-body snowmobile suit to cover me up and keep me warm!
Do you still have snow ball fights? Never liked them - I’m a wussy.
What's your favorite Christmas movie? The kids versions of a Christmas Carol are my favourites - Mickey’s and the Muppets. But I also enjoy watching Home Alone at this time of year, and the cartoon Grinch (still haven’t seen Jim Carrey’s version yet).
What do you plan to do for New Year's Eve? I’m going to a wedding, actually! One of my co-worker’s. But there’s plans in the works for a party at my parents’, like old times, so we’ll probably be skipping out fairly early (around 9:00 or so) and heading home where some people will already be. Not sure how we’ll swing this unless one of you fine driver-type-people can offer to pick us up...
What's the most expensive thing you've gotten for Christmas? My digital camera last year. That got stolen three months later.
How early do you wake up on Christmas morning? Depends. In recent years, Kory and I (as well as the parents) have elected to sleep in as much as we normally would on a day off. When Matthew and I did Christmas morning by ourselves for two years, we got up early because he gets so excited. I really don’t know what to expect this year, as Chris usually gets up quite early anyway. But we won’t really have anything to do, as there won’t be any presents... We’ll see...
What do you usually get in your stocking? Always one of those Will-o-paks of chocolates, and a new toothbrush, deodorant, soap, etc. Usually some sort of puzzle book, ummmmm... I can’t really remember. Various and sundry useful things. And they're always wrapped -- I love that! It's so fun! Also as of late, Christmas scratch cards. Which we scratch right then and there before going any further with other gifts, 'cause we're a bunch of dorks. That’s really fun too! (Wonder if I'll get a stocking this year...)
Real tree or fake tree? Real tree. I know some people who are environmentalist types would kick me out of the club for this answer, but really, isn’t it better to use a real tree than all those fake ones that inevitably get used once or twice than sent to the landfill when people move to houses and will remain for thousands of years in the earth because of all that plastic? Besides, I live in a tree-filled country. And I swear when I get to the point of having a tree, I shall plant a new one to replace it each year. That being said, I DID have a fake tree with Matthew, but planned on using it for a while and then taking it to Value Village or elsewhere for reuse afterwards. Most people probably don’t bother. Most people suck.
What is your least favorite thing about the holidays? That most people suck. No, just kidding. The worst thing is the super-commercialism that goes on. It’s pretty bad when you’re scared to set foot near a mall or in Bayers Lake on Saturdays after Halloween. I know people have to get presents for each other, and I do it too of course, but GRRRRR! Seriously, they really need to bring back Sunday shopping, at least over the holiday months, to cut down on the craziness.
What is the one thing that you would like to see under the tree this year? No point saying as it won’t be there.
What is your favorite thing to do/build in the snow? I love tobogganing/sledding/whatever you call it, though I usually only do it once at most all winter these days, when I'm home. But it's a great thrill!
What is your favorite holiday drink? I don’t really have one... I don’t like the traditional holiday drinks - eggnog, cider, etc. - but I guess I’m more likely to drink hot chocolate at Christmastime, so I’ll say that. And the wine at Christmas dinner.
What is your favorite holiday smell? The Christmas tree. I really missed that last year when Mom and Dad got their fake tree. Boo!
Who is your favorite reindeer? Blitzen. Ha! I don’t know!! That’s silly!
What is your Christmas Eve ritual? Well, it’s been changing slightly or not-so-slightly each year, but the gist is: go to my elderly Aunt Shirley’s place for dinner (usually take-out or cold cuts and salads, as we don’t want to make her work so hard preparing a big turkey dinner) with my immediate family (meaning my parents and my brother these days, and of late, Matthew, but this year Chris will be with me), spend time with her and exchange presents with her and each other, then go to Greg’s parents’ place in Sackville till around midnight or so, so the parents can hang out and we “kids” can hang out. In the past few years, this means the “boys” (Greg, Jon, Matthew, Kory, Pat, and usually Keith, and sometimes neighbors or friends of Pat’s) make each other in a stupid wrestling video game and/or go to Smokey Elementary to shoot toy guns at each other, while I roll my eyes and am bored. I alternate between trying to hang out with them and spending time with the parents. This year I shall bring a book. And Chris will be there to keep me company - Yay!! Then we go back to my parents’ place, put the presents under the tree (that will be retarded this year, as there ARE no presents for anyone but Kory as my parents are giving themselves a cruise for a present and me and Chris the wedding stuff they’ve paid for, so there will be essentially nothing), and then go to bed.
Are you a Friday after Thanksgiving shopper? Usually I DO start my shopping early, or at least my thinking about what to get people and list-compiling. This year, though, was much too crazy with other big things going on to really start until this past week. And I still have a long way to go. It’s gonna be a very stingy Christmas indeed. Le sigh.
What is your favorite holiday food? The dinner itself on Christmas day is ALL good. I love the many different veggies Mom now makes at my suggestion - potatoes and sweet potatoes and carrots and sometimes turnip, and Brussels sprouts, and often green beans or peas - as well as the stuffing and cranberries. Both are out of packages, but who cares? We love them. Yum, yum! And she always buys some kind of delectable cheesecake or other yummy dessert - that’s great too. And the sparkling wine. I can’t wait to stuff myself!
Who do you want to be under the mistletoe with? My husband, of course! (Tee-hee! Getting used to saying that!)
Have you bought all your presents yet? Hells no! But I have my nephews done, Shirley done, some of Chris’s done, my sister done, and ideas for the rest. Oh, except my brother. Gotta figure that one out.
Do you spend Christmas with a lot of family? Just the immediate ones, as mentioned above. We visit Erin and Shawn and the kids on Boxing Day usually. Other than that, no other family anymore. I haven’t really seen my aunts and uncles forever. But that’s what the wedding is for in July.
Do you still make snowmen and snow angels? Sometimes. But only at home where I can wear Dad’s full-body snowmobile suit to cover me up and keep me warm!
Do you still have snow ball fights? Never liked them - I’m a wussy.
What's your favorite Christmas movie? The kids versions of a Christmas Carol are my favourites - Mickey’s and the Muppets. But I also enjoy watching Home Alone at this time of year, and the cartoon Grinch (still haven’t seen Jim Carrey’s version yet).
What do you plan to do for New Year's Eve? I’m going to a wedding, actually! One of my co-worker’s. But there’s plans in the works for a party at my parents’, like old times, so we’ll probably be skipping out fairly early (around 9:00 or so) and heading home where some people will already be. Not sure how we’ll swing this unless one of you fine driver-type-people can offer to pick us up...
What's the most expensive thing you've gotten for Christmas? My digital camera last year. That got stolen three months later.
How early do you wake up on Christmas morning? Depends. In recent years, Kory and I (as well as the parents) have elected to sleep in as much as we normally would on a day off. When Matthew and I did Christmas morning by ourselves for two years, we got up early because he gets so excited. I really don’t know what to expect this year, as Chris usually gets up quite early anyway. But we won’t really have anything to do, as there won’t be any presents... We’ll see...
What do you usually get in your stocking? Always one of those Will-o-paks of chocolates, and a new toothbrush, deodorant, soap, etc. Usually some sort of puzzle book, ummmmm... I can’t really remember. Various and sundry useful things. And they're always wrapped -- I love that! It's so fun! Also as of late, Christmas scratch cards. Which we scratch right then and there before going any further with other gifts, 'cause we're a bunch of dorks. That’s really fun too! (Wonder if I'll get a stocking this year...)