Christmas Survey Responses from Relatives
Responses from a Christmas-themed Internet survey that I sent out to various relatives, Christmas 2005. These were the ones who responded.
Adam
Favorite Christmas Song: Hmm. There are a lot. I rather like "A-Soalin'" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Most other Christmas carols have the habit of only being good with one recording.
Favorite Christmas Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas is quite good, although I'm not entirely sure if it's a Christmas movie. It could also be considered a Halloween movie. Home Alone is nice as well.
Favorite Christmas Food: Haystacks.
Mom
Favorite Christmas Song: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Judy Garland's verison is the best, her voice is unmistakable.
Favorite Christmas Movie: Also Love Actually (same as Sara) I remember watching it on Thanksgiving Day in 2003 in Houston, Texas with John and three of my children. We had gone to Houston to see an exhibit entitled The Heroic Century (most of the pieces were on loan from MOMA in New York while that museum was undergoing renovations). We had such an awesome day, so many of the pieces took my breath away, and I remember watching the movie and looking at each person's face in turn and feeling everything in the world was right and I was surrounded by the people I loved the most.
Favorite Christmas Food: Chocolate covered cheeries (dark chocolate is the best) although I can't eat as many as I once could. I don't really know how this tradition got started but I can remember having them at Christmas since I was maybe five or six. Of course there is the tradition of eggnog. John and I were both made for eggnog and I could write pages on the subject.
Sara
Favorite Christmas Songs: I really love "River," a Joni Mitchell song that's covered by the Indigo Girls on one of their live albums, and also Robert Downey Jr. on an episode of Ally McBeal. That's sort of a sad Christmas/winter song. I like "Happy Christmas," by John Lennon, and "Christmastime Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas, and of course, that classic chesnut "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," by a very demonic young singer.
Favorite Christmas Movie: Love Actually.
Favorite Christmas Food: My aunt Carla's peanut butter chocolate candy. It's my crack.
Favortie Christmas Traditions: For his last three Christmases, my dad bought each of us a clock. I got a really awesome backwards clock that now hangs above my computer, and Rebecca got a Rosie the Riveter clock. Adam's year was the year Dad died, so obviously he didn't get one, but that was a good tradition while it lasted.
Favorite Thing About Christmastime: I will have to second Rebecca and say no school. Oh, and my birthday is in December!
What I want most for Christmas this year is: Season one of "House, M.D." on DVD. We'll see if that actually happens.
My favorite Christmas was: I don't really think about stuff like that. One year Rebecca and I staggered around the house pretending to be drunk on egg nog (we were kids). That was fun. Last year we got a trip to New York City and a new computer, which were great presents.
Rebecca
Favorite Christmas Songs: There are so many! To narrow it down as much as possible, I'll say "A-Soaling," by Peter, Paul, & Mary, "Simply Havin' a Wonderful Christmastime," by Paul McCartney, "That's What I Want for Christmas," by Shirley Temple, and "Louisiana Christmas Day," by Aaron Neville.
Favorite Christmas Movies: Miracle on 34th Street, the one with Natalie Wood, Home Alone, and The Preacher's Wife.
Favorite Christmas Foods: Green Glop! (Green Jell-O with marshmallows and cottage cheese - so delicious!) My mom's Fudge Orleans. "Bacon & Eggs" - this is a snack we make by putting a little dollop of white chocolate on two pretzel sticks, then putting a yellow M&M in the center of the chocolate, so it really does look like a tiny fried egg over two slices of bacon. I made about a hundred of these last Christmas.
Favorite Christmas Traditions: My family always watches A Hard Day's Night while we're decorating the Christmas tree.
Favorite Thing About Christmastime: No school! Everything else (the decorations, the food, the presents, the time with my family) comes in second.
What I want most for Christmas this year is: JM Barrie books. Oh, and passing all my final exams and classes would be nice, too. But I guess that one will have to be my present to myself.
My favorite Christmas was: Probably Christmas 2001, when I watched Miracle on 34th Street over and over and over until my family was ready to kill me. And I think our Christmas tree that year must have had cancer, or some other terrible sickness, because whenever anybody so much as breathed on it too hard, about fifty pine needles fell off.
Adam
Favorite Christmas Song: Hmm. There are a lot. I rather like "A-Soalin'" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Most other Christmas carols have the habit of only being good with one recording.
Favorite Christmas Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas is quite good, although I'm not entirely sure if it's a Christmas movie. It could also be considered a Halloween movie. Home Alone is nice as well.
Favorite Christmas Food: Haystacks.
Mom
Favorite Christmas Song: "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Judy Garland's verison is the best, her voice is unmistakable.
Favorite Christmas Movie: Also Love Actually (same as Sara) I remember watching it on Thanksgiving Day in 2003 in Houston, Texas with John and three of my children. We had gone to Houston to see an exhibit entitled The Heroic Century (most of the pieces were on loan from MOMA in New York while that museum was undergoing renovations). We had such an awesome day, so many of the pieces took my breath away, and I remember watching the movie and looking at each person's face in turn and feeling everything in the world was right and I was surrounded by the people I loved the most.
Favorite Christmas Food: Chocolate covered cheeries (dark chocolate is the best) although I can't eat as many as I once could. I don't really know how this tradition got started but I can remember having them at Christmas since I was maybe five or six. Of course there is the tradition of eggnog. John and I were both made for eggnog and I could write pages on the subject.
Sara
Favorite Christmas Songs: I really love "River," a Joni Mitchell song that's covered by the Indigo Girls on one of their live albums, and also Robert Downey Jr. on an episode of Ally McBeal. That's sort of a sad Christmas/winter song. I like "Happy Christmas," by John Lennon, and "Christmastime Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas, and of course, that classic chesnut "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," by a very demonic young singer.
Favorite Christmas Movie: Love Actually.
Favorite Christmas Food: My aunt Carla's peanut butter chocolate candy. It's my crack.
Favortie Christmas Traditions: For his last three Christmases, my dad bought each of us a clock. I got a really awesome backwards clock that now hangs above my computer, and Rebecca got a Rosie the Riveter clock. Adam's year was the year Dad died, so obviously he didn't get one, but that was a good tradition while it lasted.
Favorite Thing About Christmastime: I will have to second Rebecca and say no school. Oh, and my birthday is in December!
What I want most for Christmas this year is: Season one of "House, M.D." on DVD. We'll see if that actually happens.
My favorite Christmas was: I don't really think about stuff like that. One year Rebecca and I staggered around the house pretending to be drunk on egg nog (we were kids). That was fun. Last year we got a trip to New York City and a new computer, which were great presents.
Rebecca
Favorite Christmas Songs: There are so many! To narrow it down as much as possible, I'll say "A-Soaling," by Peter, Paul, & Mary, "Simply Havin' a Wonderful Christmastime," by Paul McCartney, "That's What I Want for Christmas," by Shirley Temple, and "Louisiana Christmas Day," by Aaron Neville.
Favorite Christmas Movies: Miracle on 34th Street, the one with Natalie Wood, Home Alone, and The Preacher's Wife.
Favorite Christmas Foods: Green Glop! (Green Jell-O with marshmallows and cottage cheese - so delicious!) My mom's Fudge Orleans. "Bacon & Eggs" - this is a snack we make by putting a little dollop of white chocolate on two pretzel sticks, then putting a yellow M&M in the center of the chocolate, so it really does look like a tiny fried egg over two slices of bacon. I made about a hundred of these last Christmas.
Favorite Christmas Traditions: My family always watches A Hard Day's Night while we're decorating the Christmas tree.
Favorite Thing About Christmastime: No school! Everything else (the decorations, the food, the presents, the time with my family) comes in second.
What I want most for Christmas this year is: JM Barrie books. Oh, and passing all my final exams and classes would be nice, too. But I guess that one will have to be my present to myself.
My favorite Christmas was: Probably Christmas 2001, when I watched Miracle on 34th Street over and over and over until my family was ready to kill me. And I think our Christmas tree that year must have had cancer, or some other terrible sickness, because whenever anybody so much as breathed on it too hard, about fifty pine needles fell off.