Christmas Questions
My sister forwarded me this questionnaire as part of an email chain. Rather than emailing it all over creation, I'll answer the questions here. That saves bits, don't you think?
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. It's cheaper. Plus, bags *can* be nice, but to make them nice you have to spend just as much time on them as you do on paper. Also, it seems kind of wasteful to spend four bucks on a bag that someone's just going to throw away. Not so with twenty-five cents' worth of wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or artificial? Real. I like the smell. Not so much the mess, of course, but hey, it's only once a year.
3. When do you put up the tree? A day or two before Christmas. This is when my in-laws prefer it, and since we do all of our Christmas stuff over there, that's whose rule we follow.
4. When do you take the tree down? January 2, or as soon as otherwise possible after January 1. More because of tree collection than out of any native desire to have it gone.
5. Do you like eggnog? I can't recall that I've ever even had it. It stands to reason that I'd like it, since I like custard, but I think I might be put off by the rum.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? To be honest, there are only a few Christmas gifts I got that I actually remember as being Christmas gifts. One of our cousins (almost certainly Kalei) gave me a Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide one year. I remember a couple of other books, but can't recall if they were birthday or Christmas gifts. I can't remember if the Commodore 64 was a birthday or Christmas gift, but that was pretty damn spectacular too.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? No.
8. Hardest person(s) to buy for? My sister and brother-in-law, and my mom and dad. I never know what to get. We just kind of blindly pick stuff and hope they like it!
9. Easiest person to buy for? Any kid, because they seriously like everything they get. At least, that's true in our case. Also, it's easy to buy for me :)
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The year that I said "I don't want anything" and actually got nothing was pretty bad. But I'm not sure that that counts. I don't think I've ever gotten a bad Christmas gift. I'm easy to please.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Uh...Christmas cards?
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Most versions of "A Christmas Carol," but especially the Alistair Sim version and the Bill Murray version ("Scrooged"). Also "Miracle on 34th Street" with Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year, I think we started stockpiling presents in August or September. We actually start pretty early; it's finishing and mailing things that get us in trouble.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Is this like regifting? No, I never have.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Roast beef. Ham and turkey are good too. I'm not picky. Oooh, mince pie! (I haven't had it in years, though.)
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored, although the only set of tree lights we ever bought were clear. But I think colored lights are just more festive and fun. We have these neat bubble lights at the in-laws' place; they're filled with colored liquid which bubbles when it's heated.
17. Favorite Christmas carol? Absolutely and without a doubt, "Sleigh Ride."
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, where "home" is defined as "at the in-laws," which is a mile from our house.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, but this is a dumb question to have on this kind of thing, because once one person puts the answer in an email, then everyone knows it. Anyway, yes.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Both. Although to be pedantic, I think we put the angel at the very top and the star near the top.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present Christmas Eve, the rest in the morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Bill O'Reilly and his bullshit "War on Christmas" meme that he and his ilk try to push. Also, we live near a mall, and traffic gets really bad. This year, though, it hasn't been egregious (knock wood).
23. Is Santa Claus real? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
24. Have you ever opened a gift under the tree and rewrapped it? Yes. I am incredibly ni'ele. If I had my way, I'd know what every single thing is before anybody opened anything.
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. It's cheaper. Plus, bags *can* be nice, but to make them nice you have to spend just as much time on them as you do on paper. Also, it seems kind of wasteful to spend four bucks on a bag that someone's just going to throw away. Not so with twenty-five cents' worth of wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or artificial? Real. I like the smell. Not so much the mess, of course, but hey, it's only once a year.
3. When do you put up the tree? A day or two before Christmas. This is when my in-laws prefer it, and since we do all of our Christmas stuff over there, that's whose rule we follow.
4. When do you take the tree down? January 2, or as soon as otherwise possible after January 1. More because of tree collection than out of any native desire to have it gone.
5. Do you like eggnog? I can't recall that I've ever even had it. It stands to reason that I'd like it, since I like custard, but I think I might be put off by the rum.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? To be honest, there are only a few Christmas gifts I got that I actually remember as being Christmas gifts. One of our cousins (almost certainly Kalei) gave me a Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide one year. I remember a couple of other books, but can't recall if they were birthday or Christmas gifts. I can't remember if the Commodore 64 was a birthday or Christmas gift, but that was pretty damn spectacular too.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? No.
8. Hardest person(s) to buy for? My sister and brother-in-law, and my mom and dad. I never know what to get. We just kind of blindly pick stuff and hope they like it!
9. Easiest person to buy for? Any kid, because they seriously like everything they get. At least, that's true in our case. Also, it's easy to buy for me :)
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The year that I said "I don't want anything" and actually got nothing was pretty bad. But I'm not sure that that counts. I don't think I've ever gotten a bad Christmas gift. I'm easy to please.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Uh...Christmas cards?
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Most versions of "A Christmas Carol," but especially the Alistair Sim version and the Bill Murray version ("Scrooged"). Also "Miracle on 34th Street" with Maureen O'Hara and Natalie Wood.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year, I think we started stockpiling presents in August or September. We actually start pretty early; it's finishing and mailing things that get us in trouble.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Is this like regifting? No, I never have.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Roast beef. Ham and turkey are good too. I'm not picky. Oooh, mince pie! (I haven't had it in years, though.)
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored, although the only set of tree lights we ever bought were clear. But I think colored lights are just more festive and fun. We have these neat bubble lights at the in-laws' place; they're filled with colored liquid which bubbles when it's heated.
17. Favorite Christmas carol? Absolutely and without a doubt, "Sleigh Ride."
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, where "home" is defined as "at the in-laws," which is a mile from our house.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes, but this is a dumb question to have on this kind of thing, because once one person puts the answer in an email, then everyone knows it. Anyway, yes.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Both. Although to be pedantic, I think we put the angel at the very top and the star near the top.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present Christmas Eve, the rest in the morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Bill O'Reilly and his bullshit "War on Christmas" meme that he and his ilk try to push. Also, we live near a mall, and traffic gets really bad. This year, though, it hasn't been egregious (knock wood).
23. Is Santa Claus real? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
24. Have you ever opened a gift under the tree and rewrapped it? Yes. I am incredibly ni'ele. If I had my way, I'd know what every single thing is before anybody opened anything.
posted by Robert at
9:14 PM
1 Comments:
1) Bags, bags, bags, bags. First, they *can* be cheap (I found very nice pink bags for 49 cents at Target), and second, I am the worst present wrapper ever.
2) I don't really have an opinion on this one. I enjoy natural trees, but I confess that I actually get a kick out of those silver artificial ones too. (I'm sure it comes out of my childhood obsession with tinsel, with which I would load our trees until they staggered. A silver tree is, in fact, what I was working towards. In my alternate life, I grew up, got my own apartment very far away, and bought a silver Christmas tree which--purely out of laziness on my part--stays up all year. Which is another thing I like about artificial trees--you can keep the same one forever, and kind of bond with it.)
3) Ditto.
4) Yep.
5) Nope.
6)I have to say, I honestly don't remember.
7)Nope.
8)My husband. Unless he tells me precisely what he wants. When he doesn't...
9)Same answer, actually. Because I do enjoy shopping for him, and even though what I get is probably way off base, he'll like it. Also my mom, because I know her interests.
10)I can't remember ever not liking a Christmas present I got.
11)Sometimes I feel like I should send Christmas cards, but I lie down for a while and the feeling passes.
12)Totally don't have one.
13)What he said.
14)No.
15) See's Candies.
16)I like clear.
17)'O Little Town of Bethlehem.' That's actually one of my favorite songs ever, right up there with 'Shall We Gather at the River.' Runner up would be 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.'
18)Home.
19)I'm not actually sure.
20)Yep.
21)Yep.
22)Double yep. 'War on Christmas,' my ass. Not only is this total bullshit, but it's a slap in the face at Christians around the world who really are being persecuted and oppressed. I mean, do these people have no shame? "My sock salesman said 'Happy Holidays'! I'm persecuted!" Give me a break.
23)Yes in the 'Yes, Virginia' sense.
24) Nope.
Whew! Long list :)
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