It's Christmas already!?

This one comes from F, and I haven't seen it before, so what the heck. Besides, according to the people who do marketing, Xmas started 3 weeks ago, and I'm officially late! ha!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Yes. Usually gift bags come out if the gift is unusually shaped. Or if I'm feeling lazy. Or if I run out of a certain kind of paper. Or if I know I won't get the bag back in the end. I tend to recycle gift bags. I'm also one of those strange people who really likes to wrap presents, so I tend to try to make either as elaborate as I can.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
REAL. Smells better, looks better, feels better. I could go on a long rant about how they are actually better for the environment than the fake ones (and I can prove it), but I'll skip that here. And for God's sake don't buy the fake tree scent stuff!

3. When do you put up the tree?
I haven't put up a tree where I live in a while. When I was in MD 2 years ago, it was two days before because that's when I got there and I was the only one putting out effort on that front (notice a trend, anyone???). If I travel back to Texas, I tend not to bother with a tree, but I'll put up other things.

4. When do you take the tree down?
See above. The rest of the decorations usually come down the weekend/week after New Years.

5. Do you like Egg Nog?
Actually, no. And I even had the opportunity to try it with real unpasteurized eggs and enough rum to kill any germs that might be in those eggs. And I still didn't like it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
hmmm...you know, I don't really remember one or another being a favorite. My parents could definitely go in for odd, though. When I was about 8 or so, I got a HUGE roll of scotch tape in my stocking. I must have had a confused look on my face, because my mom told me that Santa must know that I like to make stuff, and that I might be easier to be good if I had my own instead of taking hers all the time (I became the Thief/Keeper of All Scissors and Tape at about 4 years old). I used every inch of that tape.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Dad's hard now, because if he wants it, he gets it. And if he wants it and doesn't have it, it costs $1,500 (taking the form of a new camera lens)

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Molly is a lot of fun to buy for, though it usually takes a while. Often if I get gifts for friends, they're the easiest. In fact, usually the friends that get gifts are the ones for whom inspiration struck while I was shopping!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
We did when I was little. I can't remember if I have one in my Xmas box from MD. I make it to church, though. :) And in TX, it's often several times.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Who in the hell eMails Christmas cards?

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I'm allowed to say it now: Anything that came from Robert's mom. *evil grin*

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
The (otherwise unranked) top 3 are: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Charlie Brown's Christmas, and George C. Scott's A Christmas Carol. Watching the last one is a Christmas Eve tradition--put it in after we get back from church with some wine. Mom HATED that that became a tradition..

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Sometime about the first week of December, though I try to start in November, if possible. Mom would grab deals in the summer and save them.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No. I have returned them for things that I'll actually use, though.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Hmm..my first thought was "cookies". But now that Christmas is in TX and I'm usually not, I think I'll answer "Mexican Food"

16. Lights on the tree?
"Twice as many as you think you need" is about right.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O come O come Emmanuel". In Latin. And "In the Bleak Midwinter". That one needs a choir though, for the cool "Snow on Snow" harmony/echo.
For a reasonable (normal) answer, I really like the Chipmunks Christmas Song, too.
I feel like I got spoiled on the Christmas songs after singing them in HS choir for four years. Somewhere I permanently learned the words to A LOT of the more obscure ones, and a fair number of them in foreign languages..so my favorites are NEVER played on the radio nor are they sung in church, usually.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I think it's been fairly well established by now. Xmas=Travel (usually to TX) for me. When I was a kid it almost never involved travel. I'm not sure which I prefer.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Hmm..Rudolph. Dasher, Dancer, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen...down by two.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Stars usually look less tacky.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When we were little, mom would let us open 2 the night before. Now we do all of them the morning of.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The radio stations that started playing 24/7 Xmas music on November 1st. And the fact that Thankgiving isn't even allowed to be it's own holiday. And that all the stores started putting up their merch. on October 1st. I'm already sick of looking at it.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
Ornaments have themes? Is "I made it when I was 6 and it's been going on the tree ever since" a theme?

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Gumbo. Actually, we don't DO much for Christmas dinner. None of the ceremony, "everyone dress up and gather together" sort of thing. We're all wrapped up in our comfy clothes (or shorts and t-shirts, depending on the weather), and we all kinda migrate in and out all day.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I've given out a list of things--Bellydance sword, melodia pants, and the Wall-E movie, but it's hard to think of things because I've already gotten what I really wanted-a job and the ability to stay in a living situation that I like. The only other thing I really want is my name back, and I get that in February/March.

I'm feeling pretty lucky/grateful as I head into 2009....


26. Who is most likely to respond to this?
uh...no one because responses don't usually abound around here!

27. Who is least likely to respond to this?
The list is long, here.