A Christmas Meme

I got tagged by Lou to do this Christmas meme, so here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?--Wrapping paper. I just don't like gift bags, though I do use them on occasion. But I don't save the wrapping paper for re-use like my mammaw used to do. What can I say? She raised a family during the Depression.

2. Real or artificial tree? - Artificial. It's what I grew up with. Still, I have used real trees before. I guess it doesn't matter, just so long as I have a tree.

3. When do you put up your tree? - The day after Thanksgiving. When I was little, we put up our tree about a week before Christmas. I always begged my Daddy to put it up earlier, but he refused, telling me I'd be tired of it by Christmas. When I got my own home, I started putting it up earlier, and I've never gotten tired of one yet.

4. When do you take the tree down? That has ranged anywhere from January 1st to almost February. Some years I just can't bear to take it down.

5. Do you like eggnog? Love it, love it, love it. Made all the more poignant by the fact that I'm allergic to eggs. Fake nog is ok, but it just isn't the same. I still buy egg nog for Cody, and beg him to just let me sniff it. Please? Just a little sniff...

6. Favorite gift received as a child? - Two of them stand out in my mind; my Easy Bake oven and my red, white, and blue football. (That was so I wouldn't get it mixed up with my brother's.)

7. Do you have a nativity scene? - Several.

8. Worst Christmas gift you've ever received? - Hard to say, because I've gotten so many bad ones. The one I'm currently thinking of is silicone cake pans shaped like flowers. I never used them and they sat around collecting dust until I finally donated them to the dojo rummage sale. I'm also calling to mind the cow shaped scrubbie holder...

9. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? - Neither this year. I just haven't felt like doing any. Usually I mail cards though, so I can send everyone new pictures of Cody.

10. Favorite Christmas movie? - "It's a Wonderful Life", "A Christmas Carol"--the Patrick Stewart version, "The House Without A Christmas Tree", "The Nativity Story".

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? - It varies. Some years, I hit the after Christmas sales and stock up for the next year. This year, I waited until after Thanksgiving, though I did pick up Cody some things in October when I went down to Jackson for my allergist appointment. Usually, I start around September.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? - All of it. There are some things I only make at Christmas--snickerdoodles, fudge, sausage balls, etc. My favorite favorite still has to be the turkey.

13. Clear or colored lights on the tree? - Colored, definitely. I think white lights are boring.

14. Favorite Christmas song? - Christmastime, by Michael W. Smith, followed closely by Phillips, Craig and Dean's version of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Though that video I posted Tuesday may move into my top 5 right quick.

So now I have to tag 3 people - and leave them comments to let them know they've been tagged.. I tag the following:

Kathy
Opal
Robin

and anyone else who wants to play.