A Little Christmas Fun

I thought it might be fun to learn a bit about each other’s Christmas traditions, memories, etc. Feel free to post your answers in the comments or on your own blog. If you post on your blog, link back in the comments so I can see your answers!

What is your favorite . . .

• Christmas movie? The Holiday and A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Christmas carol / song? "O Holy Night" gets me every time! Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is fun for a dance party! Totally opposite ends of the spectrum! (However, I do love all Christmas music . . . traditional hymns and carols and new songs alike!)
• Christmas sweet treat? Divinity. I have no idea how to make it. My grandmothers only make it at Christmas . . . and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the family who likes it.
• Christmas book? The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry - It's really just a short story, but it's so wonderful . . . really gets at the heart of Christmas!
• Children’s Christmas book? 'Twas the Night Before Christmas
• Christmas tradition? Christmas Eve was always so special growing up. We went to church, and then would either have family over for dinner or go out to eat somewhere. Driving around looking at Christmas lights was usually involved. And then the guys would finish wrapping their gifts and we would exchange gifts among our immediate family. If we hadn't already watched Christmas Vacation, we would usually pop it in for a while at some point.

As far as your preferences . . .

• White or colorful lights? I've always had white lights . . . but I'm not opposed to colorful lights.
• Twinkling lights or non-twinkling lights? Non-twinkling
• Turkey or ham? Ham at Christmas  . . . the only day of the whole year that I actually like ham. Weird, right?
• Tree - real or fake? Fake . . . less mess, less money, less trouble all the way around. Plus, the one we have now was a freebie from Grandma. :)
• Hot cocoa or apple cider? Both! But not mixed together.
• Frosty or Rudolph? Rudolph
• Scrooge or the Grinch? Scrooge . . . I just love A Christmas Carol!
• Gift wrap or gift bag? Whatever's handy and fits.
• Themed tree or traditional family ornaments? Traditional family ornaments. Most of my ornaments have special meaning to me.

Who are you spending Christmas with this year? We're making the rounds again. We'll hit up both sets of parents, all four sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I think the only people we'll miss are Hubs' brother (we saw him last weekend) and one cousin. Not too shabby!

What is the most embarrassing gift you’ve ever asked for? Hands down . . . Bob Guiney's cd. Yes, Bob Guiney from The Bachelor had a CD. And I own it.

What is the best gift you’ve ever gotten? Oh . . . so hard to choose! My grandmother made me a t-shirt quilt after I graduated from high school. She gave it to me for Christmas the next year. Definitely a labor of love! I take it everywhere with me! Probably the most surprising gift was a tanzanite and diamond ring that I really, really, really wanted but just knew I wasn't going to get. My parents totally surprised me with it for Christmas one year!

What is the best gift you’ve ever given? I thought this was a good question, but now I'm not so sure. I don't know if this is really the best but everyone seemed to enjoy it. The Christmas after Hubs and I got married, I made photo albums for all of our grandparents of our wedding pictures.

What is your most memorable Christmas and why? Every Christmas is wonderful and special for one reason or another. I think the most memorable, though, was the one I spent in Africa. It was just so different from every other year. So much more simpler . . . and much less about me. It was so hard to be away from home during Christmas, and I had to rely on the Lord so much. Our little Charlie Brown Christmas tree, spaghetti Christmas Eve dinner, McDonald's for Christmas lunch, making Christmas special for orphans, opening my Christmas box from Mom and Dad, sharing gifts from my parents with all of my African friends, swapping gifts with my new friends and knowing that every gift I received was a total sacrifice. It was memorable in every way!

What are three words that you associate with Christmas. Redemption. Peace. Joy.

Well . . . I hope you guys have had fun. I can't wait to read about your Christmas traditions and memories!

Merry Christmas everyone!