С Рождеством!
Merry Christmas to All, here's a holiday survey I thoroughly enjoyed doing, courtesy of Em.
5. When do you put up your decorations? Before I got married- our family would put them up Thanksgiving weekend. Since I got married- the week before Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Either candied walnuts (Grandma Young used to make them) or Cherry Nut Cookies or Chocolate-Covered Pretzels.
7. What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? Too many to count. I loved it when Dad would sit at the top of the stairs and come up with all kinds of dumb excuses as to why we couldn't come upstairs and open presents (the showers Dad blamed Mom of taking would have been EPIC, had they actually happened); I loved the Christmas where we spent the time driving around out west (celebrated Christmas morning at Grandma Young's house); and I loved spending my first Christmas with Tamara, while we were dating, going to Kentucky and meeting her wonderful relatives. Again, too many to count.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We never did as kids, but I honestly don't remember what my wife and I decided our take on this tradition is. I like the idea, but I don't feel a pressing need for it. That may change when kids come around.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Usually with my hands, sometimes my teeth. My wife loves the themed tree idea (again, which may evolve to some degree as kids come along), but right now it's a very classy blue and silver motif. Really, it looks very nice.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love snow, especially the kind of snow that blankets the world and muffles the noises around, creating a deep silence. But then I don't like it when it gets mixed with cinders and street crud and dirties up me and my car. But I love snow.
12. Do you remember your favorite gift? Not a fair question, since I've recieved so many over so many years, and from so many people. The gifts that are my favorite are the ones that were bought for me, for my personality and interests, not just for the sake of a gift. But overall I love getting gifts. And even the ones that aren't, like, "way thoughtful and tailored exactly to me current wishes and wants," are great, because it means the giver was willing to give a little of their time and/or money on my behalf.
13. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The first and foremost answer should always be remembering Him whose birth we are celebrating. The last few weeks at Church, I've tried to give special attention to the fact that this isn't just a celebrity birthday, that there is a reason this particular birthday has been given so much attention and celebration and importance over the centuries. Second, after that, would be the time to be spent with family and friends. It should be a time when any grudges, anger or differences are set aside and joy is welcomed into every home.
14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? See question 6.
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Lots: driving while looking at lights and singing Christmas carols, watching Scrooge on Christmas Eve, making holiday treats (something I've missed the past few years), going to St. Charles to find a Christmas/holiday treasure, everyone sleeping in the basement Christmas Eve- a dying tradition as the family outgrows the living space available :( , and so on.
16. What tops your tree? Nothing. It's the best ever. Oh, but as for what's on top? A beautiful silver bow, made by my wife, and some blue jibgle bells (the only ones in the store, so that makes them seem unique).
17. Which do you prefer, giving gifts or receiving them? I prefer giving people the opportunity to give me gifts, and receiving opportunities to receive gifts. Honestly, though, I like both. I love the excitment of opening a present, but there's nothing like the satisfaction of seeing true appreciation for a gift I've gotten for someone.
18. What is your favorite Christmas song? Favorite Holiday Song, not necessarily Christmas-themed: "Sleigh Ride". Favorite Christmas Song, religious: "O Come, All Ye Faithful" or "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing." Favorite Christmas Song, non-religious: "Silver Bells" or "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."
19. Candy Canes? Sure.
20. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? If it is, I blame the consumers more than the merchants. But it isn't so commercialized that the whole point of Christmas is totally forgotten.
20. Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooge
1. Do you like Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? I have tried eggnog, I don't hate eggnog, I even sometimes like eggnog...but hot chocolate is better by leaps and bounds. I love adding flavored creamer or cinnamon to hot chocolate.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just put them under the tree? Some of both- sometimes they were wrapped (usually smaller presents) and sometimes they were unwrapped with a tag identifying the intended recipient (usually the bigger ones).
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Only white. Or if you're going to go the colored light route, only do colored lights. Don't mix white and colored lights. Man, I sound racist when I say it like that. But for my house, only white lights. Ones that don't blink, either.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Only if it's guilty of capital offenses. :) No, but mainly because I don't have any.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Only white. Or if you're going to go the colored light route, only do colored lights. Don't mix white and colored lights. Man, I sound racist when I say it like that. But for my house, only white lights. Ones that don't blink, either.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Only if it's guilty of capital offenses. :) No, but mainly because I don't have any.
5. When do you put up your decorations? Before I got married- our family would put them up Thanksgiving weekend. Since I got married- the week before Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Either candied walnuts (Grandma Young used to make them) or Cherry Nut Cookies or Chocolate-Covered Pretzels.
7. What is your favorite Holiday memory as a child? Too many to count. I loved it when Dad would sit at the top of the stairs and come up with all kinds of dumb excuses as to why we couldn't come upstairs and open presents (the showers Dad blamed Mom of taking would have been EPIC, had they actually happened); I loved the Christmas where we spent the time driving around out west (celebrated Christmas morning at Grandma Young's house); and I loved spending my first Christmas with Tamara, while we were dating, going to Kentucky and meeting her wonderful relatives. Again, too many to count.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We never did as kids, but I honestly don't remember what my wife and I decided our take on this tradition is. I like the idea, but I don't feel a pressing need for it. That may change when kids come around.10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Usually with my hands, sometimes my teeth. My wife loves the themed tree idea (again, which may evolve to some degree as kids come along), but right now it's a very classy blue and silver motif. Really, it looks very nice.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I love snow, especially the kind of snow that blankets the world and muffles the noises around, creating a deep silence. But then I don't like it when it gets mixed with cinders and street crud and dirties up me and my car. But I love snow.
12. Do you remember your favorite gift? Not a fair question, since I've recieved so many over so many years, and from so many people. The gifts that are my favorite are the ones that were bought for me, for my personality and interests, not just for the sake of a gift. But overall I love getting gifts. And even the ones that aren't, like, "way thoughtful and tailored exactly to me current wishes and wants," are great, because it means the giver was willing to give a little of their time and/or money on my behalf.
13. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The first and foremost answer should always be remembering Him whose birth we are celebrating. The last few weeks at Church, I've tried to give special attention to the fact that this isn't just a celebrity birthday, that there is a reason this particular birthday has been given so much attention and celebration and importance over the centuries. Second, after that, would be the time to be spent with family and friends. It should be a time when any grudges, anger or differences are set aside and joy is welcomed into every home.14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? See question 6.
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Lots: driving while looking at lights and singing Christmas carols, watching Scrooge on Christmas Eve, making holiday treats (something I've missed the past few years), going to St. Charles to find a Christmas/holiday treasure, everyone sleeping in the basement Christmas Eve- a dying tradition as the family outgrows the living space available :( , and so on.
16. What tops your tree? Nothing. It's the best ever. Oh, but as for what's on top? A beautiful silver bow, made by my wife, and some blue jibgle bells (the only ones in the store, so that makes them seem unique).
17. Which do you prefer, giving gifts or receiving them? I prefer giving people the opportunity to give me gifts, and receiving opportunities to receive gifts. Honestly, though, I like both. I love the excitment of opening a present, but there's nothing like the satisfaction of seeing true appreciation for a gift I've gotten for someone.
18. What is your favorite Christmas song? Favorite Holiday Song, not necessarily Christmas-themed: "Sleigh Ride". Favorite Christmas Song, religious: "O Come, All Ye Faithful" or "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing." Favorite Christmas Song, non-religious: "Silver Bells" or "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."19. Candy Canes? Sure.
20. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? If it is, I blame the consumers more than the merchants. But it isn't so commercialized that the whole point of Christmas is totally forgotten.
20. Favorite Christmas movie? Scrooge
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