Christmas Questions
1. How will you celebrate the holidays this year? This year it will be just the five of us at home. We'll go out for dinner on Christmas Eve (Macaroni Grill), drive through a few neighborhoods to see the lights on the way home, open Christmas P.J.s and then send the "kids" (ha! they are all adults now!) to bed early so Christmas can magically appear. On Christmas Day we have a treat (usually cinnamon buns) for breakfast, open gifts, watch the Christmas Parade on television, and I cook. After the traditional turkey feast, we often go out to the movies. Last year we saw "We Bought A Zoo". Not sure what it will be this year.
2. What’s the weather currently like where you live? It's been mostly grey, wet, and dismal in the 40's and low 50's with occasional peeks of sunshine.
3. Do you decorate your home for the holidays? If so, share a picture please! Despite rampant rumors that I'm a total grinch, um, YES! We do decorate. Not a lot, not particularly lavish. And pretty much confined to one small area of the house. But I like it!
(this shot taken for the 12 Days of Christmas class)
4. What’s your favorite Christmas movie? It has become a family tradition to watch Elf together every year. I'm not typically a Will Ferrell fan, but the innocence he portrays in this movie is convincing and funny. We also love Polar Express, all of the Santa Clause series, and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
5. What is your favorite Christmas song? I don't have a single favorite. In the religious category, I love "Do You Hear What I Hear?" as sung by Bing Crosby. In the more secular arena, I'm a fan of "Where Are You Christmas" by Faith Hill (from the movie "The Grinch") and most recently Train's "Shake Up Christmas"
6. Do you have an advent calendar? No. We haven't had advent calendars since the kids were pretty little. It wasn't a tradition that really caught on with them.
7. Do you prefer colored lights or white lights? For outdoor decorations I prefer white lights. Indoors, on the tree, we've always had color. Since our switch to LED lights a few years ago, the colors are somewhat garish and not all that Christmassy IMHO. And I miss the twinkle lights. I think I'd happily switch to white at this point.
8. What is your favorite food to eat over the holidays? I love our traditional holiday dinner. But among the favorites - acorn squash baked with butter and brown sugar (yum!) and my daughter Rachel's peanut butter blossom cookies (super yum!).
9. Do you display a live tree, or do you prefer fake trees? It isn't necessarily preference, but convenience. I grew up with fake trees because my mom was allergic to the real thing. We have a fake tree. We've had the same one for 27 years now. Environmentally friendly (especially when you keep and reuse it as long as we have!) and no messy sap and pine needles all over the carpet. But I would love to have the pine smell!
9. Do you display a live tree, or do you prefer fake trees? It isn't necessarily preference, but convenience. I grew up with fake trees because my mom was allergic to the real thing. We have a fake tree. We've had the same one for 27 years now. Environmentally friendly (especially when you keep and reuse it as long as we have!) and no messy sap and pine needles all over the carpet. But I would love to have the pine smell!
(This shot was taken for the 12 Days of Christmas Class with a homemade star filter)
10. What would you need to make your holiday perfect his year? My "perfect" holiday is really simple. I just want my family to be happy, get along (as in refrain from sibling squabbles), express an appropriate amount of real gratitude for all they've been given, and maybe even offer to help in the kitchen. It really doesn't take a lot to make me happy!
Now, I think some wrapping paper is calling my name....
Now, I think some wrapping paper is calling my name....
