A Merry Christmas Survey!

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

I figured with the holidays, it’d be fun to break out this little Christmas survey that’s been circling the blog-o-sphere this week. I hope you enjoy!

Before Christmas…

Do you send out Christmas cards?
Depends on the year. This year I chose not to, except as part of any thank you notes that I may be sending. There’s just too much going on and I needed to focus my attention and energy elsewhere.

How soon do you start shopping?
Usually when I think of the perfect gift for someone. My rents were done SUPER early this year (like October early…) but a good friend got done the week before when I finally figured out the perfect gift!

Do you have a lot of gifts to buy?
Not this year…or really the last few years. My friends and I are all on fairly tight budgets and usually opt to go gift free especially since we’re in different parts of the country. Or we’ll choose to go for dinner/coffee/drinks and call it even.

Do you bake cookies?
It’s one of my favorite things to do this time of year. This year I’m making things interesting and trying to make not only dairy-free versions of my favorites but also gluten-free. Wish me luck!

 

Decorations…

Do you put up a Christmas tree?
I bought a cute little 4-foot pre-lit tree from Walmart. It’s perfect. 🙂

If so, is it fake or real?
Fake. I’ve never owned a real tree…

Do you like tinsel?
No, not really…

Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?
They’re all store bought but more so, they’re mostly ornaments that were given as gifts.

Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?
My parents do and while my roommate and I briefly talked about it, we did not.

Do you put lights on the tree?
Yep…though I leave it to the manufacturer of the tree. I could have bought a 6 foot tree without lights for $5 cheaper but if I did that, the tree would still have the string of lights sitting in a heap on the floor next to it and be completely un decorated.

How about popcorn and cranberries?
Not on the tree, but if you’re asking about a snack? I’ll take em!

Is there a wreath hanging on your door?
Sure is. A wreath I made about 5 or 6 years ago when I was living in New Jersey. I didn’t have any way to hang it so I bought a cute over the door hanger with bells on it.

Christmas Eve…

Do you celebrate it?
Yep! My mom’s entire extended family comes over for dinner and gifts. Growing up there was always Glugg too. They finally brought it back last year after years of not having it…it was pretty good!

Do you hang up your stocking?
My mom does! 😉

Have you ever left cookies out for Santa?
All the time as a kid, of course! And don’t forget the carrots for the reindeer!

 

 

Favourite…

Christmas Movie?
A White Christmas. Hands down…I still need to watch it this year.

Character from any Christmas Movie?
Buddy the Elf. 🙂

Christmas Song?
Probably “I’m Dreaming of A White Christmas”…it makes me think of the final scene of the movie which brings me joy.

Christmas Memory?
I’m not sure there’s a single memory but our giant Christmas celebrations at my Grandma’s as kids. They were usually a few days after Christmas so my cousins could come up from Missouri and they would last ALL DAY! No joke, we used to time them and it was not uncommon that we’d be opening gifts for 6 hours!!!

Christmas Cookie?
They were always peanut butter blossoms but the year my Grandma passed away around Christmas, I did a lot of baking to cope. I made some chocolate peppermint pinwheel cookies which definitely became a front runner!

 

This or That…

Give or Receive?
Give, definitely. I love finding a gift that I think will be the perfect thing for someone. Of course, it’s fun to have something to open too but giving to others is such an amazing feeling. And there’s a few gifts I’m SO excited to give this year!

Ham or Turkey?
Neither…roasted veggies, jellied cranberry sauce (I know!) and mashed potatoes, please!

Star or Angel?
Star. I had to buy a new one this year and it looks so pretty on top of my tree!

White Lights or Colored Lights?
I always grew up with colored lights on my tree so that’s what I have but I like the look with the white lights too.

Blinking Lights or Still Lights?
Still…and with a tree that stands still, as well. (My aunt and uncle have a tree that spins…when we used to go to their house for Christmas, they’d have to turn it off when we got there so it wouldn’t make my dad dizzy.)

Were you Naughty or Nice this year?
I think I was pretty nice, but I also know I’m no angel, either. 🙂

Presents…

What do you want for Christmas this year?
There’s a few things on my list but nothing major. Maybe a new suitcase that I can bring with me on the plane, a tea kettle, a cute pea coat, workout clothes…y’know.

When do you open your gifts?
We used to open 1 gift on Christmas Eve but don’t really do that anymore. We might get a couple things from my mom’s family Xmas Eve but otherwise most gifts are opened Christmas Day with my family.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?
That’s a tough one. Anytime I got a doll as a kid, it was the best gift ever.

What’s the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?
One year my aunt bought my sister and I underwear for Christmas. While maybe not the WORST gift ever as it’s a very practical gift, it was an embarrassing ones, especially when they were held up for all to see…(sorry Aunt Bev, if you’re reading!) Though I’ll be honest, NOW I love getting gift cards to Victoria’s Secret so I can buy new underwear. Funny how times change!

Do you like wrapping gifts?
I am the wrapper in the family…thankfully not a rapper. (HA! See what I did there! 😉 ) But I do enjoy wrapping, at least most of the time and I’d rather wrap boxes than bags…

 

Random…

Can you name all the reindeer?
Yes…you can’t?

Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?
Nope. Though as I ran that Santa Run a few weeks ago, there were a group of people holding up a giant stick with a mistletoe at the end. It was really cute!

Do you go caroling?
As a kid when I was in girl scouts we did…not anymore though. Do people still do that?

Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?
We did! My favorite house as a kid was the one we drove past every Christmas Eve. They had it lit up like the north pole and the couple that lived there dressed up as Santa & Mrs Claus and handed out candy to the kids.

Have you ever had a white Christmas?
We’ve had plenty…and we’re on track for one this year too, I think!

Who do you celebrate Christmas with?
Seeing as MOST of my family is in the area, almost ALL of them. There’s a select few that aren’t able to make it for Christmas or who that we don’t really ever see (insert awkward family drama here), but otherwise our celebrations are split into many so we can see everyone.

Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?
As a kid, yeah…I’m sure my mom can dig some up for ya!

What part of Christmas do you look most forward to?
Watching “White Christmas” with my mom & sister, baking batches of cookies and our Christmas morning brunch. 🙂

Your turn – pick a question or two and answer!