No Thought Required

I am completely obsessed with real estate-related matters right now (which, believe me, NO ONE wants to hear about), so rather than write an actual post that requires things like sentence structure and coherent thought, things I am quite frankly unable to generate right now, I'm going to jump on the meme bandwagon provided by Melissa & my sister-in-law, Kim.

• Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, with extra points for marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon or amaretto. I try egg nog every year because it seems like something I would like, creamy & nutmeg-y & bourbon-y, but somehow, it's just . . . not good.
• Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? In our family, if it's not wrapped, it's not a present! Everything gets wrapped, even the stocking stuffers.
• Colored lights on tree / house or white? White everywhere except the tiny tree in our bedroom, which has colored lights.
• Do you hang mistletoe? I used to, but I haven't for the past few years. I haven't noticed a lack of kissing without it!
• When do you put your decorations up? Usually the week before Thanksgiving. Chris starts talking about decorating immediately after Halloween & that's normally as long as I can hold him back.
• What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Pasta, made by both my mom & mother-in-law. Both of them make huge, amazing Italian feasts for Christmas dinner & everything is insanely delicious. I always eat too much.
• Favorite holiday memory as a child? Christmas at Nana's house with my entire extended family.
• When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What do you mean?? Is there something about Santa that I should know? Honestly, I have no recollection. I obviously wasn't traumatized by the revelation.
• Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Absolutely. Are you kidding? I can barely wait that long!
• How do you decorate your Christmas tree? A mix of ornaments that Chris & I had before we met, plus ones that we bought together. No theme of any kind, but every ornament has a history.
• Snow! Love it or Dread it? Dread. I deeply & totally hate snow.
• Can you ice skate? No, & with my aversion to cold (as well as to falling down), I have no desire to learn.
• Do you remember your favorite gift? The Barbie Town House was a big hit when I was seven. Now, I love everything that Chris buys me, both because he puts so much thought into his choices & because he's so excited to give them to me. My favorite gift that I gave to someone was the quilt we gave to my cousin Art when he was undergoing treatment for cancer. Each square was designed by a friend or family member, including some people he had lost touch with after high school. He was totally surprised and overwhelmed. It was a great moment & I love that we were able to do that for him.
• What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Being with my family & making new traditions with Chris.
• What is your favorite holiday dessert? Cannoli, fudge, pie . . . there isn't a whole lot that I don't like, unfortunately.
• What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating the tree with Chris & baking Christmas cookies with my mom.
• What tops your tree? A large stained glass star that's so heavy, Chris has to wire it to the tree so it won't tip over.
• Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? I can't lie, I love getting presents. But I like giving them a little bit more. I love finding the perfect gift!
• What is your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night is my favorite traditional song. Non-traditional, I like Please Come Home for Christmas.
• Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum! Especially if you're using it to stir a cup of hot chocolate. But they have to be the traditional red-and-white peppermint ones, none of this multicolored, fruit-flavored nonsense.

Your turn!