Survey swiped from Phantastica at OpenDiary.
1.) COOKIE: Pfefferneusse, or those green leaf butter cookies with chocolate.
2.) CANDY: Peppermint sticks.
3.) MAIN COURSE: We made an amazing roast with fresh herbs rubbed all over it and roasted red potatoes, last year. Mmm. Beef.
4.) STORE: Cost Plus Imports, for their amazing glass ornaments, and general niftyness.
5.) COLOR OF OUTDOOR LIGHTS: For icicles, blue; for wrapping around tree trunks, white; for outlining windows, single strands of multicolored lights. And I detest blinking things.
6.) TYPE OF TREE: Faux. But real pine wreaths and garlands.
7.) COLOR LIGHTS ON TREE: Mix of pearl-shaped and teardrop-shaped crackled white lights, and multicolored twinklelights.
8.) TREE TOPPER: We have a very Celtic looking Santa Claus for the top of our tree, this year, but I grew up with a silver foil butterfly as the topper.
9.) ORNAMENTS or BALLS: Ornaments. Every single ornament on my tree was hand-picked either by me or for me, and has it's own story.
10.) GARLAND or TINSEL: Tinsel, but only sparingly, and never put on the tree til Christmas Eve. (Yeah, there's a story there, too.)
11.) HIDING PLACE FOR GIFTS: All over the place.
12.) BEST TOY YOU EVER GOT FOR CHRISTMAS: The year I was nine I got a very cool microscope, but that's not truly a toy. The year I was seven, my anti-Barbie mother caved in, and made doll clothes for a wedding party of NINE dolls. I'm told the echoes of her curses as she tried to make darts that small still linger in the walls…
13.) THING TO WEAR TO BED CHRISTMAS EVE: Oh, the traditional new nightgown for Christmas, of course.
14.) TIME YOU GOT UP CHRISTMAS MORNING AS A KID: Early. But I didn't leave my bedroom until eight or so. In my family the tradition is that Christmas stockings are left on the foot of the bed, to keep the kids busy until the adults roll out of bed.
15.) TIME YOU GOT UP CHRISTMAS MORNING LAST YEAR: Not so early. Nine-ish. My parents were visiting, and it was neat having coffee made for me, for a change.
16.) DO YOU ENJOY SENDING OUT CHRISTMAS CARDS: Yes. I love physical mail, even if it's a mere card.
17.) HOW DO YOU DISPLAY THE CARDS YOU RECEIVE? Generally, we cover the back of the front door with them.
18.) HOT CHOCOLATE, EGG NOG or APPLE CIDER: All, but never at the same time.
19.) ALCOHOLIC DRINK: Hot buttered rum.
20.) DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY IN YOUR HOME? At my house? No. When my grandparents were alive, they did, and we'd get yelled at for playing with the baby Jesus.
21.) HOLIDAY SONG: Serious: “I'll Be Home for Christmas” makes me cry. Humorous: “Santa Baby.”
22.) HOLIDAY MOVIE: White Christmas or Miracle on 34th Street
23.) BEST HOLIDAY EPISODE OF A TV SHOW YOU EVER SAW: The “Lovers Walk” episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or any Christmas ep of M*A*S*H.
24.) HOLIDAY TV SPECIAL YOU EVER SAW: Does the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade count?
25.) DO YOU WRAP THE GIFTS YOU PUT IN A STOCKING: Of course. In fact, the stockings are my favorite part. It's a fun challenge to by things that MUST fit in a certain size-range.
26.) HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU FOUND OUT THERE WAS NO SANTA CLAUS? *blink* There isn't?
Seriously…I don't think I ever believed a real person was coming down the chimney, it's a seasonal game. In fact, I still get presents from “Santa” every year.
27.) HOW DID YOU FIND OUT? See above.
28.) HOW DID YOU TAKE THE NEWS? See above.
29.) DO YOU GO TO CHURCH ON CHRISTMAS EVE/CHRISTMAS MORNING? Despite my total lack of religious affiliation, I love midnight mass on Christmas eve – the music and the sense of harmony – it doesn't last long, but for that one moment, everything's perfect.
30.) WHEN DO YOU TAKE YOUR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS DOWN? Epiphany.