Soooo to take my mind of this fact AND to post something Christmasy, here's a meme.... ;)
CHRISTMAS MEME:
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely wrapping paper for Christmas!!! So much more fun, festive, and bright, specially for little kids. For baby showers/wedding showers/ etc... I feel no guilt using a bag. After all, the recipient can reuse. But for Christmas? NEVER! ... Ok... so maybe I did once or twice since I've run out of wrapping paper a few times *hangs head*. It makes me feel blah though, as I would much rather sit down and take an entire evening wrapping up gifts for everyone. Gets me into the Christmas moooood ^_^
2. Real tree or Artificial? I love the smell and feel of a real tree (long-needle, thankyouvermuch). Enough, even, to put up with the putting it on the roof of the car and the shedding, but I like the fact that a fake one doesn't die (obviously). I like to have the tree up several weeks before Christmas. That's no problem if you're using a fake tree, but come Christmas time a real one will start looking a bit dry around the edges. When I was little we always had a real tree, but then my parents got older and more sisters sprouted out of the ground and we got a dog that likes to eat any/all plant-life, so then we switched over to a fake one. It was acceptable, but nothing beats the Christmasy smell of a real tree. Well now that I'm married I can have whatever tree I want. HA! x]
3. When do you put up the tree? In a perfect world? The day after Thanxgiving. In a procrastinator's world? Two weeks before Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? It varies. I like to keep it up as long as possible, but it still usually comes down a few days after Christmas *sniff*
5. Do you like Eggnog? Mmmmmm yummmm yeah xD
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'm not actually sure. Since my birthday is on Christmas Eve, its hard to remember which were birthday gifts and which were for Christmas, but I remember I always especially liked the craft-type gifts ^_^. One that really sticks out in my mind was a kit my sister got me that taught me how to make a bowl out of long pine needles and raffia. It was pretty sweet xD. Very sturdy too. Its still in fabulous shape despite it being 12 years old :)
7. Hardest person to buy for? Hmmm. My brothers. Mainly because they always say that I don't have to get them anything, thus refusing to give me good ideas =P
8. Easiest person to buy for? Hmmm. Probably my sister Ivy (yeah yeah yeah "The Holly and the Ivy". I know I know lol). I'm closest in age to her so we're pretty close. I know just what she likes and such.....
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I have a cute little glass one, but its back in the states. Can't wait till I can set it up next Christmas ^_^
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I don't have much experience in this area since I never really needed to when I was a teenager. I could always just hitch a ride on my parents cards lol. Now that I'm married (and 20 years old *wince*) I'll probably get into the habit though. So to answer the question, I think I'd prefer regular mail over email :)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmmm. I dunno. I think I enjoyed all my gifts. When I was little my older sister would tease me and buy me underwear and then make me think that was all she got me. The main gift usually made up for the underwear though haha. Oh oh oh no wait I got one. When I was 16 or 17 I got a ridiculously ugly purse thingy. It. Was. Hideous. I even suspect the giver was being passive aggressive by giving it to me ;)
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I don't know if I actually have a favorite. Irving Berlin’s White Christmas is an obvious favorite but I rarely watch it on Christmas. I usually watch it July or August when I'm needing a snow/Christmas fix lol. The movie I enjoy most on Christmas isn't even a Christmas movie. For some reason, Watching "Bringing Up Baby" with Cary Grant and Kathrine Hepburn on Christmas is my family's tradition. I don't know why and I don't even remember what started it, but its just what we've done ever since I was little lol ^_^
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? It varies, but I usually start seriously considering it around October. I like to give myself JUST enough time. A little less even, so I feel the Christmas gift buying rush. I like that feeling xD
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No. I probably have considered it but there really is entirely way too much risk involved =P lol
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Hmmm. I can't choose. I love my mom's brown sugar ham. I also really like hot chocolate and homemade toffee xD
16. Lights on the tree? Wait.... this is OPTIONAL to some people?!?! Of COURSE lights on a tree!!! O_____o
17. Favorite Christmas song? "Carol of the Bells", "Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas", "12 Days of Christmas", "The Little Drummer Boy", heh..... I think I just like Christmas songs in general lol. I have some techno Christmas stuff that's pretty sweet too =P haha
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Both. It used to be "stay at home", but then I got married and moved away from my family. Now Christmas doesn't feel like Christmas to me unless I can spend the day with my family during the day and then relax alone with Brent with a hot drink while watching a movie before bed :]. This year the former was missing since we're in South Korea, but we'll be able to celebrate a belated Christmas with them when we move back to the States in just a few weeks!!! *mas minor panic attack about all the stuff that has to get done before then....*
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? I guess so? I was never really a Santa fanatic. In fact, I never believed in him. Even when I was really really little I would just kind of play along when people would be like "oooo what did Santa get you?". I dunno... My parents didn't force the whole Santa thing on me and I always thought it was kind of a silly thing to try to get your kids to believe anyways. Goodness, I sound like such a Scrooge lol
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? My family always opened gifts on Christmas Eve after supper. My birthday gifts were before, and Christmas gifts would come afterwards. I would always get to pick what we would have for Christmas Eve since it was my birthday and then we would have a big Christmas lunch the next day. Lots of cooking for my mom, but she always outdid herself :)
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The kind of people who try to squelch the good cheer because they don't believe in the Christian aspect of the holiday. I, myself, am a Christian, but I'm not a bigot. If a person doesn't believe in Jesus then that's their choice. I just don't like it when they feel like they have to scrooge it up. There is plenty for EVERYONE to enjoy during Christmas, whether you're a Christian or not!
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? Ah I don't know. I really enjoy the sort of.... mismatched type tree. It makes it feel very personal and warm when each ornament has a memory attached to it. I don't know what Brent and I will start off with once we buy a full sized tree. Well whatever the case, snowflake/icicle ornaments are a must. Maybe I'll make my own :)
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? Well I'm still looking forward to celebrating belated Christmas with my family in a few weeks, but Brent got me a wonderful gift. He took me to Seoul to shop in a cluster of MASSIVE 5-7 story buildings that were..... can you guess? FULL to the BRIM with wholesale craft stuff.We only had time to go through part of one building! Each floor was packed FULL of a different kind of craft. There was a knitting/crocheting floor, a beading floor, a sewing floor, etc. There were so many tiny shops on the yarn floor that some of the aisles were only about 2 feet wide in places! It was hot, it was crowded, and it was glorious. Bwahaha xD
24. Angel on the tree top or a star? Oh either is wonderful. I think I'll get our tree a star though. Growing up, my family had an angel, so I think I'll start a new tradition for Brent and I :)
25. Favorite Christmas dinner? Hmmm. I don't rightly know. Growing up each and every one was fantastic. I think some of my favorites were the glazed ham years. Mmmmm with mashed potatoes, stuffing, Mom's homemade cranberry sauce, chocolate cherry rum cake, homemade toffee, and all sorts of other stuff.... oh man *tummy grumbles*. I have the best of both worlds now because MY mom is a wonderful country-style homey-type cook and BRENT'S mom is a wonderful fancy/gormet-type cook. Heeeeheehee lucky me! xD lol
Tada! Nother meme down the hatchet! Now its off to get more stuff done! I'll hopefully post pictures of our trip to Seoul later today if my camera starts behaving again! Until then, and soz I don't have a pictureless post, here's some sparkley/wintery Eye Candy! :]
Hope you all have had a wonderful holiday xD
God bless,
, ,
, , |\_.'/
)`-'\__, |\_/ .`(_
/ `. ( _| . '_.-'`
'--. `'. '-(_)' (
/.-. `(_)(_)`--'
` \/ / . '-.
'`) : (
`-. ' .-'
)'/
`;
