Christmas Meme

Stolen from a blog linked to a blog that I read. As these things are viral I don't think it's necessary to credit where I stole it from, as now I do not remember the link....

1. Hot Chocolate or Egg Nog? Hot chocolate. Mom always made it from scratch on Christmas morning, and now I do too. With marshmallows. .... Oh, and egg nog? Nasty. My brother and I call it Gag Nog.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? A combination of both.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored lights on tree. Both on house in the years that I am not too lazy to put lights on house.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Only if having a Christmas party which, um, I've never had.
5. When do you put your decorations up? When we decorate the tree. We bring the tree home, get out the boxes of decor, and have at it in a frantic orgy of holiday cheer.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? There are a few cookies that I enjoy that my Mom makes, plus fudge... mmm, fudge... the "cheater" kind on the jar of marshmallow creme. I was fully an adult before I realized there was another kind, and I like the cheater kind better.
7. Favorite Holiday memory? Going to the tree lighting in the city square, and coming home to find that Mom had forgotten to turn off the stove. The turkey carcass that she was boiling down for soup had blackened and stuck to the bottom of the pot, and the house was filled with acrid black smoke. We joke about the Turkey Cremation Chamber to this day.
.... Okay, another more appropriate memory might be the year, I think I was in junior high, that it snowed and was icy and windy for the week before Christmas. Not characteristic in our part of the country. It was brutal weather and getting around was treacherous. I recall accompanying grandparents to the store, in their car absolutely reeking of cigarette smoke and with the heat blowing full bore because the heater was semi-broken and the fan had two speeds: high, and off. At any rate the weather broke on Christmas night and we all went for a walk, it was still snowing but the wind had died and it was so peaceful and beautiful out. Like magic.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I do not remember.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, usually chosen by Mom. Sometimes it was two, one was pajamas and the other was a toy of some kind.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Usually in one day; I am permitted to put the lights on without help from anyone as I have a way I prefer it to be done. Honestly I am not a control freak! I just like the lights to be kind of wound in amongst the branches, thus concealing the cord somewhat, rather than draped loosely around the tree so that the cord shows a lot. After that we all hang ornaments, to the extent that a toddler hangs ornaments.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Since it rarely snows here, I use it as an Event. I stock up on the essentials (milk, bread, chocolate) and stay home. Nobody here can drive in the snow and you are much better off leaving your car in the driveway.
12. Can you ice skate? It makes my feet hurt.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? At the time, probably the year my brother and I got 10-speed bicycles. But last year I got tanzanite earrings and it was the first time I cried getting a gift.
14. What's the most important thing? Being with family and friends, and letting the important people in your life know that you love them. Oh, and the whole Jesus thing.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Must I choose just one?!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Exchanging the same copy, unopened and in perfect condition, of the movie "Cabin Boy" with my brother. Generally we conceal it in some way.
17. What tops your tree? A little angel ornament.
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Both, kinda. The giving more and more, especially now that there is a child to spoil.
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? "Sleigh Ride" for a lot of reasons, among them the jingly bells.
20. Candy canes, Yuck or Yum? I like about one candy cane. A small one.