In the spirit of Christmas Eve, I tag myself for the meme that’s been going around.
Hot Chocolate. Preferably organic, fair trade, very dark cocoa. Then I can feel good because I’m helping the environment, workers in third-world countries, and my cholesterol.
Santa used to always wrap the presents, every single one. Since Scooter’s arrival (and with him an explosion in the number of gifts), Santa wraps all of the adults’ gifts and about half of Scooter’s. The rest get placed under the tree, sometimes out of their packaging so that Scooter has something to play with while waiting for the slowpoke adults to unwrap their gifts.
White. Because that’s what’s pre-strung on the in-laws’ artificial tree. I think that my absolute favorite on a tree are blue.
No. We never had it when I was a kid, mostly because we always had pets around. And I had never thought to get some fake mistletoe until I read it on someone else’s response. Next year.
I love green bean casserole. And always wonder why I don’t make it more often. I also enjoy a good cranberry sauce.
At the toe of our stockings, my mom always put a tangerine. This was something that came from her childhood. And, as she would say, it fit perfectly into that spot.
I think I was about 7. My parents decided I was too old for it and told me quite insistently. They had never done anything to encourage me to believe in Santa, and our gifts were always marked as being from a specific person, but I still believed in the magic. I didn’t want to accept what they said, and it was complicated by the fact that I had a gift under the tree from Santa that year. I suspect it was from one of my aunts and that my parents hadn’t noticed what she’d written.
No. Though I was insanely jealous when I found out I had friends whose families did that. Now I like the excitement of waiting until that last moment.
Since it’s my in-laws’ tree, we use their ornaments, which range from antiques to fancy and new to ratty homemade ones. The tree is pretty well covered, not necessarily balanced, but I love hearing all of the stories that go with them.
Mostly love it. The Christmas before Scooter was born, we hosted several members of Trillian’s family (mother, father, brother, one of her grandmothers) since I was in my third trimester. A day or two before Christmas, Trillian and I went to a baby store with her mother and grandmother because they wanted to buy our crib and glider rocker for us. As we got to the shopping center, it started to snow. Trillian’s mother loves white Christmases, but hadn’t had one in years since she lived in a warm climate. We had flurries for the rest of the day with a few inches of accumulation, and it lasted through Christmas. It was absolutely gorgeous and made Trillian’s mom so happy. (Then of course, we got 2 feet of snow during my eighth month and Trillian was worried I would go into labor and we wouldn’t be able to get to the hospital.)
No. I have never even tried. I feel a bit heretical admitting that now that I live in
I remember various gifts, though not many from my childhood. And while I appreciated most of them and have gotten a lot of use out of them, those aren’t my favorite memories from the holidays.
It’s the expected answer, but family. Even more specifically, the family I’ve made with Trillian.
Peppermint bark. I received it (the Williams-Sonoma tin) as a gift from a student one year and wondered where it had been my whole life. Amazingly, I haven’t had a bite this year. Which is probably for the best.
Every year at Christmas dinner, my mother-in-law puts out Christmas crackers. I had never popped one before my first Christmas with them. We open ours up, put on the paper crowns, and tell the lame jokes. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without them.
Giving. That would have always been my answer, because it seems like the appropriate one, but it really is true now. I was starting to move in that direction in any case, but having a child has totally tipped the balance. I truly have given almost no thought to what’s waiting for me under the tree, but can’t wait to watch my son’s eyes light up tomorrow morning. I’m also excited about seeing how my in-laws react to their gifts (framed artwork from my son).
The Barenaked Ladies version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Since I’m an atheist, I’m not entirely comfortable with the amount of “God” in this carol, and yet I can’t get enough of this particular version.
My mother. I never know what she wants and can never tell from her reaction if she actually likes what I got her.
Nightmare Before Christmas. Trillian is big into watching movies to match the season, so we watch this one from Halloween through to Christmas (though I’m thinking we haven’t pulled it out yet this season). My favorite holiday-themed movie is Home for the Holidays. It’s not technically a Christmas movie, but it is about the craziness that is family—and when will anyone ever ask you your favorite Thanksgiving movie?
To pass the exam I’m supposed to be studying for right now.
1 comment:
nice. i love that you tagged yourself. brimming with cheer and all.
green bean casserole - I often wonder the same thing. yum.
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