Christmas Quiz!!

I thought this might be a nice way to jumpstart my Christmas blogging. I borrowed this from my friend JoAnn's blog.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? -- Definitely wrapping paper....and the really nice kind. I also do the kids' gifts in the same color so, when they're under the tree, they know which ones are theirs -- as in Michael's are always wrapped in red and Liz' are always wrapped in white and Keith's were always in green. Keith isn't usually here on Christmas morning anymore so Bryan has inherited that color. I just decided, the other day, that my new grandchild Brady would have his wrapped in silver.

2. Real tree or Artificial? -- There's absolutely no thought given on this answer....a real tree is a must. We actually have two trees -- one for the family room and one for the living room. We open our Christmas presents on Christmas morning in the living room so there must be a tree in that room.

3. When do you put up the tree? -- They were actually purchased this weekend and both of them are up but not yet decorated. I'll do the living room tree this week and we are all doing the family room tree together on Christmas Eve.

4. When do you take the tree down? -- Probably the second weekend in January.

5. Do you like eggnog? -- Love it but only buy one container which takes us through the entire season.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? -- This is going to sound crazy but I always loved finding the 64 box of Crayola Crayons under the tree. In line with that, my other favorite was the Venus Paradise coloring sets.

7. Hardest person to buy for? -- Definitely my mother. I usually end up taking most of the gifts back.

8. Easiest person to buy for? -- Liz -- She loves everything!! (as long as it's a name brand)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? -- Yes. I made one in ceramics years ago and it looks like a Lenox set with the gold trim. It's beautiful but I stopped putting it out as so many of the pieces have broken.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? -- Definitely mail. I do not like emailed Christmas cards so, if you're one of my friends and you're reading this, do not email me my card. Put a stamp on it.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? -- There's a tie here. My first worst was a Chia Pet from my brother Michael. He thought it was funny...I cried. The second worst was a necklace with a black pearl on it that Bob got me a few years ago. I had gone to a local jewelry store and picked out a pearl necklace that I really, really, really wanted. Liz told Bob about it and he went to buy it. Unfortunately, he went to the wrong store and bought the only pearl necklace they had. I cried again.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? -- It has to be the original 1951 Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim. I remember watching this with my brothers every Christmas Eve. Next to that it would have to be Love Actually.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? -- Liz and I usually go the day after Thanksgiving but that's more of a search mission. The actual shopping probably starts online and from catalogs and then the live shopping happens the next week. For instance, this week I'm going to Willow Grove Mall with Linda on Monday, Short Hills Mall with Pat on Thursday and Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island with Liz on Friday -- to have Brady's picture taken with Santa!!! So a lot of my shopping will be done this week.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? -- Definitely not but I wish I'd saved that Chia Pet to send back to my brother Michael.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? -- After we open our presents on Christmas morning, Bob makes us all a special Christmas breakfast. That's my favorite thing to eat that day. The only year I didn't eat it was the year I got the black pearl....I was crying too much. lol

16. Lights on the tree? -- All white and there can never be too many lights on the tree.

17. Favorite Christmas song? -- Two favorites -- Hey Santa by Wilson Phillips (which I can't even download on my Ipod because Itunes doesn't sell it) and All I Want for Christmas is You from Love Actually and also on the Mariah Carey Christmas album.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? -- Definitely stay home. We always used to go to New York City on Christmas Eve and everyone (except me) skated at Rockefeller Center. We stopped doing this a few years ago when my mother moved to PA and there was no need to go to New York to visit her on Christmas Eve. I miss it.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? -- Yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? -- For a few years, I had a big bow with streamers coming down. Now I have stars for both trees.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? -- We open gifts from relatives on Christmas Eve and I let the kids open one gift each (of my choosing). It's always pajamas as I've always bought them new pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve.

22. Favorite Christmas Tradition? -- It's probably all the dated ornaments we put on the tree that I have bought from Hallmark over the years. It's just fun reminiscing as each ornament comes out of the box. When the kids were little, I had so many more traditions that I've now stopped. For instance, the day after Thanksgiving, I would put all of my regular dishes away and replace them with my Christmas dishes. Then there were the annual visits to Feeney's with Michael, the taking of the Christmas picture and so many more.

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? -- The color theme on the family room tree is red and many of the ornaments are dated. The theme on the living room tree is more of a formal one with a lot of gold and cream colored ornaments.

24. Favorite Christmas dinner? -- I don't have a favorite Christmas dinner as I make something different every year. What we do love, however, is have an antipasto on Christmas Eve after we decorate the tree.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? -- I really can't think of anything I want other than a new cell phone. I was supposed to get one for my birthday but that never happened so perhaps it will come from Santa.

Please feel free to add your comments and answer some of these questions yourself if you like. I would love to see them.