Christmas Survey

I can't believe Daniel has slept long enough for me to actually do a Christmas Survey!

1. Does your family send out Christmas cards?


I've actually be pretty good at it the past few years! This year especially because I made a photo card with our new little family. Plus it doubled as a birth announcement.

2. How soon do you start shopping?

Every year I think I'll do it early. This year I told myself I WOULD start early because of being pregnant. Alas, before I had Daniel I had picked his gifts and ordered 1 measly gift online. I finished all of my shopping yesterday and UPS and FedEx have been at our house almost every day this week!

3. Who do you shop for?

Jacob, Daniel, the parents and siblings.

4. Do you put up a Christmas tree?

Yep! It wouldn't be Christmas without the tree! This year my parents put it up for us!


5. If so, is it fake or real?

Fake


6. Do you like tinsel?

I'm not a fan.


7. Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?

I use both. The homemade ones are ones that people either made for me or ones that came from craft shows. My mom loves to pick those up for us!


8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?

No. I like them, but it's not Jacob's cup of tea and I have no desire to figure out how to do it. It's not one of those things that bothers me enough to care.


9. Do you put lights on the tree?

I made sure that we picked a prelit tree. I have "fond" (ha!) memories of mom trying to string up lights on the tree every year.


10. How about popcorn and cranberries?

Never done that before.


11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door?

I have a jingle bell wreath on the outside of our bedroom door because there's a big window on our front door, so it won't work well there.


12. Do you celebrate Christmas Eve?

It depends on the year. Sometimes we go to Christmas Eve services and other years not so much. I always loved Valley View's, but I remember one year I didn't like it. It didn't feel Christmasey and we only sang 1 or 2 Christmas songs along with regular worship songs. I begged mom and Erica to go to a 2nd service with me that night. We went to a midnight service at another church...and they sang lots of Christmas songs. Haha!




13. Do you hang up your stocking?

Yep...I have a mantel so of course I hang them!


14. Does your family read "Twas the Night Before Christmas?"

No...but maybe that will become a tradition with Daniel. Who knows!


15. What is your favorite Christmas movie?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Hands down.


16. What is your favorite character from any Christmas movie?

Gotta go with Clark W. Griswold.


17. What is your favorite Christmas song?

Hmm...I have SO many! I'll go with Rudolph sung by Gene Autry as a secular song and O Holy Night as my favorite religious song.


18. What is your favorite Christmas memory?

Oh gosh. There are way too many. I have to say, one that stands out in my mind is the year that the macaroni bowl blew up at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Glass EVERYWHERE!


19. Would you rather give or receive?

I like to give...the problem is I worry that people won't like what I pick so I spend hours debating what to buy. It is nice to receive at times too though. :)


20. Would you rather drink eggnog or cider?

I don't really like either, but I'd drink cider any day over eggnog. Ew!


21. Do you prefer red or green?

Red. Green in general , but red for Christmas.



22. Do you prefer ham or turkey for Christmas dinner?

Ham...but I'm making pot roast because I like that over ham and turkey!


23. Do you prefer a star or angel tree topper?

Star



24. Do you prefer white lights or colored lights?

Love colored!


25. Do you prefer blinking lights or still lights?

Still inside. Outside I like blinking and still. If I had blinking lights on my tree I'd go insane.


26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year?


I'll say nice...but I've had my not so nice moments. Probably deserve a small lump of coal with my other gifts.


27. What do you want for Christmas this year?

A new GPS and a bathroom scale. Yup. I am awesome. Although, I would also like Erica, Jim and Logan to be here!


28. When do you open your gifts?

On Christmas Day. (Or on different days when celebrating at different family's houses). As kids we always got to open 2 or 3 little gifts like a calendar and socks on Christmas Eve. I hope to make that a tradition for Daniel too, but I probably won't start that until at least next year.


29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten?

Um...I really don't know. I've gotten a lot of very nice gifts though.



30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten?

It's a cross between an old lady giraffe dress from my grandma when I was like 13 or 14 or a hideous hoodie that I couldn't bring myself  to wear.


31. Who gives you the most gifts?

It's a toss-up between our moms I think.


32. Have you ever had a secret Santa?

Yes...I've done them at work in the past.


33. Do you like wrapping gifts?

No. I am a terrible wrapper. Thank God for gift bags!


34. Do you put change in those red buckets?

Sometimes.



35. Do you burn a yule log?

No



36. Can you name all the reindeer?

“You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen; Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer…”



37. Do you bake cookies?

This year my hubby baked cookies and I frosted and decorated them. I forgot to tell him where my stash of Christmas cookie cutters are so he only had 2. We have lots of Christmas trees and stars. I ran out of green frosting at the end so I made red, blue and yellow trees too!! I could've mixed the yellow and blue but where's the fun in that?


38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Clause?

Haha! No.



39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?

I don't know that I've ever stood under mistletoe.


40. Do you go caroling?

I've gone with youth groups to nursing homes before.


41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?

We always did with our family...haven't done it in several years though.


42. Have you ever left Santa cookies?

Heck yeah! And he would always leave us a note thanking us for them. He was quite polite.



43. Have you ever sat on Santa's lap?

Yes!


44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with?

Family


45. Where do you celebrate Christmas?

Usually Cedar Rapids and Villa Grove, but this year we're celebrating at home!


46. Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Quite a few. This year will not be white. It's supposed to be almost 45 degrees.


47. What part of Christmas do you look most forward to?

This year I'm just looking forward to seeing family!


48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?

Yes


49. Does your family always take a picture at Christmas?

Not a family picture really, but I usually take tons of pictures to document the day.


50. Have you ever heard the song "Thank God For Kids" by The Oakridge Boys?

Maybe? What a stupid last question.

Well...MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone. I doubt I'll be blogging tomorrow, so I hope you all enjoy time with your families!