How Do You Celebrate the Holidays?

I have seen it lots of other places, but I saw the holiday survey at Chel’s site first. Now here are my answers.

1. When do you put your Christmas/Hanukah decorations?
Around my mom’s birthday, December 14th. We keep it up until Epiphany – January 6th. The 12 Days of Christmas. I will probably hang the patio lights earlier though.

2. Do you prefer to use Christmas lights that are all one color, or do you go for the multi-color effect?
All one color – white. Sometimes I use colored lights as an “accent” around the windows or on the patio.

3. Real tree or fake?
Fake. I am too cheap to buy a new one every year, plus dry & dropping needles are no fun. My parents always have a real tree.

4. Where do you put your tree?
Along the wall of the living room that has windows facing out towards our patio & the apartment courtyard area. I don’t care for that spot, but it seems to be the only thing that works in the room.

5. Tinsel or garland?
Neither one. I use crystal icicles – I have about 24 or so of them, placing them all over the tree – I love how they pick up the light.

6. Blinking lights or solid lights on the tree?
Some solid, some set to “slow glow” where they fade in and out and look like they are twinkling.

7. What sits on the very top of your tree?
A wooden angel that my mom made years ago – it’s probably close to 30 years old now! I love it, it has a lot of sentimental value to me, memories of happy childhood Christmas seasons.

8. Eggnog or hot chocolate?
Bleck. Ick.

9. What does your family Christmas feast consist of?
Ham, potatoes, yams, bread, cookies … lots of goodies!

10. What day do you typically hold your Christmas celebrations?
Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. Constant issue with my Mom & the IO for the past 8 years – she would get very worked up if I was going to spend the holidays with him. I haven’t had too many nice, calm, peaceful holidays for the past 8 years!

11. When do you open your presents?
We open the gifts that we give to each other on Christmas Eve. LATE, close to midnight. (The joys growing up of having a father that is a Walgreen’s store manager.) Christmas morning we open the gifts that Santa leaves for us, and he leaves us ALL gifts because we all still believe. Jason of course gets the biggest gifts though from Santa.

12. Do you get your pets Christmas gifts?
Sometimes.

13. Favorite Christmas movie?
All the cool animated ones from my childhood – Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer, the Island of Misfit Toys, The Year Without a Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman…

14. Favorite Christmas music?
Kenny G’s Christmas CDs (ironically, he is Jewish) and a CD I bought years ago called “Evergreen” which is Mandolin music. Very soothing.

15. Do you have any family holiday traditions that you partake in each year?
Does the annual arguement with my Mom count? Nah, probably not. Like I said, we do our family gifts on Christmas Eve, and we open them ONE AT A TIME. We don’t rush through it, and we don’t just divide them up and have everyone tear into them all at once. We all hang stockings up for Santa, leave out cookies & milk plus some snack for the Reindeers. On Christmas morning we open Santa gifts. The arguement with Mom normally starts 2-3 hours before I arrive at her house, if not the day before.

16. For New Year’s Eve, do you go out, or stay in?
This year? Who knows. Normally I have gone out, but a few years I have stayed at home to enjoy a snuggly night by the fire.

17. What do you *really* want this year?
Like Chel – Health, happiness, for everyone I love. Peace for myself and those around me. Joy. There are not a lot of “things” that I want, other than a larger TV for the living room so I can move the 19″ one to my bedroom and get Jason a Playstation 2 to hook up to it. (Other motive for the PS2? I can use it as a DVD player!) I would love to have some of the books off of my wish list, and the hardback Left Behind books 1-5 (or 6? I have to look). Oh, and a Christmas WITHOUT the traditional arguement with my Mom would be the best gift of all!