Christmas Survey

Some of my friends have taken this survey, so I figured, why not! If you get a chance, re-post it with your answers on your blog.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
   Definitely hot chocolate, with marshmallows.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
   Santa always wrapped our gifts.
3. Colored lights on the tree/house or white?
   I like white lights on the tree and colored lights outside.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
   I do. One year when I was working at the UW, Michelle and I used white-out to paint some fake holly berries white. We got the holly off a really ugly wreath that was headed for the trash bin.
5. When do you put your decorations up?
   Sometime after Thankgiving. This year I wanted to get them up early so that they would for sure be up before I got too big/grouchy to do it.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
   I would like a dish of every thing listed in #7.
7. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
   I love homemade caramels, fudge, toffee, divinity, etc.
8. Favorite holiday memory as a child?
   When I was 13 we moved into a new house and my Grandma and Aunt Cheryll spent the night at our new house Christmas Eve. The next morning both my sister and I got new bikes for Christmas.
9. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
   My sister and I figured it out together. One year santa got us each a set of markers, but the carrying case for them was from Mom & Dad. We caught on that year.
10. What do you leave for Santa?
    We never left anything for Santa when we were kids. We were really poor and so my parents never brought up the idea of us leaving things for Santa. I guess they figured that Santa didn't need cookies from us; we needed cookies from him.
11. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
    Before my parents divorced we got to open one gift. It was usually new Pj's. Since the divorce, we now spend Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family and we open all our gifts from them Christmas Eve.
12. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
    Our tree always has white lights and family ornaments. It was tradition when I was growing up to get a new ornament each year, so I have a bunch of childhood ornaments that mean a lot to me. I hope to continue that tradition with our kids, so that when they are older they will have ornaments from their childhood, too.
13. Snow: love it or hate it?
    I love the snow! I am pretty sure that I won;t get up snowboarding this year, but I hope to at least be able to go to the mountains with baby Trevor and take him in the snow.
14. Can you ice skate?
    I love to skate and I can skate pretty well. My dad played a lot of hockey and so we were no strangers to the ice rink. I love to rollerblade too.
15. Do you remember your favorite gift?
    This year I am getting a baby for Christmas and I think that is going to be my best gift ever.
16. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
    Being with each part of my family and enjoying the different traditons we have created.
17. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
    Santa always leaves an orange in the bottom of our stockings. My mom also made advent calendars for us that we tied Hershey's kisses onto. Each night in December we got to untie a kiss before going to bed.
18. What tops your tree?
    A gold star that my sister says is ugly. But I like it!
19. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
    I like both. They go hand-in-hand.
20. What is your favorite Christmas song?
    "Silver Bells" by Martina McBride and this year especially "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant.
21. Candy Canes:
    Taste especially good this year. I stole my brother's candy cane that he got from Santa and ate the whole thing in record time.
22. What is your favorite Christmas Movie?
    I like Home Alone and White Christmas, with Bing Crosby.