browser life

Got this in an e-mail from Angie, but thought I'd post my answers here. Feel free to put your own answers on your own blog....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? 
Gift bags. Too painful to wrap stuff the old-fashioned way.

2. Real tree or Artificial? 
I've had fake trees my whole adult life because they are easier to maintain.

3. When do you put up the tree?
When I was a kid in Denver, a real tree would dry out so much that you couldn't have it up for more than about 10 days without losing all the needles, so we would always put it up about December 15. But Dan wants to put it up the week of Thanksgiving, and since our tree is fake, I let him.

4. When do you take the tree down?
New Year's Day.

5. Do you like eggnog? 
I just LOVE it! But now with my immune system being suppressed, it isn't safe to drink the homemade kind because it contains raw egg. So I just stick with the pasteurized stuff from the grocery store.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? 
I got lots of cool stuff, but the most unusual one was a large edible house made of chocolate from my great aunt in Memphis.

7. Hardest person to buy for? 
Usually people who automatically go out and get everything they want when they want it.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Dan.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? 
Surprisingly, no. Unless you count ones depicted on ornaments.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Most years, I do e-mail for people who have computers and snail mail for those who don't. But this year, I had an entire month without regular access to my own computer, so I snail mailed a record 50 cards.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Can't remember specifics, but probably one that was clearly meant for someone else.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? 
I'm gonna cheat and pick two. Fave funny Christmas movie: "A Christmas Story". Fave traditional Christmas movie: the Alistair Sim version of "A Christmas Carol".

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
September.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No, but I have been the recipient of some.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
I take this to mean treats? Of the stuff I can still eat, mint M&Ms.

16. Lights on the tree? 
Of course. The tree would be incomplete without it.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
Non-traditional: "Colorado Christmas" by the Dirt Band. Traditional: maybe "Silent Night"?

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I would like to travel but must stay in town.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and of course, Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
I have both and tend to alternate them.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
When I was a kid, we opened one small gift Christmas Eve and waited until Christmas morning for the rest. But now that I'm in South Dakota, his family opens everything Christmas Eve, which I find exhausting and a little weird.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Rude, stressed out people who think it's all about material goods.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I like the handmade ornaments best, especially the ones my mom made from eggshells. My tree is unique.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Spiral sliced, honey glazed ham. The reallllly expensive kind.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I was unable to shop this year, so I am not expecting anything.