"Stole" this from Penny who got it from Val

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?  used to be paper now i'm into the bags  (getting lazy in my old age)

2. Real tree or artificial?   even when i lived at home we had artifical trees.  the past few years i haven't put up a tree of any kind

3. When do you put up the tree?  growing up it was Thanksgiving or the day after.

4. When do you take the tree down?  dad would always want it down the day after christmas.

5. Do you like eggnog?  Yes, never had any that had an "adult beverage" in it though.
 
6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Don't remember how old I was ..........just noticed that I never finished answering this question.  and none of you told me! but I'll do it now........what I had started to answer wasa Pebbles doll but I didn't get that at Christmas it was something else I'll tell you about one day.  Any way......back to the question. I got one of those dolls that is like 3 feet tall or something like that.  It was bigger than me at the time.  You could take her hand and she would walk with you.  I still have her.  She's not in the best of shape though.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?  Yes, don't put it out anymore

8. Hardest person to buy for?  dad.  anything i can afford he buys himself before i get a chance to buy it

9. Easiest person to buy for?  myself.  lol  i always buy (and wrap) myself a present or two.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?  i prefer mail.  i love snail mail.  it's easy to keep and look at later.  something about having something physcial to hang onto.  i do e-mail cards because i don't have everyone's (my on line pals) address  (if i know you in person you would get mail over email any day)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  sister-in-law gave me some salt and pepper shakers with a country duck on them

12.Favorite Christmas Movie?  Christmas in Connecticut -- the orginal with Barbara Stanwick.  Also like the old ones with Bing Crosby......

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? i have always tried to be finished before Thanksgiving.  when i bought for tons of people i would "shop" all year round and put the gifts back into my closet.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?  Yes.  Those salt and pepper shakers from my sister in law?  I knew someone that collected those duck things.  She loved them.  I know she did because whenever I 'popped' in at her house they were on the table.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  food.  LOL  doesn't really matter to me.  i do like something a little different from whatever i usually eat all the time.  meatloaf, mashed pototes, green beans, mac n cheese, rolls, cake.........yumm

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? when i was little we had colored lights.  as a teen ager and before i moved out from home we went to clear lights.  after i got my own place i never used lights.  because of my cats i tried to make my trees as "cat friendly" as possible.  nothing electric, no ice cicles or tinsel (cats love to eat that stuff), nothing breakable in case a cat desides to "re decorate" the tree. 

17. Favorite Christmas song(s)?  Do You Hear what I Hear?, We Three Kings

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?  stay home.  why would you want to travel? 

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?  no.  i do know that rudolph isn't one of them though.
 
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?  either.  some angels are really pretty, others look like you shoved a tree up their........oops, family journal sorry.  lol

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?  somewhere along the line (i think when my brother and i got to be teenagers) we started to open them at midnight on Christmas Eve.  the parents were sick of getting up early so we could open presents.  so we sat up late and did it.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?  traffic, being made to feel that you have to buy presents for anyone and everyone.  it may make me sound bad but i don't want to made to feel that i have to buy a present for whomever because i know they are giving me one.  maybe i just don't like them enough to want to spend 20bucks on.  like there was always someone at work that bought for everyone -- and you knew they did it in order to get presents back.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?  ??? you're kidding right?  i collect over the years.  i buy whatever catches my eye.  well.....one year i did an all cat ornament theme.  it was pretty wacky.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?  anything i don't have to cook.  lunch left overs is fine. or even breakfast for dinner is great.

25. Do you have Jesus in your heart this Christmas? He's the Reason for the Season.  Yes.

**here is Penny's answers:  fun & Games