Christmas meme

Hootin' Anni has designed a Christmas meme. Click on over to her place to get your copy, and then fill in the blanks or answer the questions.

1. Christmas is Comforting.

2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past? Always--the being together.

3. Was Santa ever good to you? [describe how and what] We weren't raised to believe in Santa. (See this entry) But my parents, though poor, always managed to provide some sort of gifts. I have another great story about Christmas, but will save this for an entry later.

4. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both? Both. We each open one gift on Christmas Eve--and they are always new pajamas, so we can sleep and have pics taken in new jammies. Of course, we usually forget to bring out the camera til later. 8^P

5. Is there something you make each and every year? [craft or recipe] We lived for 20 years in New Mexico, so we have a New Mexican menu each year: Chicken Enchiladas, Spinach Enchilada casserole, Green Chili Stew, Spanish Rice, and Tamales.

6. What are your favorite five[5] Christmas songs/hymns? I love Christmas songs, and there are only a couple that I would prefer never to hear again. (like "Last Christmas" from Wham. The only thing Christmassy about that is the title. I hate it.) No. 1 all time favorite is Nat King Cole's "Christmas Song." Behind that, in no particular order are: "Breath of Heaven" sung by Amy Grant; "Sweet Little Jesus Boy", sung by my childhood choir director; "Silent Night", sung by anyone, especially children; and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" sung by Karen Carpenter. Now, it's very important that these be the artists, because some singers just DON'T have "Christmas voices" (ie, James Taylor.) (That sounds kinda snobbish, doesn't it?)

7. Is there a new tradition for Christmas since your childhood days? They are ALL new, as we started our own traditions when we got married. We have a different tree than my parents had, we do stockings, including one for the dog, and usually put out luminarias on Christmas Eve.


Some "traditions" have been tried and discarded, but new ones have taken their places. Our first or second Christmas, J-Man decided we should have 12 days of Christmas, in which we open one gift every night til Christmas. I racked my brains trying to find 12 gifts for him--only to find, when I opened mine, he'd wrapped 12 different ornaments to give me. I thought that was cheating, myself. Not sure why that idea never made it to tradition status.

8. Describe one of your Christmas trips [whether it's across town or across country]. About 10 years ago, we got word that my nephew, who had been diagnosed with bone cancer, was not doing well. At the time, we lived 1400 miles away, and 19-year-old DD had gotten very angry with us and moved out. Somehow, we all drove back to Alabama, surviving the 26-hour trip back without murdering each other, spent some good times with family members before coming back home and resuming the separate living situation. Not one of our best Christmas memories, but a part of our past, after all. (I have to add that we all learned a lot those 9 months she was gone, and our relationships with each other attained a more adult status because of it.)

9. Do you have a special Christmas outfit to wear for the day? You mean, AFTER the pajamas?

10. Have YOU or any of your family members sat on Santa's lap? DD has (again, see above entry.)

11. What is/or will be on your Christmas tree this year? Who knows what will make the cut? We have collected Christmas ornaments from the very beginning of our marriage (see # 7 above) and DD gets one from each of us every year, also. She now has enough for a full tree, but has never put one up, what with being in college, then living in apartments, or with other girls in a rental, but coming back for the holidays, or being in finals. However, she told us she's considering buying one this year! Even with her taking all her ornaments with her, I cannot get all our ornaments on the tree every year, so I am forced to choose. I wish I had room for more than one tree--I think it would be nice to have several themed trees.


But we always have multicolored lights; strings of irridescent beads I acquired several years ago; handmade ornaments from friends and some by me, or DD as a child; ornaments from my parents' first Christmas tree, and tinsel, or "icicles" as we always called them. There are quite a few Santas on the tree, which is a family joke: seems I was always buying Santa ornaments for DD and the J-Man, til we figured out I was the one who loved Santas--particularly the Father Christmas ones. Now buying ornaments for me is a no-brainer.

12. Do you/or have you decorated your yard for Christmas? I have more indoor Christmas decorations than outdoor ones, but am slowly building up a few to balance. Last year we put up a "yard card", that reads Joy to the World, and I put up the white icicle lights for the first time (some were borrowed from a friend, since I didn't have enough for the whole front of the house.) I'm not sure whether I'll put those up again, since my knees make it difficult getting up and down off that ladder. Plus, it's COLD out there now!

Okay, that's it--with some editing by me when I was more awake. Your turn!

If you would like to fill out this meme, go to Hootin' Anni's--she's got it all arranged for you to just copy and paste the questions!