Name: Linda
Monday, December 04, 2006
Christmas Meme
Time to do the Christmas meme. I have seen it on so many blogs, I don’t know where it originated, so I think it will be all right to just go for it:
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
I love hot chocolate with as much whipped cream as I can fit in the cup (and I sometimes just keep adding it as I go). However, when my younger son was still home he and I always used to have a glass of egg nog on Christmas morning. Everyone else thought it was too sickeningly sweet (there is practically no such thing as sickeningly sweet in my world).
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
What with making all those toys and then delivering all those toys there just isn’t time for wrapping too. All the things from Santa were left unwrapped under the tree when I was little, and he did the same thing with my children. Very consistent that Santa Claus.
3. Colored lights or white?
We have tiny colored lights on the tree.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No
5. When do you decorate for Christmas?
I decorate just as soon after Thanksgiving as I can get my husband to haul a step ladder up to the house from the garage and climb up into the attic to get all the decorations down. Some years it’s later than others.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding desert?
We traditionally have lasagna for Christmas dinner. No one wants a big turkey dinner so soon after Thanksgiving. The great thing is, I can fix it ahead and enjoy the day with my family without all that cooking.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child.
I wrote about Santa’s visit to my little sister on Christmas Eve a while ago. That is one of my favorite memories. The other is taking part in the Candle light service our girls club at church did every Christmas. The first year I was old enough to be a part of Christian Girls in Training (CGIT) I was so little I was the last one in the processional line as we walked to the front of the darkened church with our lighted candles. It was breathtakingly beautiful to my little girl eyes. My last year in the club, I was way at the end of the line. We had an amazing leader who influenced my life greatly. She was a true example of a Godly woman for me.
8. When did you learn the truth about Santa?
I really don’t remember. I’m four years older than my sister, so I kept the secret for a long time after I knew. I wanted her to keep on believing for as long as possible.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes. We each open one gift and then open the rest Christmas morning. When the kids were little, they used to run out to the living room and grab their stockings. Then they would climb on our bed and open them there. After that they attacked the presents under the tree.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
It has changed over the years. I’ve made a lot of decorations – so it is usually a mix of ornaments. A few years ago I learned how to do tatting and made all the ornaments for the tree. It really looked pretty with the white, red and green tatted snowflake ornaments. We also added some red ball ornaments to set it off. I always like lots of tinsel too. I just like the way it sparkles.
11. Snow – love it or hate it?
I grew up in the North and always loved the snow. However, when I got older it really wasn’t nearly as much fun. If I could just have a white Christmas, and then go right back to my Texas winter weather I would be delighted. I admit I loved the quiet beauty of watching the snow falling at night and blanketing everything in white. I just hated driving in it.
12. Can you ice skate?
I sure can – or at least I sure could. We used to have a little pond not very far from our house. We cleared the ice ourselves (well – actually the guys cleared the ice) and skated for hours at a time. Usually someone would build a fire by the side of the pond so we could warm our frozen toes every once in a while. I hate to think what would happen now if I suddenly found myself in a pair of skates on frozen water!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I have always loved dolls. One year my sister and I got Tiny Tears dolls. My Mom made a whole wardrobe for them, and my Dad made them each a little cradle. I still wouldn’t mind getting a doll for Christmas.
14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?
I love to spend the time with family and to think about the One who has made all the difference for us. I am so thankful that it is He who is the foundation of our lives individually and as a family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Cookie bars – we have them every year. They have everything you could want in a desert – chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrumptious!!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Every year since my children were small we have had a birthday cake for Jesus. After all the presents have been opened, and we have all enjoyed our big meal – we bring out the birthday cake, light the candles and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love to watch the little faces as they sing. It is a sweet reminder of why we celebrate.
17. What tops your tree?
After years of searching, we finally found a sweet little angel that everyone likes. We’ve had some seriously silly ornaments, but she is just the right touch.
18. What do you prefer, giving or receiving?
I love to give gifts – especially when you know you’ve picked just exactly the right thing for those special people in your life. However, I will admit that I like to get gifts as well.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
My favorite song is the Alleluia Chorus. I think it is positively inspired. I listen to Christmas music for weeks, because I just really like it all.
20. Candy canes, yuck or yum?
They aren’t chocolate, but as I mentioned before I sure do like anything sweet.
Blessings,
Linda
1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
I love hot chocolate with as much whipped cream as I can fit in the cup (and I sometimes just keep adding it as I go). However, when my younger son was still home he and I always used to have a glass of egg nog on Christmas morning. Everyone else thought it was too sickeningly sweet (there is practically no such thing as sickeningly sweet in my world).
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
What with making all those toys and then delivering all those toys there just isn’t time for wrapping too. All the things from Santa were left unwrapped under the tree when I was little, and he did the same thing with my children. Very consistent that Santa Claus.
3. Colored lights or white?
We have tiny colored lights on the tree.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No
5. When do you decorate for Christmas?
I decorate just as soon after Thanksgiving as I can get my husband to haul a step ladder up to the house from the garage and climb up into the attic to get all the decorations down. Some years it’s later than others.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding desert?
We traditionally have lasagna for Christmas dinner. No one wants a big turkey dinner so soon after Thanksgiving. The great thing is, I can fix it ahead and enjoy the day with my family without all that cooking.
7. Favorite holiday memory as a child.
I wrote about Santa’s visit to my little sister on Christmas Eve a while ago. That is one of my favorite memories. The other is taking part in the Candle light service our girls club at church did every Christmas. The first year I was old enough to be a part of Christian Girls in Training (CGIT) I was so little I was the last one in the processional line as we walked to the front of the darkened church with our lighted candles. It was breathtakingly beautiful to my little girl eyes. My last year in the club, I was way at the end of the line. We had an amazing leader who influenced my life greatly. She was a true example of a Godly woman for me.
8. When did you learn the truth about Santa?
I really don’t remember. I’m four years older than my sister, so I kept the secret for a long time after I knew. I wanted her to keep on believing for as long as possible.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes. We each open one gift and then open the rest Christmas morning. When the kids were little, they used to run out to the living room and grab their stockings. Then they would climb on our bed and open them there. After that they attacked the presents under the tree.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
It has changed over the years. I’ve made a lot of decorations – so it is usually a mix of ornaments. A few years ago I learned how to do tatting and made all the ornaments for the tree. It really looked pretty with the white, red and green tatted snowflake ornaments. We also added some red ball ornaments to set it off. I always like lots of tinsel too. I just like the way it sparkles.
11. Snow – love it or hate it?
I grew up in the North and always loved the snow. However, when I got older it really wasn’t nearly as much fun. If I could just have a white Christmas, and then go right back to my Texas winter weather I would be delighted. I admit I loved the quiet beauty of watching the snow falling at night and blanketing everything in white. I just hated driving in it.
12. Can you ice skate?
I sure can – or at least I sure could. We used to have a little pond not very far from our house. We cleared the ice ourselves (well – actually the guys cleared the ice) and skated for hours at a time. Usually someone would build a fire by the side of the pond so we could warm our frozen toes every once in a while. I hate to think what would happen now if I suddenly found myself in a pair of skates on frozen water!
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I have always loved dolls. One year my sister and I got Tiny Tears dolls. My Mom made a whole wardrobe for them, and my Dad made them each a little cradle. I still wouldn’t mind getting a doll for Christmas.
14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?
I love to spend the time with family and to think about the One who has made all the difference for us. I am so thankful that it is He who is the foundation of our lives individually and as a family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Cookie bars – we have them every year. They have everything you could want in a desert – chocolate chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrumptious!!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Every year since my children were small we have had a birthday cake for Jesus. After all the presents have been opened, and we have all enjoyed our big meal – we bring out the birthday cake, light the candles and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I love to watch the little faces as they sing. It is a sweet reminder of why we celebrate.
17. What tops your tree?
After years of searching, we finally found a sweet little angel that everyone likes. We’ve had some seriously silly ornaments, but she is just the right touch.
18. What do you prefer, giving or receiving?
I love to give gifts – especially when you know you’ve picked just exactly the right thing for those special people in your life. However, I will admit that I like to get gifts as well.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
My favorite song is the Alleluia Chorus. I think it is positively inspired. I listen to Christmas music for weeks, because I just really like it all.
20. Candy canes, yuck or yum?
They aren’t chocolate, but as I mentioned before I sure do like anything sweet.
Blessings,
Linda
10 Comments:
Loved your meme answers. That really has been a fun one to read on so many blogs.
Linda,
You and I have many similar memories!
I had a teeny tiny tears too!
Your cookie bars sound yummy! I'd love the recipe if you don't mind sharing?
I thought our family was one of the few who sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. We don't have cake, but we have ice cream snowballs with candles in them.
It's a wonderful, treasured tradition!
((hugs))
Well, Miss Linda, I'm glad you took time out of your packing and moving to do this Christmas meme. It was a fun one to do, and such fun to compare answers with everyone, wasn't it?
I think your cookie bars may be the same as some I make. We call them Hello Dollies. Eagle brand milk, chocolate chips, coconut, pecans, and I think it's graham cracker crumbs for the base. I haven't made them in a several years, but we do love them!
Take care, my friend. :-)
I wondered when you'd do this one, Linda. This may be my all time favorite meme - I love seeing it everywhere I go.
You know, for years it was our tradition to have lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner. We almost always have a big ham on Christmas. And I mentioned my Tiny Tears doll in my meme. I still remember what she smelled like. I love new baby doll smell, don't you?
OK, you can't mention those amazing cookie bars and not post the recipe! No fair.
The birthday cake for Jesus is just about the sweetest thing I've ever heard. What a nice job you did on this. So much fun to read.
I did this one a couple of weeks ago and it was one of the most fun ones I've ever participated in:-) I just loved reading your answers...reading about how you use to skate on a frozen pond and would have a fire nearby to warm up...gosh, that brought back a lot of memories for me because we use to do that too:-) I love it that you make a special birthday cake for Jesus...that way you celebrate the day for what it's meant to be..beautiful!!
I'm glad you took the time out to do this - wasn't it fun? I didn't mention the dolls in my life in my meme, but my sis and I got suitcases full of clothes my mom had made for our dolls one year - such fun! I still have some of them. I did the same for my daughter one year - even matched some of her clothes.
Loved reading about your traditions. Stop by my blog sometime and see me.
I really enjoyed reading this one. I'll have to say the idea of not wrapping the gifts really appeals to me. I just can't stand picking up all the wasted paper after it's done.
What a delightful meme! Your cookie bar recipe is like a recipe I have called seven layer bars...the only difference that I can see is in mine, you also add butterscotch chips.
I remember wondering why we didn't have cake for Jesus' Birthday and when I asked my Mom, she said we could sing Happy Birthday to Him! :)
I just love your spirit! I love that you wanted your sister to believe as long as she could. I too used to skate but wouldn't be caught dead in skates now, I'd probably break my neck! hehe!
I used to LOVE all things sweet, now, after years of not being able to eat the stuff I am learning to enjoy small amounts. My latest craze is hot chocolate with lots of whipped topping.
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