Christmas Meme

I saw this on Reading is My Superpower, but I'm planning on changing a few questions.

1. What is your favorite Christmas book to re-read each year?

I don't know that I have just one book that I'd reread. I like reading Christmas books, I do. But it doesn't have to be the same one each year. New books are fun. But I will say this. Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is seriously magical. I love that book. I also love The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, I believe. But most of what I read that's Christmas related is new-to-me.

2. What is your favorite Christmas movie or show?

Movies. For me it has to be Holiday Inn and White Christmas. I really couldn't choose between those two. That being said, I love Miracle on 34th Street. And I really couldn't imagine a holiday season without one viewing of It's A Wonderful Life. And I love a Muppet Christmas Carol. As far as specials go, I have some that are a must. And they might not be what you'd expect. One is Arthur's Perfect Christmas. I love this one. I think because December is a pledge drive month on PBS, whenever it originally aired it played like fourteen times. And it might have played ten times the next year and six times the next year and so on. I haven't seen it yet...but it's early. Anyway, I just loved it. I did buy the DVD of this one. Another is Elmo Saves Christmas. I love this one. I just do. The songs. The characters. The moo-bunnies. It's just too fun. And it has some of the best lines ever. I love it when Big Bird does a tap dance on the phone. He's calling his friend, and he says something like "I know you can't see me (or maybe it's hear me) but I want you to know I'm doing a little tap dance..." Anyway, maybe you had to be there. Of course, I love How The Grinch Saved Christmas. And some of the best holiday moments come from Charlie Brown's Christmas. But those two are standard.

3. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

Mom only bakes sugar cookies. But like cookie monster from Sesame Street, I've never met a cookie I didn't like. My friend Julie makes really, really good Ginger Cookies. Those are always yummy :) They're really good with cream cheese spread on them.

4. When do you start Christmas shopping?

Tricky question. I've bought presents the week after Christmas to store up for the next year. But that isn't typical. That's unusual. Usually, I buy things when they're at an unbelievable bargain price. It could be a 90% sale in July. It could be in mid-October. But definitely around Thanksgiving, I start thinking about shopping. Usually.

5. Do you re-gift?

I could lie. But I won't. It depends what the gift is. If it's a nice gift, then I wouldn't hesitate to regift. Does that mean I re-gift something every year? No. Most years I don't. But I have done it. And I wouldn't rule it out for the future. For example, if someone "gifts" me with a candle or potpourri then I wouldn't have a problem giving it away to someone else. (Not necessarily as their only present. Not to say I'm too cheap, this might do. But as a I have no need for this and you might like it kind of thing.) Not to hurt anyone's feelings, but those are two things--along with crystal knick-knacks--that I have absolutely no need for. Sometimes I think there is this generic-girl assumption. Oh, you're a girl you must like fill-in-the-blank. (It probably happens with guys too, I don't know.) There are many things I like, but most are not generic. A safe gift, a gift that is always, always, always welcome that would never be regifted is chocolate. Chocolate is good for any occasion at all. It's welcome on un-birthdays too!

On an unrelated note, one of the funniest gifts my mom ever got was a box of alka-seltzer. Very strange gift to get from a relation in my opinion. It reminded me (though this happened years before the Friends episode aired) of the episode of Friends where Chandler and Joey don't have a chance to go Christmas shopping because they're helping Phoebe out...and so their "gifts" come from the gas station.

What is your favorite Christmas song?

This is probably the hardest question for me. There are songs that make me happy, joyful. There are songs that make me nostalgic. There are songs that make me cry. There are so many songs that I love to hear this time of year. Some religious. Some not.

When does the tree go up?

This is always the biggest chore. Dad grumbles and complains about the tree more than anything else. It's been as late as December 23rdish. It's never been in November. But the tree isn't up at my house as of December 10th. So maybe this weekend if I'm lucky. As much as I like looking at the tree. I'm not big on actually doing the work. I don't wrestle with lights at all. Thank goodness I don't have to. And there are about six or seven ornaments that I'm extremely attached to--bonded with--that I like to hang myself. A few apples a brown gingerbread man and gingerbread house. Remnants of ornaments from late seventies/early eighties. Ornaments that have hung on the tree from my earliest memories. And I have some newer ones. I have a Veggie Tales. I have a Cookie Monster one. And I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but once my favorites are placed...well, it's just not as fun.

8. Wrapping presents. Love it or hate it?

Hate it. Well, this meme is making me look like a Scrooge. It's not that I hate it. I just don't love it. Here are a few more random things about me. I can't cut straight. I just can't. I never passed "scissors" in school. So jagged edges are a fact of life. This most often annoys the person who uses the roll of wrapping paper after me. Greatly annoys. Problem two. I'm not good with tape. Most of the time I do okay with your average ordinary Scotch tape. But if you give me the wide tape for packing and sealing boxes, etc. It's a nightmare. This kind of tape was actually used in my high school library to repair paperback books. I worked as a library aide for four years to refresh your memory. I don't know which year it was, but I was banned from using the tape after a few incidents. I was also banned from using glue. Not that glue is part of gift wrapping but still. The only thing I'm good at is masking tape by the way. I've never had any complaints there on how I use that. So to receive a package wrapped by me is to have something original. So presents look nicer, more polished when wrapped by someone else.

9) Who is the hardest person to buy for?

Someone who thinks they don't need anything. Someone who says I don't want you to buy me anything.

10) When do you start listening to music?

In an "early" year, the week before Thanksgiving. In a "late" year, the first or second week of December. One year I had the flu for about six or seven weeks and practically missed everything.

11) Favorite Christmas memory...

For me one of the best Christmases that I can remember was 1986. It was an oh-so-magical year for me. The toys were abundant. And everything was just right. Christmas as a kid was just different. There were three houses to visit within a span of a day or two. My mom's family--an aunt and my Grandma--my dad's extended family--all great-aunts, great-uncles, and cousins once removed. And my grandparents. Sometimes they came to us, sometimes we went to them. And lest you think that involved a long drive...our land is adjacent. Just around the block. Or just across the pasture. But we'd never ever ever ever walk through the pasture to visit for Christmas. Who would want to risk stepping in something not-so-nice??? I try to avoid the pasture at all times :) As a kid, you're automatically the center of attention. You're automatically cute. Everyone wants to give you presents. Then you reach an age where you're lucky to get socks. I was in junior high when I realized that my cousin's dog was the new center of attention, he got the love, the gifts, the attention. And in his defense, he was an awfully cute dog. Very fun to watch.

12) You open presents on....

Christmas Day.