My cousin Kelly sent me this holiday meme that’s going around, so I figured I’d post it and answer it here, and you guys can do your own in the comments.
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Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both. But not at the same time. Usually.
Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. A living tree is too messy and I can’t handle the responsibility.
When do you put up the tree?
First or second weekend in December.
When do you take the tree down?
Around New Year’s Day.
Do you like eggnog?
Lactose intolerant, so no. They have lactose-free, but it’s just so…thick. Ugh. I like the taste, though.
Favorite gift received as a child?
I remember getting a Baby Alive one year. I loved that thing. I cannot find a picture of her (70s version) on the internets!
Do you have a nativity scene?
Um, nooooooooo.
Hardest person to buy for?
My in-laws.
Easiest person to buy for?
All the kids.
Mail or email Christmas cards?
Both.
Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A re-gift from a co-worker; a gift that I had watched her open the previous day. That bitch.
Favorite Christmas Movie?
Several! Elf, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story.
When do you start shopping for Christmas?
We start thinking about it in the summer, and pick up little things while we’re on vacation. But mostly we shop in November.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Probably…but not to YOU!
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My uncle’s antipasto, my dad’s sausage balls and my aunt’s fried cauliflower.
Clear lights or colored on the tree?
White round lights.
Favorite Christmas song?
Fairytale of New York, The Pogues.
Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We go to my parents’ in the morning to open gifts and have coffee, then to my aunt and uncle’s in the afternoon for a big dinner and more prezzies.
Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Of course I can.
Angel on the tree top or a star?
A STAR, baby!
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We open gifts with friends on Christmas Eve and then open the rest on Christmas Day.
Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Spending money, gaining weight. But they’re both fun while you’re doing it.
Favorite ornament theme or color?
We have a lot of pop-culture ornaments, as well as kid-made. I like those the best.
Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Didn’t I answer this already?
What do you want for Christmas this year?
A well-paying freelance job. But if you can’t get me that, Santa, here’s my wishlist. ;)
Bonus Musical Interlude!
Freakgirl is a
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My favorite Christmas present by far was the Close ‘N Play phonograph I got when I was around six or seven. That same year I also got my second favorite present, a pair of cowboy boots. Oh, the dancing!
Yeah, strong argument for nature over nurture.
In third grade I got a puppy. Well, I got dog food bowls and puppy toys… we picked the dog up new years day and she was the best dog I ever had.
How sweet!
Baby Alive was the only doll I ever liked, and I have no idea why, since she was so much work. Maybe just because she did stuff, and I always preferred active toys to passive ones. My favorite present as a wee one was my first electric train set, age 3. Still love model trains.
We just got a new artifical tree. The old one was over 20 years old and was shedding needles. We had to look all over to find one without built-in lights. Finally found one way out in the exurbs. The staff at the store didn’t like the term “artificial,”. though. The PC term is “permanent.”
Permanent? Really? Whatever.
We got a new one last year, during after-Christmas clearance sales.
Oooh, I also dearly loved my Verti-bird. I just looked it up, and as a vintage ((sigh)) toy, if it’s in working order, one can go for hundreds of dolla.
Because I can never accept the idea that there are things in this world that can NOT be found on the Web, I challenged myself to find a photo of the original Baby Alive doll. And here’s what I came up with. It’s two minutes of TV from 1976, including a Baby Alive commercial. (Warning: The volume setting on this is WAY too loud. So turn down your speakers.)
Favorite present: red Converse high tops when I was 15 or 16. I still have them.
Artificial tree, some time in mid-December thru the first week in January. White lights, glass ornaments, a Homer & Marge under the misteltoe on the top.
I hate egg nog, but I love Christmas cookies.
Favorite Christmas song: White Christmas (b/c it looks beautiful in sign language.)
As always, I ask for health for my family and friends and peace on earth, good will towards me. And a raise. And some rest.
How did you find that? I looked all over YouTube!!! I’m dying over here, that song! Baby Alive, soft and sweet, she can drink, she can eat!
And are they KIDDING me with that volume? Good christ.
I am the Google Whisperer.
Favorite gift – I got a Stretch Armstrong that I loved… until it split and leaked syrupy goo everywhere the next day.
We usually have a real tree, but this year Em got the silver sparkle tree her grandparents had from the early 60’s and we’re using that. It has a spinning, light-up color wheel at the base. So fucking rad.
Fabulous, Chuck! I’ve always wanted a retro tree like that. Fun.
You managed to kill the Stretch Armstrong in ONE DAY? What were you DOING with it? My neighbor and I always tried to break it open and couldn’t!
I also loved this – creepiest toy in history.
http://www.secretfunspot.com/virtual.htm
I LOVED Hugo!
Now, when I see him, I always think of Pee-Wee Herman, though.
I don’t think I ever had a Baby Alive, but I know I wanted one. I did get some doll called a Rub A Dub Dolly whose only gimmick seemed to be you could take a bath with her. As if you coudln’t do that will all your other dolls. Here’s a picture of me opening it at my grandmother’s house Christmas morning. Dig my hippy parents!
http://flickr.com/photos/musty.....189205678/
I’m an only child, so I was totaly spoiled and usually got exactly what I wanted. My parents were rad. But I’d say the best gift I’ve gotten recently was a TiVo about six years ago. Talk about life-changing.
And I always get a real tree. I have to, HAVE TO, have the smell of a real Christmas tree in my apartment, or it just isn’t Christmas to me. I think this year I’m going to go to an actual Christmas tree farm and cut my own. And don’t get me started on the ridiculousness of shoving a six foot tree in the corner of my tiny two room apartment!
And my favorite Christmas dish is this Indonesian/Dutch potato salad my grandmother used to make every year. It’s called Huzarensla and it’s PINK!
Oh, Rain, that picture is fantastic!!! Your parents look so young!
Pink potato salad? Um. Is it beets?
As for the Christmas tree smell, I miss it, but I use this now:
http://www.yankeecandle.com/cg.....?oid=20485
Ah, thanks. They were indeed pretty young in that picture. Just in their 20s! It freaks me the hell out to think that when my mother was my age, I was 17. I could NOT handle being the parents of a 17 year old right now!
And yes, beets make the salad pink. I wonder if Marjon or Ivon, being Dutch and all, have ever had it?….
Huzarensla or Huzarensalade isn’t usually red. It’s indeed made from potatoes with some veggies and sometimes egg and small chunks of meat. My dad made a version with beets too, so it was purpleish-pink. He used to make it on new years eve, with the new year written on it with mayonaise or salad dressing.
that’s it! My grandmother made it with bits of meat too, and beets, and potatoes and egg and green beans and I think she used miracle whip instead of mayo, so I’m surprised I liked it that much since i hate miracle whip with a passion…and we had it on New Year’s Eve on occasion, too. Since my grandmother passed away my mom has been making it on Christmas Eve for the family gathering. And her version is most definitely pink. there just aren’t enough pink foods in this world.
Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I have a weird obsession with wrapping, searching out the right paper, buying real ribbon, takes so much time but I love it.
Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, because of the lack of mess, but I used to live in Germany when I was little and we cut down our own trees for Christmas – the forest, the cold, the smell of pine, I will always miss that.
When do you put up the tree? Day after Thanksgiving or that weekend. Watching The Christmas Story or Charlie Brown Christmas while decorating.
When do you take the tree down? New Year’s Day, watching the Rose Parade. Tradition.
Do you like eggnog? No
Favorite gift received as a child? I always wanted a Barbie dream house. One year my mom gave me hers from when she was a kid – the cardboard one that folded out, with all of the furniture, all retro – I loved it so much more than the plastic ones. That was the start of me loving antique things better than new.
Do you have a nativity scene? No
Hardest person to buy for? My dad. Anything he wants during the year, he’ll just go buy. So hard to buy for.
Easiest person to buy for? My 2 friends in PA – they have a cute country house, I can find a million things to get them every year.
Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Just reminded me, I have have to get on that.
Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A chip and dip shaped like the world’s ugliest sombrero – at an office Christmas party.
Favorite Christmas Movie?
A Christmas Story, Charlie Brown Christmas, It’s a Wonderful Life
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually in December, online mostly because I forget.
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No. I’m always afraid I’ll mess up and gift it to the person who gave it to me.
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? What we make on Christmas Eve as a tradition, Chicken Marsala. Mmmm.
Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored.
Favorite Christmas song? Merry Christmas, Darling – The Carpenters
Travel at Christmas or stay home? Well, I’ve done both plenty over the years, but I went on a cruise 2 Christmas’ ago, and LOVED. That’s the way to go.
Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Sure.
Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel – I actually have an angel on my tree that is older than me. That’s ooooold.
Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We do the one on Christmas Eve if we remember, then the rest on Christmas day.
Most annoying thing about this time of year? Pushing through crowds at the mall.
Favorite ornament theme or color? I love homemade ones the best, or ones that look like they are. Felt, cloth, popsicle sticks.
What do you want for Christmas this year? I would really like a Nikon D40 or something like it. Obsessed with picture-taking right now.
OMG, Rain, I am absolutely MAD for your mom in that cape!
((hope you don’t mind me riffling through your memories))
Riffle away! (I think capes, and not just those shorty shoulder capes, but big huge long capes, should make a comeback.)