O Come All Ye Faithful is my favorite Christmas hymn, I believe, stemming back from college choir days when we would sing it at the yearly Christmas candlelight service. I'm partial to Steven Curtis Chapman's version as well. If I'm looking for a contemporary Christmas song, Chris Tomlin's Emmanual (Hallowed Manger Ground) is absolutely gorgeous. We sang it on Sunday and I remembered how much I love it.
I also discovered this CD this year - T must have bought it and when I synced my music on my phone it just appeared there.
Very good. It's been my go-to in the car with the kids.
Q: Favorite Christmas Special/Movie?
White Christmas. : ) I informed T as he went out the door today that tonight may be the night for my annual viewing.
We definitely have other family favorites for this month - we typically watch Elf sometime over Thanksgiving weekend as we transition from one holiday to the next. It's also become an annual tradition to rewatch the Lord of the Rings movies in December (now plus The Hobbit).
Q: What sort of goodies do you make in December?
On the short list:
Cranberry Christmas Cookies
Toffee Crack
my Grandma's chex mix
Q: Favorite Christmas beverage?
This year it has been diet Sierra Mist with cranberry. So good. And, of course, always coffee.
Q: How many Christmas parties do you usually attend?
We typically have one annual party that we are invited to every year and try to go if we have a sitter. Some years we make it and some we don't. The last two years I've hosted our Classical Conversations mom's night out which is always a fun night. That's about it.
Q: Do you go Christmas caroling? Does anyone come caroling to your house?
No and no. We went caroling last year with our small group to a nursing home, but that's probably the only time I've been in years. I/we didn't make it happen this year. I think I'm still slightly traumatized because I spend the whole time holding a VERY wiggly two year old boy who literally LICKED my face while we were singing. Maybe next year. : )
Q: What's on your front door at Christmas?
Nothing. One day I'd like to hang a wreath, but it didn't happen this year. I'm also not sure how that would work between the wood door and the storm door and I didn't have the time / energy / crafty-ness to figure out how to rig it up!
Q: When do you put the tree up and take it down?
Ideally, I like putting the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and leave it up through the first week (or so) of January. When I was younger, my parents were always very conscientious about taking the Christmas tree down right after Christmas Day so that it wasn't up for my birthday (which is New Year's Eve). Now that I'm the parent and it's my own home, I leave it up and enjoy the lights until I need/have to take it down. I want to enjoy my lights as long as I can!
Q: Do you decorate with traditional red and green? Or with other colors?
No color scheme worth noting here. So far every year has been different! I'm pretty sure that last year was multicolored lights. T and the girls typically pick them out and this year we have white and purple lights adorning the tree. I think it looks lovely.
Q: How many Christmas trees do you put up (large and small)?
This year we have two. One is in our front room and it's our large (real) tree. We also have a smaller (maybe 3 foot) tree that we used the last 2-3 years when we were in our smaller house and when the boy was just starting to cruise around. It now sits at the top of the stairs in front of mirror which reflects the light all over our upstairs landing.
Q: Are your Christmas decorates themed or hodgepodge?
Totally hodgepodge. We have a few ornaments from my childhood, a few that the kids have made over the years, and a few that I've picked up along the way. Absolutely no matchy-matchy or coordination happening.
Q: Ham, turkey, both or something else for Christmas dinner?
When we celebrate with my side of the family Christmas dinner is usually chicken enchiladas and a layered mexican dip. When it is T's side, it's turkey. If I was planning the meal, I would probably fall somewhere in the middle of both camps. In fact, T bought me a turkey over the weekend and it is in the fridge right now so I can cook it for him. Yum.
Q: Do you have any Christmas traditions that are unusual or out-of-the-ordinary?
I really can't think of any. Maybe the mexican food meal for Christmas Day? I feel like I'm still trying to find my footing with traditions and no year seems to be the same.
Q: Do you display Christmas cards in a particular way?
Taped to the wall in our family room. I love displaying them there, until the tape loses it's sticky and they start falling down. : )
Q: What do you do with Christmas cards you have received after the holidays are over?
I used to save them, but I just pitch (most of) them. See also this post on what to do with your Christmas card photos. Brilliant. I'm doing this this year so I can virtually save the photos.
Q: Christmas newsletters: Love 'em or hate 'em?
Love!! I love sending and receiving cards and little newsy notes - its one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season. As of Monday, all of ours are officially out the door (minus the half-dozen that I need to track down addresses for). I realize most people think that you keep up and know what's going on because of Facebook, but I don't find that is the case. One, because I have really cut back my time on Facebook and therefore miss all sorts of stuff. And two, I may know that you had the best bagel of your life and the such-and-such bagel shop this year, but I find that I really don't know what's been going on in your family. So, if you are on the fence about sending me a newsletter, do! : )
Thanks to Carrie for sharing this on her blog and Barbara for thinking up the questions. This is going to be printed and placed in my Project Life album as a little snippet of life this Christmas season.
I enjoyed reading this! Can you believe I've never seen White Christmas? I think this might be the year to remedy that! I think you and I must have the same decorator. ;-)
ReplyDeleteAmy! You've not seen White Christmas?! I hope you remedy that this year! :-)
ReplyDeleteSteph, I enjoyed reading your answers. Thanks for playing along.
I LOVE Mexican food, but never had it on Christmas Day! I think I have for Christmas Eve once or twice, though, when we met my sisters at a Mexican restaurant between our two homes for a get-together.
It may be a tradition to do something different every year. :-) Though I tend to do many of the same things each year, I am finding that as the family grows, new traditions are added and others fall away.