A Christmas Meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? we make and use gift bags usually - sometimes we use paper - or paper bags that we've decorated

2. Real tree or Artificial? real! can't beat the smell and I don't mind pine needles.

3. When do you put up the tree? usually a few weeks after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? usually after the 1st of January (PSA...RECYCLE YOUR LIVE CHRISTMAS TREE IF YOU HAVE ONE)

5. Do you like eggnog? yep - especially with espresso

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I'm not sure...probably Little Women (I think my big wheel was a birthday present). Or the fun socks my mom made me. Funny that I don't remember a lot of my gifts from when I was a kid, more a general feeling of the love surrounding us. It really didn't matter if we had expensive gifts or special homemade gifts (though, the homemade gifts were among my favorites always - they still are)

7. Hardest person to buy for? my father-in-law and brothers-in-law (but I don't pick them every year, so it balances out - luckily, my BILs have wives that often give me good ideas).

8. Easiest person to buy for? the kids

9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, a fisher price Little People (wow! that's gone up in price a whole heck of a lot!) one from when Irene was 2, and last year we got a Playmobil one

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail (sometimes they are mardi gras cards...)

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? an awful map book - it was outdated -- it was a few years after the berlin wall came down and the USSR ceased to exist and I believe it was after Yugoslavia split - and yet, the map book given me had all those maps.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas - not the jim carrey (sp?) piece of shinola, but the real deal. a close second? A Christmas Story (I've always enjoyed it, but also, it was on a 24 hour marathon on christmas eve after I'd had Irene. Rob and I watched it as we enjoyed our brand spankin' new babe)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? whenever I see something I think is perfect for someone on my list.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? yep

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? our homemade tamales

16. Lights on tree, colored or clear? I love blinking colored lights

17. Favorite Christmas song? hmmmm....so so many....Julie Andrews singing Joy to the World (actualy, the whole album), most of John Denver's Rocky Mountain Christmas (minus the awful drunk dad song), The Barenaked Ladies Barenaked for the Holidays

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? is this a would you rather? i'd rather stay home, but we often travel

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? of course!!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? An angel my mom made in 1972

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? yes

22. Worst thing about this time of the year? the stress and wishing I had more to give to others who need it more than us

23. Favorite Christmas ornament or theme? the one that was on the bitty tree my great aunt sent with my gramma when Irene was born. that said, all of our ornaments are very special - we have some from before I was born and some from almost every year i've been alive, as well as Rob's special ornaments and the kids' special ornaments. I love decorating the tree and thinking of all the trees we've decorated with each ornament.

24. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? chinese or thai food - preferably thai (usually, actually, that's for Christmas Eve - or whenever we do the McRae/Bradburn Christmas. I wouldn't mind a prime rib dinner...but that could be b/c I'm craving some red meat right now.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? for no more layoffs at IGT

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!