The Christmas Meme

Hot Chocolate or apple cider? Coffee!

Turkey or Ham? Ham, if it's boiled with cabbage. Otherwise, turkey. But this year I'm cooking filet mignon.

Do you get a Fake or Real you cut it yourself Christmas tree? It must be fake, or SFO Mom will spend the Christmas season getting really well-acquainted with her inhaler.

Decorations on the outside of your house? That's Big Daddy's department. I'm happy with a wreath or 2. Now, it's Christmas all over the inside of the house. Outside, a wreath and a simple string of lights on the rooflines. Little Brother wants to go into full Clark W. Griswold mode, though.

Snowball fights or sledding? Snowball fights! But only because there are no hills around here! I'd much rather use my Marywood College cafeteria tray to go down a nice big hill.

Do you enjoy going downtown shopping? I've never had the opportunity. It's nothing but "big boxes" as far as the eye can see around here.

Favorite Christmas song? Favorite "real" Christmas song - "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night." Favorite "fun" Christmas song - "There's Something Stuck Up In the Chimney."

How do you feel about Christmas movies? They're great! My favorites include "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the original one), "A Charlie Brown Christmas," "A Christmas Story," "It's a Wonderful Life" and the made-for-TV-and-cheesy-but-cute "Christmas List."

When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music? 24/7: Dec. 15. In moderation: it's never too soon!

Stockings before or after presents? There's no set procedure for that.

Carolers, do you or do you not watch and listen to them? I'd love to listen to carolers if some would show up at my door. Even better, I'd love to go caroling.

Go to someone else's house or they come to you? We spend Christmas Eve with Big Daddy's family at a big Polish Wigilia celebration. Christmas Day we used to wake up here, open gifts, go to church, then leave to head for my parents' house. But they have changed the routine so now we are at home all of Christmas Day, and we spend the next day at my parents'. My in-laws will join us for dinner on Christmas Day.

Do you read the Christmas Story? That is read as part of the rituals of Wigilia, so we don't do it again at home.

What do you do after presents and dinner? Play with our toys!

What is your favorite holiday smell? Cookies!

Ice skating or walking around the mall? Skating!

Do you open a present or presents on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas day? The children receive gifts at Wigilia and they open those there. Everything else waits until morning.

Favorite Christmas memory? When we were kids, the Christmas tree was always decorated by Santa after we were in bed Christmas Eve. In the morning we had to wait at the top of the stairs for my grandmother to come over AFTER she went to 7 AM Mass! We were not allowed downstairs, to see the tree, until she got there. Then there would be a mad rush down the stairs. One year my brother heard a noise on Christmas Eve and went halfway down, only to catch Dad struggling to bring in the tree through the kitchen doorway. "We're getting it ready for Santa to decorate! Now go BACK TO BED!"

Favorite part about winter? Christmas!

Ever been kissed under mistletoe? No.

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