Today is going to be really crazy! Land in Boston at 8am, get in a run with my bestest Boston runner friend, stop by a friend gathering, hang out with the fam, go to church, and then to our cousins’ house for our traditional Christmas Eve festivities.
I stumbled on Amanda’s Christmas Survey a few days ago and I really liked it! So here are my answers to all her great Christmas questions!
Before Christmas…
Do you send out Christmas cards?
Yes, my mom always sent them out when I was growing up. My husband and I started sending out our own last year after we got engaged.
Our cards this year.
How soon do you start shopping?
I do all of my Christmas shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don’t like to start too early because I like going to the stores/mall when all the Christmas decorations are up!
Do you have a lot of gifts to buy?
I have a big family (I’m one of five kids) so, yes, LOTS of presents!
Do you bake cookies?
Every year I bake almost ten different kinds of cookies! This year I slacked and only made 5 of the usual kinds that I make. Thankfully my mom and uncle made all the usuals so we’ll still get to eat them all tonight and tomorrow!
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Decorations…
Do you put up a Christmas tree?
Of course! It doesn’t feel like Christmas without a tree in the house!
If so, is it fake or real?
REAL!
Do you like tinsel?
I’ve never used it…
Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?
Most of our ornaments are store bought but over the years I’ve homemade a few. The one I made from the stump of our first Christmas tree together is my absolute favorite!
Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?
We live in an apartment right now so we don’t have anywhere outside to put lights. 😦 I cannot wait to own a home so that we can put the dangling icicle lights on our house!
Do you put lights on the tree?
Yes, white lights!
How about popcorn and cranberries?
Nope, but we do make a cranberry necklace for the turkey on Thanksgiving (sorry, wrong holiday).
Is there a wreath hanging on your door?
Christmas Eve…
Do you celebrate it?
We go to Christmas Eve service and then go to our cousins’ house for dinner, cookies, and presents!
The Christmas Eve gang in 2011
Do you hang up your stocking?
It starts hung up but my parents always fill up our stockings so much that the hangers can’t hold them so they’re sitting on the floor or couch when we come downstairs on Christmas morning!
Our stockings by the fireplace
Have you ever left cookies out for Santa?
Favorites…
Christmas Movie?
Ah, there are so many to choose from! Elf is always good for a laugh but I think that The Santa Clause is my all-time favorite!
Character from any Christmas Movie?
Buddy the Elf!
Christmas Song?
The Christmas shoes! It always makes me cry but I still love it!
Christmas Memory?
The year that my siblings and I got a Nintendo64. We were all young enough to get really excited about presents and we spent so much of that Christmas break playing Mario64 together!
Christmas Cookie?
Give or Receive?
Give! I always get so much joy from the looks on my family’s faces when they open a gift I put a lot of thought into. That’s the best part of Christmas morning!
Ham or Turkey?
I prefer turkey but we have lasagna and ham on Christmas Eve and roast beef on Christmas day!
Star or Angel?
My husband and I have a star on top of our tree but growing up my family used Santa.
One of our many Santa tree toppers.
White Lights or Coloured Lights?
White Lights!
Blinking Lights or Still Lights?
Still lights inside but I love driving by houses with twinkly lights outside.
Were you Naughty or Nice this year?
Hopefully more nice than naughty!
Presents…
What do you want for Christmas this year?
Running stuff, running stuff, running stuff. See here for details!
When do you open your gifts?
On Christmas Eve we open presents at our cousins’ house from our aunts, uncles, and my mom’s parents (plus our yearly Christmas pajamas from my parents). And everything else on Christmas morning!
What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?
Henri and I got engaged close to Christmas – so I think I’ll count that as my Christmas gift that year! Best present ever!
What’s the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?
I can’t think of any bad Christmas gifts that I’ve gotten. My family always does a wonderful job with presents!
Do you like wrapping gifts?
My mom and older sister did a great job of teaching me to be a pro-wrapper (as in good at it – not the opposite of anti-wrapper) so, yes! I love to wrap presents!
Can you name all the reindeer?
Of course! “On Dancer! On Prancer! On Donner and Vixen! On Comet! On Cupid! On Donner and Blitzen!” (Oh and then there’s Rudolph)
Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?
Nope! I’ve only ever seen mistletoe once in my life and it wasn’t even hanging up!
Do you go caroling?
When I was living at home my family would just go around to our neighbors and bring them cookies and sing like half a Christmas carol – if that counts.
Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?
Yes! There is one neighborhood near my parents’ house that goes ALL OUT with Christmas lights. I love driving through it whenever I can throughout December!
Have you ever had a white Christmas?
All the time! (MA gets a lot of snow!)
Who do you celebrate Christmas with?
Every year its a little different but its always a mixture of immediate family, grandparents, and cousins.
I love spending Christmas with these gals!
Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?
I’m sure I did when I was little but I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen a photo!
What part of Christmas do you look most forward to?
Spending a lot of uninterrupted, quality time with my family. And Christmas breakfast – because we have Monkey Bread and seriously nothing can beat Monkey Bread!
Monkey Bread with walnuts
How do you spend Christmas Eve?
Your turn! Answer a few of the above questions!
Will Run for Boston 
Love reading about how other people celebrate because it’s so different for everyone. I hope you have a great time in Boston with your family! Merry Christmas!
It sounds like we have some similar traditions! My parents fill our stockings a lot too and they end up putting them on the chairs as well. I hope you have the best time at home!!
I love this survey, we are going to my husbands family for Christmas Eve. We always play bingo ha
Haha, bingo?!? That’s so fun!