Blue Roses

A Christmas survey from Sagan!

1. Do you buy a real tree (live or cut)? Do you have it flocked? Do you drag the colossal box down from the attic (or up from the basement) and spend an afternoon sorting the J4 branches from the K3's and fitting them in their appropriate slots?

We've always had a live tree. It's one of my favorite parts of the season, going tree shopping. My mother, however, hates it. She looks at it as a six foot pricky thing leaking sap all over her living room. So this is probably our last year of a real one. : ( Does anyone have recs on how to make a fake tree smell like a real one, at least? <.g>

2. What special ornaments are a MUST for your tree?

We have several that were on my great-grandma's tree that my mother adores. Those are pretty important. We also have the paper links that she made in kindergarten, I made in kindergarten, and my brother made in kindergarten. They look remarkably similar, but I love them. I also have a set of Disney character ones I got when I was 2 from my great-grandmother when she lived by Disneyland. Those are all the first things to go up.

3. Garland or icicles?

Tinsel! I'm tinsel gal. No one else in my family can stand putting it on, but I love it. Not one strand at a time, mind you, but I don't just throw it, either. <.g>

4. White lights or multi-colored? Blink or non-blinking?

Nonblinking rainbows for the tree. Blue lights for around the house. White is elegant, and we use it on the fir tree in our backyard (because my mom prefers those), but I need rainbow. I love going in there late at night, taking my glasses off, and just seeing the glow of the colors because yes, I am that blind. LOL It doesn't have the same look when they're all white. As
for blinking, I just don't like it ve much. Plus the action is bad for my brother's seizure disorder.

5. Do you decorate outside with a creche? Icicle lights? The new rope lights? Santa and Rudolph on the roof?

We mostly do lights outside now...the netting ones are cool for the bushes. Oh, and we have a few lighted snowmen out there because my mom adores snowmen. (She's not a very Christmassy person, so anytime she shows interest in something Christmas, we almost always do it for her. ) We used to go all out for decorating, but no one really wants to anymore. Well, I do, but I'm deathly afraid of heights and therefore can't go up ladders. We had toy soldiers along our wall, angels on either side of the door, a Santa on the roof by the chimney, and reindeer flying between the trees.

6. Church? Midnight mass? Christmas caroling?

None of the above, anymore. I used to be in the children's choir, from 5-8th grades, and I sang at Christmas Eve mass every year then. I did love it...there was something about the atmosphere and the songs that always got to me. But when I left that, we never went again. We're not a very church-going family. I always had a hankering to go to midnight mass, though. I think that would be lovely. And caroling would be tons of fun...especially if I could actually sing. LOL

7. Christmas music: Are you more the classics kinda gal (Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Ray Coniff singers, etc.) the modern Christmas tunes ("A Very Special Christmas" 1-5, Country, Rap etc.) or do you prefer orchestral/chorale music?

All of the above. <.g> Really, I've listened to three Christmas CDs today...hits from 1935-1955, nsync, and the Nutcracker. I adore the Nutcracker....every year since I was 6, I've listened to that on Christmas eve as I fell asleep. Christmas music in general makes me very, very happy, whether it be Frank Sinatra or Kenny G, or whatever. All great in my book. I just have one quibble about one nsync Christmas song, however. It's track two...it's about waiting all day to be together under the tree, two becoming one, etc etc. Sounds sweet. Until the line "I wish that Santa could be here to see." Voyeurism is just peachy if it floats your boat, but does it have to be SANTA? I think we found my second squick. LOL

8. What about food? Are you a sucker for Aunt Ruby's Eggnog? Do you use the annual fruitcake for a doorstop? Do you make fudge or candies and cookies for your friends and co-workers or neighbors? Share a recipe.

Not much to share here. Sometimes my mom and I make cookies, and we plan to this year, but it's not a usual thing. All the recipes are at home, sorry!

9. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

One Christmas eve, the rest Christmas morning. And Christmas eve is always pajamas...so we look good in the pictures the next morning.

10. What's the ONE thing you have to have/see/do/eat that makes it feel like Christmas?

For me, I think it's the lights. If I don't have lights up, it's not Christmas.

11. Tell us about your favorite Christmas memory.

Wow, I had to think about this. <.g> The last few have been pretty bad, so a lot of the good has been buried and forgotten. But I found one!

It was just after we'd moved from Chicago to the suburbs. We were driving around, looking at all the Christmas decorations. I was 10, Josh was 2, and it was getting late. We were all a little cranky. My dad was like, "Just a little bit longer, and then we'll go home." I agreed, and we drove down one last street. I had my head turned to look down side streets, and my jaw
DROPPED. We had just driven past the most decorated street in the entire world. I called my dad's attention to it, and we made a quick U-turn. It was amazing. Every single house on the block was decorated, be it for Christmas or Hannukah. We drove around the entire subdivision, just staring in wonder at everything. And then we got lost in it. <.g> We found a road that we thought led out. It didn't, it led us to another subdivision, and this one had toy soldiers lining every street. It was beautiful. We finally exited out of there, and went home. Now, every year, it's part of our traditions to drive down those areas. They're less decorated now, but enough people still participate to make it look lovely. So, I guess if you live near Westchester, IL, go check out Beckett and Wakefield streets, near the Dominicks. Wakefield is off of Ogden, and Beckett is off of 31st.