Christmas Tag!

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Hey everyone! I'm sooo sorry that it's been so long since I posted ... I think my final exams kind of sapped all my inspiration there for a while. But they're over now, and now it's time to focus on Christmas!! We're supposed to get our first real snow of the winter sometime this night, that big ol' snowstorm that's whacking pretty much everybody in the Midwest. I can hardly wait to get done with work tomorrow and get started on Christmas vacation!  :-D  :-D  :-D

I've been tagged again, this lovely Christmas tag from Alex over at Alex's Corner ... come on in and read a few interesting trivial facts about my family's Christmas celebrations!

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Erase my answers and put yours in another color from the questions!

What's your favorite Christmas song? 

"O Holy Night"

Who sings it the best?

Josh Groban, of course!

Do you change your favorite Christmas song every year?

No, it stays pretty consistent ... I love the dramatic melody and chord progressions of "O Holy Night," as well as the triumphant lyrics, so it's always my favorite.  :-)

What Christmas song do you hear the most?

Ugh ... either "Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart" or "Simply Havin' A Wonderful Christmas Time" ... both of these songs are utterly pointless.

Does your family mostly agree on what Christmas music to listen to or are you constantly changing the song?

For the most part, we agree ... pretty much only Heather shares my appreciation for Josh Groban and Michael Buble at Christmas, though.  :-)

Who's your favorite Christmas movie side character?

 I would have to say Bob Cratchit from the 1951 (Alastair Sim) version of A Christmas Carol ... he's very sweet and gentle.

Besides George and Mary Bailey who's your favorite character in It's a Wonderful Life?

 I actually don't like that movie much at all ... I know it technically has a happy ending, but it just gets me so depressed during the course of the movie that I have a really hard time cheering up at the end.  :-{

Do you like Santa Claus in Miracle On 34th Street?

I've never seen it ...  O_o

Vera Ellen or Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas?

Never seen that, either ...  O_O

Bing Crosby or Danny Kaye?

Oh goodness, Bing Crosby ... Danny Kaye was insane ...

Besides "White Christmas" what is your favorite song from the movie?

Like I said, haven't seen it ...

What's your favorite (or one of your favorite) lines from a Christmas movie?

*Spoiler alert*

I love David Niven's line at the end of "Bachelor Mother," a sort-of Christmas movie, when he says "I am the father of that baby." He isn't actually the baby's father, but he's surprising everyone by agreeing to marry Ginger Rogers and adopt her baby, which he had resisted throughout the latter half of the movie. It brought a tear to my eyes the first time I saw it. :'-}

Do you own a special ornament?
Yes, but I don't keep it on the tree - it's a little snowman ornament that a good friend of mine gave me before she moved away.

Did you break any ornaments this year?
No, thank goodness! I broke one of my parents' favorite ornaments last year, and I felt like a murderer ...

What's the oldest ornament on your tree and where did it come from?
Probably the ones my parents bought for their first Christmas are the oldest ... they mostly came from JC Penneys, I think.

Do you like pretty trees or fun trees better?
Oh, pretty, definitely - trees dripping in lights and tinsel and garland and old-fashioned ornaments.  :-)

Have you ever had a fake tree?
That's all we've ever had ... real trees are too messy. And they don't mix well with cats.

Green tree or a different color?
Green, although they're nice when they're snow-flocked or flecked with gold, too.

Who sweeps up the pine needles and waters the tree?
My sister usually vacuums the floor after we pack the tree back into the box ...

Have you made any Christmas crafts this year?
Regrettably, no ... there's still time yet!

Does your family read a Christmas story every year?
Most years we read the Gospel of Luke together at some point, but there's really no uniformity about it.

If so, which one?
The Gospel of Luke. :-)

What do you do on Christmas Eve?
Wrap all the presents! We wait for the little ones to go to bed, then we put something on the TV (recent years have seen old movies, Christmas mass from the Vatican, and a Star Trek marathon) and wrap presents until about 3AM. It's awesome!

How many Christmas's do you usually have?
Just one, thankfully!  :-)

Marshmallows or whipped cream in your hot chocolate?
Oh, marshmallows all the way ...

Do you like the flavor cinnamon or peppermint better?
Cinnamon, I think ... peppermint is nice too, but I think cinnamon.

Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Oh yes! We more often have rain, but it's not uncommon to have white Christmases, and they're definitely the nicest!

Ice skating or driving around looking at Christmas lights?
Unfortunately, I don't know how to skate ... I'm going to learn someday, but for now, I would rather drive around and look at Christmas lights. Once I learn to skate, that activity will become preferred. :-)

Do you like the blow up Christmas decorations people put in their yards?
Naah ... they look kind of tacky. Although this was funny:

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What is something you are going to do new this year to celebrate?
Don't know ... as far as I know, this will be a normal Christmas. :-)

Have you ever celebrated Hanukkah?
No, but I would love to stay with a Jewish family and celebrate Hanukkah sometime ... it's so beautiful, and the story of God's providence at the first Hanukkah is so amazing.

How many people are you giving presents to this year?
7 family members + 4 coworkers = 11 people (wow!!)

What's your favorite kind of Christmas card to receive?
I like a card with a personalized note inside!

Do you eat breakfast first or open presents first?
We do eat breakfast first, actually.

Stockings first or last?
We actually don't do stockings anymore ... we thought about resurrecting the tradition this year, but nothing ever came of it.

What present do you REALLY want this year?
I would love a vintage copy of A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations ... how vintage, I don't care; just not a tacky modern version.

Do you like a star on the top of your tree or an angel?
We have a multicolored lighted star, and I like it!

Do you like the color red or green better?
It depends ... at Christmas, I prefer green. Deep holly green!

Silver or gold?
Silver.

One word to describe Christmas?
Belonging!

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And to promote this festive time of year, I'm tagging the following people:

The usual victims:
Frannie
Angel
Katherine Sophia
Jennifer
Jessica

And some people whom I don't pick on very often:
Victoria
Lizzy
The Seven Sisters
Marissa
Miss Melody Muffin

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Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Love and hugs,
Vicki