Fa La La La La....La La La La

To say that December is a busy month for my family and for me is not entirely accurate. Somehow, my lifelong love of the Christmas holiday managed to get the best of me over the years. My husband and I now celebrate most of our major events within the course of 30 days. L’s birthday is on December 13th, our anniversary is on December 21st, and G’s birthday is on December 22nd. It’s a bit chaotic, but we make it work.

Because of this, I often find myself lost in a flurry of details and unable to really enjoy this time of year much. Whitney's Christmas greeting, which arrived in the form of a Deck the Halls Meme, was exactly what I needed. It reminded me of the little joys that make up this wonderful season.

Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Egg nog. My Mom has the best recipe in the world. Have you ever had homemade egg nog? It really is heaven in a cup. I’ll post the recipe sometime soon.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree?
He is absolutely wrapping the gifts. If Santa and his elves could not get it together enough to wrap gifts, there would be words.

Colored lights on tree or white?
Ahh, the great debate. My husband adamantly prefers white lights and I come from colored lights people. This year, we have colored lights on our tree. For the past eight years, they have been white. My time has finally arrived!

When do you put your decorations up?
It is a gradual process. The tree is usually up first, sans decorations, for at least a week. Currently, our house is decorated, the tree is up (with a patch of decorations on the bottom portion where G decorated), and the stockings are in a heap on the couch. (I still need to find the stocking hangers.)

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Crab cakes. My mom makes them every year for dinner on Christmas Eve. She makes the tartar sauce too. Delish! Another recipe that I need to post.

Favorite holiday memory as a child:
Holiday celebrations with my Mom’s extended family at my grandmother’s house. She had a lovely, lovely three-story home. There were tons of kids, tons of food, and hours of story telling. I miss those days.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I wrote about this in a previous post entitled Random Facts. See #4.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Not so much. I am all about extending the holiday as long as possible.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Sporadically and over the course of a few weeks. Geoff does the lights and I work on the ornaments with the kids.

Snow! Love it or dread it?
Love it, but I live in California where it absolutely never snows, so this is super easy for me to say. If I were being completely honest, I would have to admit that I am not exactly an “outdoors girl.” I like to look at the snow while sitting by a fire with a cup of hot cocoa and Peppermint Schnapps in my hands.

Can you ice skate?
No. I can barely rollerskate.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
There have been many favorite gifts from friends and family over the course of the years. Too hard to choose just one.

What's the most important thing about the holidays for you?
I have the same answer as Whitney…family. I also love finding the perfect gift for someone and watching them light up as they open it.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Anything decadent and guaranteed to add inches to my waistline. Chocolate, crème brulee, candy, trifle, cake, cookies, and pie all qualify.

What is your favorite tradition?
Watching Christmas movies with my sister. We usually kick off our movie marathon season with National Lapoon's Christmas Vacation on Thanksgiving Day. Once that is finished, there are a number of favorites that we must fit in before Christmas, such as White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and Elf.

Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Giving. Receiving is great, but definitely not as fun.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Oh Come All Ye Faithful.

Candy canes! Yuck or yum?
Yum, if you are referring to the rainbow candy cane. Yuck, if you are referring to the small, often broken, peppermint candy canes.

Ever recycled a Christmas present?
Oh yes. It wouldn’t be the holidays if there at least one recycled gift under my tree.

Don't Be A Scrooge! Tag 7 friends to Deck the Halls...
True Love Is a Mama, Peach Out of Water, Mo of Four, My little World: Choo-choos, cars, and lip gloss, My Stay-at-Home Momma Drama, A*May*Zing, and Life is Good.

Happy Holidays!

-Francesca