Belated Christmas

Better Get my Tuesday post in before I'm an entire week late! Christmas was fantastically relaxing, and I'm stuffed to the brim with gluten free cookies and Reuben dip thanks to my glorious mother.  Heading out for another interview tomorrow (when will these end?), and spent the night vegging and catching up on Glee. Love it.



1. When do you put up and take down your Christmas decorations?
I try to put them up after thanksgiving, but I usually wait til at least December. It takes me a while, because I must do a thorough cleaning before I decorate. Dust and tacky xmas junk is not a good combo for my psyche. I usually leave them up till after new years, but not till epiphany. I'm ready to declutter. I have on occasion left ONLY the snowflakes up until February though!

2. What do you do to simplify the holiday season?
Well lets see. This year I took boards right before Christmas, so I simplified by almost totally ignoring it. I bought presents for the little ones, and my mom...and that's it. sorry everyone!

3. What do you do to remind yourself and your family what the Christmas season is all about?
I think making it a priority to just spend the day with those you love is the best way to remember to always keep love in your heart.

4. How do you spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Christmas Eve is spent with my dad's sisters and assorted cousins. Christmas day is reserved for sitting around in my pjs and playing trivia with my family! And of course, a smorgasbord of appetizers is provided. yum.


5. What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
I love how my mom wraps toiletries up for us in our stockings. We actually don't stick to many steadfast traditions. I do love the pickle rolls on Christmas eve. those are mandatory :)

6. Did you do the whole Santa thing growing up? What do you like/not like about continuing the tradition?
We had Santa, but nothing overly elaborate. One year my Dad rang jingle bells outside. Most memorably, we would go downtown and see Santa, shop and eat fast food by a gigantic fountain. One year, nick absolutely freaked out and bolted off Santa's lap into the towel section of Daytons. HAHA. I had Santa all to myself :)


7. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?
Hands down, my grandma's lemon sugar cookies. I would just lay on the couch with a tin of those babies! yum. no GF substitute however, tear. But I do love my mom's buckeyes, and this year we got wonderful gingerbread cookies from Bittersweet Bakery.

8. How do you take your egg nog?
I've never "taken" it. However, one year at midnight mass a sorry parishioner imbibed a bit too zealously on the creamy stuff and lost his nog in the pew, aisle and potted plant during silent night. Sick. Lost my desire to partake in that sticky sweet vomity traditional beverage. 

9. What is your favorite Christmas carol and why?
Hmmm. Hard one. Probably Do you hear what I hear, I can sing a mean harmony to that one.

10. When was the last time you had a white Christmas?
Well this Christmas was about 16 inches of whiteness! In MN this is usually not a problem.