the 411 on my christmas style

i saw this fun little christmas survey over at cee's blog, curiousity. (thanks, cee!)  you should do it, too - just copy and paste it into your blog!

wrapping paper or gift bags?

wrapping paper for sure (unless it's not able to be easily wrapped with paper, then i use a gift bag).  i actually like wrapping presents; i think it's because i love putting on the bows.  this year, however, wrapping has been a little more difficult as my little meatloaf, bailey, likes to "help."

real tree or artificial?

REAL, fo sho.  i'm not against fake trees, though.  my parents have a gorgeous big, blue spruce with pine cones on it, and it's fake and i love it.  you just can't beat to smell of a fresh cut christmas tree.

when do you put up the tree?

whenever i have time to go and buy it, honestly.  but it's NEVER before thanksgiving, though.  you all know how i feel about christmas decorations before thanksgiving.  no one wants a premature baby, do they??  the correct answer is "no."  the same should be true about premature christmas decorations.  i wish people would stop making thanksgiving the red-headed step child.

when do you take the tree down?

my grandma tells me christmas decorations should be taken down on the epiphany, which is january 6th.  (funny story sidenote: my little sister's birthday is on january 7th.  my grandmother was secretly hoping she'd be born on the 6th so we could call her tiffany of the epiphany.  my little sister was not born on the 6th and her name is not tiffany.  it's always a catholic thing with my grandma.)

do you like eggnog?

love it, but i'm allergic to milk so i can't drink it :(  i know they have soy milk eggnog, but i'm also allergic to soy, though less so than i am to milk.  so unless it comes in goat's milk or something else, eggnog is a no for me.

favorite gift received as a child?

hmmm, well one year i got a ton of trolls.  i think i was maybe 7 years old, though my memory is questionable.  do y'all remember those??  i seriously had a troll-themed christmas and got anything and everything troll.  i was so stoked.  looking back, those troll dolls really creep me out.  i don't know what i was thinking.  another year (my freshman year of high school) i got a king-sized bed and new bedding.  it was an awesome surprise because i had been begging my mom for a bigger bed and new bedding.

hardest person to buy for?

quasi-bf hands down.  it's difficult to shop for a guy who literally has everything, and he's ridiculously picky which doesn't help.  plus, i can never outdo or upstage the gifts he gets me.

easiest person to buy for?

probably my mom.  she pretty much makes a list of things she wants/likes.

do you have a nativity scene?

not my own, but i realllllly want a willow tree nativity set.

mail or email christmas cards?

mail, duh.

worst christmas gift you ever received?

omg.  okay, i will never forget this WORST gift as long as i live.  this little treasure was from a guy i dated freshman year of college.  he was from new mexico.  i tried to act as excited as i possibly could.  thing was, he didn't even make it.  he bought it from some thrift store back home.  i even had to hang it up on my wall in my dorm.  i gave it back to him after we broke up. 

favorite christmas movie?

elf.  obsessed.  i watch it with my little brother and little sister every year.  i also really like the old school christmas story with the kid in the pink, fuzzy bunny pajama suit.  i recently saw the movie four christmases and i didn't really expect much out of it, but i loved it and thought it was hysterical.

when do you start shopping for christmas?

typically on black friday.  it's tradition for my mom, little brother, and i to go out every year.  my brother's really just there to stand in line; he's always halfway asleep anyways.  we have a system.  i'm usually all done with my shopping by mid-december.  i did a lot online this year, which was nice.

have you ever recycled a christmas present?

not until this year actually and it was kind of accidental.  here's the story... my admin assistant owns four cats.  she's obsessed with cats.  anyways, she submitted a photo to some calendar company about two years ago.  a couple of months ago she received ten cat calendars and a letter telling her that her cats were featured on one day in the "365 days of cats!" calendar.  she was so freakin' stoked, you have no idea.  just in case you see the calendar at a kiosk in your mall, her cats are on july 23.  i know this because she says it ALL.THE.TIME.  i shouldn't judge, i'd probably be the same way if my little nugget made it in a calendar.  anyways, as you may have guessed by now, she gave me a "365 days of cats!" calendar for christmas.  she knows how much i hate cats.  i thanked her of course and told her how much i needed a new calendar at home (which is true, i do need a calendar at home, just want one with 365 days of rob pattinson, though).  i ended up giving the calendar to this little old lady at my church who loves cats.  she cried.  that's how much she loved the calendar.  i felt like i had done a good deed, so in this case it's okay.

favorite thing to eat at christmas?

sugar cookies.  mmmmmm. 

lights on the tree?

no, i leave it naked and bare. then i stick it in the corner and cover it with a sheet. (...) duh, of course i put lights on the tree. white lights.  what the hell kind of question is this?? 

favorite christmas song?

oooh, this is one of my favorite parts about christmas.  i have tons of favorites.  i love anything by frank sinatra or any other members of the rat pack crew.  i really that song "mary did you know?"  kind of reminds you of the whole point of christmas.  i absolutely love church during the christmas and advent season.  our church has gorgeous decorations and we start singing christmas hymns the sunday after thanksgiving.  i pretty much love love love all of the traditional christmas hymns.

travel at christmas or stay home?

my family usually travels - either colorado to go snow boarding or austin or dallas to be with family.  this year we're having christmas at my parents which is soooo nice and stress-free.

can you name all of santa's reindeer?

yes.  if this is a contest, i'll win.  i love winning.

angel on the tree top or a star?

i have neither on my tree.  i have these sparkly flower things.  i couldn't get the huge ribbon/bow to stay on!  boo!

open the presents christmas eve or morning?

we open one present on christmas eve and the rest on christmas morning.  oh, and SANTA COMES CHRISTMAS MORNING!  his presents aren't wrapped and he has really bad handwriting like he writes with his left hand when he's really right-handed.  hmmm... so tricky, that santa.

most annoying thing about this time of the year?

TRAFFIC and crowded malls.

favorite ornament, theme, or color?

red and gold.

favorite for christmas dinner?

dinner?  how about dessert?  my grandma makes this special cinnamon sugar pinwheel things that i can eat for days, seriously.  i can't really explain them, but for someone who can't eat most of the desserts (damn allergies), these are my one piece of sweetness!

what do you want to do for christmas this year?
this.

favorite christmas tradition growing up?

eating cookies and reading the christmas story from the bible before bed on christmas eve night and then waiting for santa to come!

and here are some pics of my christmas decorations!!