what about you?

i got tagged on facebook for this, so instead, i decided to add it to my blog. if you play along. leave me a comment so i can see your traditions, too! i needed something for today. anyway. it's kind of a slow lazy day around here. little one has decided it is pajama day. and really. who am i to say no to that? and i'm sorry. no picture. i hate posting without pictures.

does santa wrap the presents?
Santa wraps most of the presents under the tree. in special santa only paper. some harder to wrap items he leaves unwrapped. and some gifts come not from santa, but from others - we've been known to receive gifts from elf, mr. nordstrom, the basement mole and other savory characters...

eggnog/candy canes/fruit cake. yes or no?
no. maybe. no.

what color lights on tree/house?
i always do white lights on the tree. i tried a couple of years ago to do something artsy - red and purple lights one year, blue and purple and green another. it just didn't work. so it's back to the basic white lights. the ornaments sparkle the best this way. i have one tree in little two's room that has a multi-colored string of lights on it. it reminds me of when i was a kid. our tree back then always had colored lights.

outside. it's just white lights, too. but this year i have these snowball lights from smith and hawken. they look like big snowballs on my garland above and around my door.

what is your favorite holiday food (excluding dessert)?
my parents always had a huge open house on christmas eve. and we would have these yummy cheesey melt in your mouth crab rolls - i can taste them now. but now it would be my grandmother's caramel rolls. my mom always makes them on christmas morning.

favorite holiday memory as a child:
looking out the window of my brother's room for santa. my grandmother always came to visit every christmas and she would stay in my room. i'd sleep in my brother's room on a cot. i still remember the excitement of watching for santa.

how is your christmas tree decorated?
tons of white lights. i wrap each branch with lights. one year i had 17 strands. this year our tree is a bit smaller so we only have 11 strands on it. that's 1100 lights. eek! the ornaments are all blown glass - christopher radko, polonaise, etc. that i've collected over the years. they all have special memories. the little's ornaments - are at the bottom. each year they get to go to the store and buy one ornament for the tree. she picked tinkerbell and he got thomas the train this year.

snow: love it or leave it?
i love snow before christmas. and we had a beautiful white christmas this year! there was a beautiful snow storm that started during our church program. it was almost magical looking out of the candle-lit church into the snow. but after christmas i'm done. done. done. with it.

favorite christmas cookie?
spritz cookies.

favorite christmas song?
there are so many - i'll be home for christmas, what child is this, song for a winter's night

favorite childhood christmas tradition:
going to see a christmas carol every year.

least favorite christmastradition growing up:
eating breakfast before we opened up presents on christmas morning.

which comes first: breakfast or presents?
as much as i hated the tradition grwoing up, i've done the same to my littles - they have to eat before we start digging in. the anticipation kills them!