Christmas Tag!

Hey'a, everyone! Christmas is rapidly approaching (eep! I'm not ready!), and in the spirit of the season, Deborah O'Carroll has tagged me with the Christmas Tag!

I'm just not going to post the rules because, guess what, they're basically the same as the rules for any other tag, and I want to answer questions. So let's get right to it!

What is your favourite Christmas treat?
Alllllll the Christmas cookies! But especially ladylocks and fudge and barks (peppermint or peanut butter- I love them both!) and thumbprints. Oh, and macaroons, 'cause coconut is amazing. Basically, Christmas has magnificent quantities of sweets and I love them all.

Are there any special traditions that your family has to celebrate Christmas?
Well, there's the Advent tradition that I've been posting poems for. Other traditions . . . on Christmas Eve, we eat pizza and drive around town looking at all the Christmas lights. And on Christmas Day itself, we have other traditions . . . which I'll talk about in the next question.

How do you normally celebrate Christmas?
Well, we usually eat a big breakfast- eggs and biscuits or baked oatmeal are the most common things. And we open presents after breakfast, and after Daddy's taken a picture of all of us in front of the Christmas tree. We always get dressed up for Christmas too- which I thought was the standard until I found out that most people apparently open presents in their pajamas? Or just normal clothes? I like getting dressed up though. My sister and I used to get matching Christmas dresses almost every year to wear on the day, but then we grew out of all the cute clothes, so now we just wear something pretty and Christmas-y. And then we take turns opening presents, ending with our stockings. I've been informed that most people just go diving in to the gifts under the tree, but I like our method- it makes the present-opening last longer (and gives everyone plenty of time to take pictures. My family is very big on taking pictures).

Do you enjoy getting presents for your friends and family? Do you buy your gifts or go the homemade route?
Ok. Do I enjoy it? Yes and no. I love it when I can find a present that I know the person will enjoy, or that will be a surprise . . . but figuring out what to give people can be kind of stressful at times. And I both buy and make gifts, depending on which works better and what I think and/or know the person will want.

Is it cold where you live? Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Yes. Yes, it is cold. Though not as cold as it could be . . . As for white Christmases, I had a few back in VA, but not a lot. I'll be rather upset if I don't get one this year . . . seriously, I currently live in a place that usually gets a lot of snow, and Christmas is the one day of the year that I actually want snow. So if I end up getting buried in snow when I don't want it but don't even get a dusting when I do . . . yeah. I'll be annoyed.

What’s on your Christmas list this year?
Books. Books. A calendar for next year. The Pandemic board game. The last Hobbit movie. A few cds. More books.

What’s your favourite Christmas song?
Ooh. I actually made a whole post about my favorite Christmas music last year. But I'll highlight and re-highlight some of this year's favorites now. The Promise remains my very favorite Christmas song. I've been listening to Sleigh Ride and Winter Wonderland a lot lately, as well as the Celtic Thunder Christmas album. And for some reason, I've been weirdly obsessed with Pentatonix's cover of White Winter Hymnal, and with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Wizards in Winter.

What is your favourite Christmas memory?
I don't know that I have one Christmas memory that stands out over others . . . but I guess the combined memories of all the times we'd go out looking at lights, maybe? Or possibly the first year I got my sister a present with my own money- it was a stuffed polar bear that we both thought was cute.

What does your Christmas Tree look like?
Very full.
Oh, you wanted a picture?
Very well, then.

What are you reading in December? (Anything festive?)
Nothing especially festive, unless you count the Advent storybook, Tabitha's Travels. It's the third in a series set around the time of Jesus' birth, each focusing on a kid who lands him/herself in a great deal of trouble and eventually ending up in Bethlehem in time for that first Christmas. Tabitha is . . . not my favorite character. Let's put it that way. But the first two in the series- Jotham's Journey and Bartholomew's Passage- are pretty fun.

Are you an organised little elf or are you still shopping/preparing on Christmas Eve?
Trying to be organized! I'm usually done before Christmas Eve, but I may still be preparing the week of Christmas.

How early do you start to get into the Christmas spirit?
Day after Thanksgiving. No sooner.

Do you make any Christmas crafts? Decorations? Send physical Christmas cards?
I sometimes make Christmas crafts- I used to make pipe-cleaner-and-bead candycanes and cut-paper cards and snowflakes aplenty, but not so much anymore. I am making homemade cards for some of my friends this year, though, so that's fun.

What’s the menu for Christmas Day?!
Depends what we feel like. Some years we have a traditional ham/turkey dinner, but some years we have other foods- lasagna or shepherd's pie especially. Christmas cookies are a given, of course.

What makes it FEEL like Christmas for you? (Weather, specific tradition, food, smell, person, etc.?)
I don't know. The music, maybe? And the excitement of Christmas being almost here? (The problem with that last one is that if I'm more stressed than excited, it doesn't feel like Christmas . . .)

Do you have relatives coming? Excited? Nervous?
Nope, no relatives. For the most part, we spent Christmas with just the four of us, though my grandpa will come some years.

What famous Christmas character do you most identify with? (Scrooge, Elf, Tiny Tim, the Grinch, Santa, etc.)
I haven't the foggiest idea.

If you were to start a new Christmas tradition, what would it be?
Um. I don't know. I like our traditions now . . . ask me again when I've moved out (*shudders*) and maybe I'll have an answer.

What Christmas movies do you like to watch this time of year or what’s your favorite?
White Christmas! Fun fact: a few years ago, at my youth group Christmas party, we were playing a game which involved asking everyone what their favorite Christmas movie was. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who didn't say something animated. (I did used to love the Barbie Nutcracker, though. And Timmy's Gift, which was a Precious Moments movie about a little angel supposed to deliver a crown to Jesus.)

What’s your favorite Christmasy book or book with a favorite Christmasy part?
Ummmmmmm. Father Christmas shows up in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; does that count? And as I said, I like Jotham's Journey and Bartholomew's Passage. I really don't read a lot of Christmas-y books . . .

And now to tag people. Pretty sure the tag asks for twelve; I'm cheating and doing . . . fewer.
Allison Rudivich of The Art of Storytelling
Emmarayn Redding at Coffee and Contemplations
Ghost Ryter at Anything, Everything
Hannah Williams at The Writer's Window
IDK323 at World of Panin
And . . . you, reader! If you feel so inclined to do this tag, feel free. Just link back when you do so I can read it.

Thanks for reading, and merry Christmas!
 -Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)