Christmas!

Hi Friends! The last week has been super busy, with baking, errands, snow, and tons of time snuggling with my three favorite people in the world. This will be my last post until after Christmas (probably next Thursday). Until then, I'll be visiting the in-laws, wrapping presents, cooking with my mom, enjoying festive seasonal treats, watching Christmas movies, going to mass a couple times, opening presents, and helping my daughters have a most merry Christmas.

Here's a little list of Christmasy questions that I stole from Wendy at Ordinary Miracles of Life. I have about a million things running through my mind, and I'm having trouble focusing, so I thought it would be a good time to post something that doesn't require much thinking.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Coconut or soy egg nog. It's only available for a few weeks, so I have to enjoy it while I can!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? We wrap presents, but last year the girls got some gifts from their Bubba and Auntie Sarah, that were not wrapped.

3. Colored or white lights on tree/house? We use colored LEDs outside and on the tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yep, and we're those obnoxious people who kiss under it all the time. I love the tradition, and I think it's important for kids to see their parents show affection. It's a win-win.

5. When do you put your decorations up? For the last few years, we've decorated our house and tree over Thanksgiving weekend and then decorated at my mom's house the following weekend.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (not including dessert)? Tofurky with my mom's port wine sauce. This year we'll be having the sauce on Field Roast, rather than Tofurky.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? This is a toss up. There was the year I got my Cabbage Patch Kid; the year that my sisters and I got a bunch of fantastic furniture for our Barbies; and the first year that I was lector at midnight mass. They are all great memories.

8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Growing up we didn't. Now that the girls have come along, we've started having our own, mini-Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. This is when C and V open their presents from us--pjs, a new book, and a toy. We do the big gift opening at my mom's house on Christmas morning.

9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? We use colored lights and all the same ornaments each year. Some of our ornaments were handmade by my mom, before I was born. Many are ones we have been gifted over the years, and now Clarissa and Veronica each get a few new ornaments each year. We don't do a tree topper, because we have low ceilings. If we got a tree that was small enough to leave room for a star, we wouldn't be able to fit all the ornaments on it!

10. Snow! Love it or dread it? I love snow, especially at Christmas.

11. Can you ice skate? I am not a skater. My ankles turn in and end up hurting. It is not fun for me.

12. Do you remember your favorite gift? My Cabbage Patch Kid, Andrea Dulcie.

13. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Going to mass and sharing all our traditions with my daughters.

14. What is your favorite holiday dessert? How can I pick one? We've baked over twenty kinds of cookies in the last week! My favorite cookies are snowflake press cookies.

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? I love going to midnight mass. I haven't been in several years. Our old parish had it's latest mass at 9:00, so we went to that one. Now, with the girls, it's just not practical. This year we're going to an early, Christmas Eve children's mass. I look forward to the girls growing up, so we can take them to midnight mass.

16. What tops your tree? Nothing.

17. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? I love giving gifts.

18. Candy canes: yuck or yummy? I love candy canes, as long as they are peppermint.

19. Favorite Christmas show? A Charlie Brown Christmas, but It's a Wonderful Life, Rudolph, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and A Christmas Story are all at the top of my list, too.

20. Saddest Christmas song? I can not handle sad Christmas songs. Blech.

21. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have a Christmas playlist with over 300 songs and I love all but about 12 of them. When I'm listening to my Christmas music, I'd say my favorite is whichever one is on at the moment.

22. And finally, what is your favorite Christmas cookie or candy? Since I already told you my favorite cookie, how about my second fave? Snowballs. For sure. Hmm...my two favorite cookies are snowflakes and snowballs.

The last thing I'll say, before my mini break, is THANK YOU! This December has been the busiest month on my blog. Ever. I've seen big growth in Twitter and Facebook followers, too. I am so grateful to be able to share my recipes and stories with you. Merry Christmas to you all!