Christmas Tag

Perhaps I'm the only one who hasn't done this meme yet (found on Pete's blog), so here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? - Both. Gift bags and CD boxes really speed up the process - and can be reused within the family.

2. Real tree or artificial? - Artificial - I don't have to buy it all over again every year.

3. When do you put up the tree? - Normally much later than I intend (20th Dec onwards) but this year I got it up today! (13th Dec). Oh - yesterday now.

4. When do you take the tree down? - 6th January before midnight.

5. Do you like eggnog? - Never been offered one.

6. Favourite gift received as a child? - Silver Brumby books by Elyne Mitchell. I would definitely have said Bear, but I wasn't a child when given him!

7. Do you have a Nativity scene? - No.

8. Hardest person to buy for? - All of us... we've already got what we need, along with too much of what we don't need.

9. Easiest person to buy for? - Mum's best friend - she's always loudly appreciative of the things we give her. Possibly she hates them in private, but she would never allow you to think it.

10. Worst Christmas Gift you ever received? - A hand blender... it sounds spoilt! I already had a hand blender and had said I would like a juicer. I didn't realize how expensive those things were, but I think there are some fairly cheap models around now.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? - Mixture.

12. Favourite Christmas Movie? - Bernard and the Genie. Unfortunately they 'deleted' it (whatever that implies) and we never saw it back on our screens. More recently, my favourite Christmas movie is The Grinch.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? - Mostly December, but I buy occasional gifts throughout the year when I spot them. Bought a teddy for my sister months ago, and now she says she doesn't want any stuffed animals because her mob of cats steal them or pee on them.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? - I was forced to recycle a box of chocolates someone gave me and my sister. I wanted to eat it but my sister wanted to give it to someone else - she said I could eat it if I paid her for her half of the box. It got recycled...

15. Favourite thing to eat/drink at Christmas? - Christmas dinner - the bread sauce in particular, but all of it really.

16. Clear lights or coloured on the tree? - Coloured. I used pastel fairy lights on my old tree, and the LEDs on my new tree make my eyes pop as they're such dramatic shades. I like them - but I also miss the pastel lights, which are real 'fairy lights' to me.

17. Favourite Christmas song? - Lonely This Christmas. Favourite Christmas carol: Once in Royal David's City. When much younger, I did a hatchet job on The First Nowell. It goes... "Today is the day... before the dayyyyy... before the dayyyyy of Christmas Eve." I found it was possible to change it each day as we got nearer to Christmas, and it generally fitted, even if you had to really draw it out. One little girl overtaken by the magic of Christmas... that kind of thing never quite fades, no matter who tries to stamp it out for whatever reasons they have.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? - Stay at home.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? - No. The subject came up today - I think all the Santas have to learn them. Zzz.

20. Angel on the tree top or a Star? - At my house it was an angel bear in a dress with wings - quite a big cuddly one! This year she has a job somewhere else (one of Mum's clubs) and there's no room for her anyway... the top of my tree is about 5 mm away from Mum's ceiling.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? - Christmas coffee time. :-).

Like Pete, I tag everyone who wants to do it.