Christmas Meme

Okay, so I saw this on my friend Fireflymom's blog and it seemed rightly festive so I thought I'd half inch it to fill in some blogspace....fireflymom by the way has a giveaway at present to win a $20 Amazon voucher (do I get another 3 points for the secondary mention? ;-)....but I digress....onward to the ding dong Merrily's.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags: wrapping paper....I'm not terribly proficient and at least once per wrapping session have to amend a package which had insufficient paper coverage due to my rubbish estimating skills.

2. Real tree or artificial....Artificial in our household, we've tried real in the past but the messiness so put pay to that nonsense.

3. When do you put up the tree....Um generally when we feel like it, usually a couple of weeks before Christmas....and we also have two trees, one for me to decorate and one which is all mother....what does father do? Um, drink whiskey and eat mince pies.

4. When do you take the tree down....Ah, now there's some kind of rule about this isn't there, so many days after Christmas and it's bad luck to still have the decs up ect....generally though I think ours come down in the first week of January.

5. Do you like eggnog....Actually I don't think I've ever tried the stuff, I've heard it's kinda like Bailey's which I hate so it's doubtful I'd ever try eggnog.

6. Favourite gift received.....My very own Dean Winchester and Captain Jack....oh wait that's my dream gift.....um I once had a wind up toy train which had a simple figure eight track on a piece of cardboard and was quite simply the Best. Toy. Ever.

7. Hardest person to buy for....Fortunately I don't have many people to buy for at Christmas, but father can be a complete mare....the man doesn't want for much....perhaps the odd bottle of whiskey and a peaceful Christmas.

8. Easiest person to buy for....Mum I guess, as long as people keep writing murder mystery novels there'll always be a pressie under the tree for mother.

9. Do you have a nativity scene...actually we do, for as long as I can remember a simple selection of hand drawn cut-outs have put in a appearance.

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards....Mail, though many may end up being New Year cards

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received....There haven't been many but no doubt it would have been from one of my Aunts who ever year, although provided with a list of things I actually wanted, chose to provide me with such delights as a toy of the girlie persuasion or a bible....My sister one year received a nightie protector.....which made some granny happy when it was sent to Oxfam shortly after the holidays.

12. Favourite Christmas movie....Oooo a toughie....when I was a kid, without a doubt it was Santa Claus the Movie....things like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing were always a staple of Christmas viewing also...these days I love Scrooged and Home Alone, and have rediscovered the Box of Delights....which is all kinds of festive nostalgic fuzzies.

13. When do you start shopping.....used to be September/ November time, as I liked to be ultra organised...this year it was about a week or two ago.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present....never had to.....yet

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas....After Eights...no, mince pies.....or, stollen...definitely Stollen....although mum's chocolate Christmas pud isn't half bad....oh dear....um lets just go with everything food-like shall we.

16. lights on the tree.....Of course....it's electricity was free I'd have colourful sparkleys all over the house.

17. Favourite Christmas song....well my favourite carol is Carol of the Bells, song must have to be Fairytale of New York by the Pogues, the meaning of Christmas summed up by the lines #you scumbag, you maggot, you cheap lousy faggot, happy Christmas your arse, I pray to God it's our last#.....good times

18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home....totally a home festive tradition person....I did spend Christmas in Australia when I was travelling and had a fantastic time with a wonderful family but there's something a mite unsettlin' about sitting on a beach in 30 degree heat watching Father Christmas fly by in a helicopter on Christmas Eve.....nope Christmas just 'aint Christmas without low lying cloud, drizzle and sunset by 3.30pm.

19. Angel or Star on top of the tree.... Generally an Angel

20. Open Christmas Presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning....Open on Christmas Eve.....sacraliedge....always Christmas day and usually after lunch....when I was a kid we were allowed to open our stockings in the morning, one present after breakfast and everything else after lunch....do you know what they does to an overly excited child at Christmas, it was like some cruel and unusualform of torture.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of year.....from someone familiar with working in retail it has to be the annoying people who leave everything to the last minute and still expect to get what they want....and the fact that people in shops work really hard all December right up to late Christmas Eve and then are expected back first thing Boxing day (and Christmas day itself in some stores) because all everyone else seems to want to do it shop....grrrr, arg.

22. Favourite ornament....The reason for the two trees as earlier mentioned is because the one which stands in the conservatory has a selection of childhood ornaments, including one which is from mum's childhood (about a century ago), and one from most of the places my sister and I visited on our travels....My personal favourite is our Christopher Radko, bought in America and costing a small fortune, but looks oh so festive and prudee.

23. Favourite for Christmas dinner....I've never been one for Turkey, so a nice Roast Chicken, with all the trimmings, will do me, followed by mum's Christmas pudding natch

24. What do you want for Christmas this year.....World Peace.....and a trolley load of dvd's if Father Christmas can manage it......And my very own Captain Jack or Dean Winchester wouldn't go amiss either.

So there you go...feelin' rightly festive yet?