I Got Tagged

Michal tagged me several days ago with this post. Funny thing was, I had also received these questions via e-mail from my sister-in-law and thought it would be a fun post if I ever got around to it. So, here we go...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I really love wrapping paper. I think gift bags are a cop out at Christmas. I used to do the Martha Stewart bows on as many packages as I could. I do have to use some gift bags this year, but it was because of airport security, not because I'm copping out. Honest.
2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. All the way. With pre-strung lights. Best money we ever spent at Target. I think real trees smell nice and everything, but the vacuuming and clean up and getting the tree to the drop off is just not worth it to me.
3. When do you put up the tree? For the last couple years, the tree has been up before Thanksgiving because of our Annual Robison Dessert Party. Which I have yet to blog about, but I hope to remedy that soon. I promised Michal some pictures, I think.
4. When do you take the tree down? After I get home from whenever we spent the holiday, once I've unpacked and started doing laundry. This year, the tree will stay up until at least January 7. Last year, it was up until the end of January because we had "Christmas in January" with Chris, Heather, Amanda, Wendy and Tony at our house last year over MLK Day weekend.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but I think the pregnancy has left me a bit lactose intolerant and honestly, I don't dare partake this year. Too much information, I know. But as much as we love egg nog in our family, I really need an ironclad excuse not to drink it.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I think I would have to say my Cabbage Patch Kid or my Yamaha electric keyboard. I made up a killer song on Christmas morning with the preprogrammed beats. I still remember it. I'll take requests.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? I have quite a few. This is my favorite:

It is by an artist named David Frykman. I've collected his Santas for years. I have also loved watching G-Man play with our Fisher Price Little People Nativity set.
8. Hardest person to buy for? Diggity. I can usually come up with something cool, but the hard part is figuring out what other people should buy for him. We have a rule that he can't buy anything on his Amazon.com list from Thanksgiving until Christmas.
9. Easiest person to buy for? G-Man. I found him an awesome music toy.
He may also get a wrapped, empty box and I will probably wrap up some measuring cups from Grandma Kimmie's closet.
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A gym membership. The gift was nice, but the intent wasn't so nice. :)
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? We're e-mailing cards this year. I'll post it here later as well if I can figure out how to do it.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. We actually tape recorded the broadcast of it one year so we could listen to it whenever we wanted. Literally, put the tape recorder in front of the TV.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I don't have a system or a time I usually start. If I see something that will be good for a particular person, I buy it whenever I see it during the year. I'm never done shopping until a couple days before Christmas and that will be the same this year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope. Wedding presents, shower presents, maybe. I'll never tell.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Sugar cookies. And I used to like egg nog. :)
16. White lights or colored on the tree? White lights. It looks cleaner to me somehow. And since my tree is a hodgepodge of collected ornaments from everywhere we have visited over the years (I buy an ornament as a souvenir when we go on trips.), the lights provide a a unifying element.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Please. Like I could ever pick one. My favorite recording this year is "Angels We Have Heard On High" by Josh Groban and Brian McKnight. Perennial favorites are "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by The Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan, "He is Christmas" by Take 6, and "Masters in this Hall" by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Then there are the songs I like to sing or hear choirs sing. I can't even get started with that list.
18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Right now, we travel. Usually to Utah or Texas. There are several places we could travel and see family, but Diggity's kids are in Texas at the holidays and we have the highest concentration of family members in Utah. I'm sure at some point, we'll start staying at home, but for now, we're still traveling. Amanda is joining us in Utah after Christmas and Diggity and I are very, very excited about that.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, and Olive. (Probably my favorite Christmas book.)
20. Angel on the treetop or a star? Neither.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Pajamas on Christmas Eve, and everything else on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Christmas is not annoying. Traveling at this time of year is sometimes tough. There's never enough time to get stuff done, but I find that is true regardless of the time of year.
23. What I love most about Christmas? Spending time with family and friends. Getting Christmas cards and seeing how everyone is doing. Christmas music. Putting up decorations. Lights. Watching G-Man's face when he sees Christmas lights. Thinking of the perfect gift for Diggity.