Christmas meme

(via Lesa's Book Critiques)

What is your most enduring Christmas memory?

One year, after all the Santa excitement and gift opening, my Dad casually mentions that he'd like me to drive him to the store to get a newspaper. Now, being the 14 or 15 year old glazed-over-with-Christmas-goodies kid I was, it never occurred to me that 1)it was MAYBE 6:30am (I never let them sleep, even when I was too old for it to make sense otherwise) and 2)the store wasn't open. I said sure, bounded off to change out of my pj's and went outside to get the car started. There in the driveway, with a big red bow on it, was a bobcat.

Not one of these:

One of these:

Unbeknownst to me, my parents were videotaping me out of the window. I don't remember if I said anything embarrassing, but you know all those kids pushing cars and trains around their living room floors? I was out in the yard with the real thing pushing dirt and gravel around. There may have also been some minor tree carnage on a very small scale. It was great! I loved that little machine!

Do you have a favorite piece of Christmas music?

I must admit I like most of the old stuff better. The highlights: Nat King Cole/The Christmas Song, Andy Williams/The Holiday Season, Sandra Lee/Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Gayla Peevey/I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas, Boston Pops/Sleigh Ride, more of the same with Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, the Carpenters.....I could go on and on!

Do you stick to the old family traditions?

What family traditions? :) My aunt was an emergency room nurse before she retired a few months ago so holidays were always scheduled around her off days and very rarely celebrated on the actual calendar day. We never had any traditions to follow. My father's side of the family was usually a little more on track with "traditional" activities but we didn't always figure into those. Now, I'm usually petsitting on holidays which gives me the perfect excuse to avoid some functions I'd rather not go to and attend the ones I like. I usually go over to KT's for either Thanksgiving or Christmas, T and her mom invite me over for both AND New Year's, I hang out with my Mom hither and thither and fit the paternal side in if/when I can. That's a big paragraph just to say "no" to the question, sorry.

What makes your mouth water at Christmas time?

Mrs Roomie's mom makes a scrumptious red velvet cake. I usually buy a smoked turkey and heat it up in the oven...another of my favs. If I can get another helping of stuffing at Christmas, the world is great place. I make excellent spiced pecan halves, which are coated with a yummy, crunchy mixture of evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract.

How soon do you put the Christmas tree up and when do you take it down?

The tree goes up while I'm off for Thanksgiving and I take it down on or a little after New Year's. This year I'll be petsitting til' the 3rd so who knows? I love to look at it. I'd leave it up and decorate it for every holiday throughout the year if I wouldn't be labeled crazy. Besides, I've never seen MLK or Christopher Columbus decorations :)

Tag! You're it!

htw