Christmas Tag

Okay, I've never done one of these "tag" things before because I usually have more intelligent/irrelevant things to talk about. But, it is Christmas and I'm the worst at keeping my blog up to date, so I'll try it.

Small disclaimer, here's the thing about Christmas for me, I have my traditions from my family and Matt has his traditions from his family, so we haven't really started our own family traditions. This year we are going to Washington to spend Christmas with his parents, so I will get to learn all of his family's Christmas traditions. But, we won't develop our own meshed traditions until we have a Christmas on our own. Who knows when that will be. So, my answers will be referring to my family traditions... minus Matt.

Wrapping paper or gift bag? I like to wrap the presents I give aways because then I can make them all pretty and festive with ribbons and sparkly bows. I thought I was a fairly decorative wrapper, but then I got a gift from Erin this year and she totally showed me up. I've decided that next year I need to buy much cuter wrapping supplies. I want everyone to marvel at my wrapping skills to the point that they don't want to open the gift because it is just too pretty. I'm not sure why I feel the need to be the best at everything.

Real tree or artificial? Artificial all the way! Real trees, though they smell good, are way too much of a hassle. You have to clean the needles off of your carpet and water it all the time and hope that it doesn't die before Christmas and they are really expensive and lame. Pass. This year, we actually have no tree because we are going to be away for Christmas and we didn't want to go and buy a tree.

When do you put up your tree? In my family, we put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving. Mostly because we have the day off work and therefore have time to do it. My parent's have a 12 foot tree, so it is quite the ordeal to put it up.

When do you take down your tree? Well, I usually help put up the tree and then opt out of helping to take it down. It is the perk of not actually having a tree at my own place. Gotcha there Mom.

Do you like egg nog? Egg nog is yummy if it is the low fat kind. The other kinds are much to thick and sweet for drinking.

Favorite gift received as a child? Bill got all of us girls pearl necklaces one year.

Do you have a nativity scene? I have exactly one Christmas decoration to my name and that is the Christmas ornaments that my Grandma Chipman gave to me. Unfortunately, I don't have a tree to put them on. So, they live in my extra closet.

Hardest person to buy for? Bill, because he buys everything he wants and claims to not want anything. So, we usually try to buy him things he needs or things that Mom won't let him buy himself.

Easiest person to buy for? Sarah because you can get her anything and she will love it! All I have to do is think about the things that I want and buy them for Sarah and I've gotten her the things that she wants. I wish that I picked Sarah's name every year.

Worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received? One year, when I lived in Hawaii, my boyfriend told me that he was waiting for my gift to come in the mail so he didn't have it for me before I went home from Christmas. I was a kind and patient girlfriend and said it was okay, expecting to get this unknown gift upon my return to Hawaii. Then, when I came back to Hawaii, he was odd and weird with me and kept avoiding me and a week later he broke up with me. I never got my supposed Christmas gift. I'm thinking that he never got me anything and never planned to. It was the worst because I put a lot of thought and effort into getting his gift for him. What a waste.

U.S. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? I like receiving real mail, but I like giving email.

Favorite Christmas movie? How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the original cartoon version. Classic!

When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Thanksgiving.

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Sure! If I get a stupid gift from a person a barely care about, then I save it for the next year and give away that stupid gift to another person that I barely care about. Eventually, I just stop giving gifts to people that I don't see often.

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Dar dar dar... it's a real food!

White or colored lights? Those white/blue ones, not the ugly white/yellow ones.

Favorite Christmas songs? Oh Rest Ye Merry Gentlement by the Bare Naked Ladies.

Travel for Christmas or stay home? Travel! This year at least.

Angel or star on top of tree? Star? I don't know, I don't own ornaments yet.

Open presents Christmas Eve or morning? In my family, we open one present on Christmas Eve and then open the rest on Christmas morning. I usually liked to open my stocking on Christmas Eve.

Most annoying thing about this time of year? The traffic.

What I love most about Christmas? Spending time with my family.

So, now I'm suppose to tag this to people or something, but no one I know would actually do this but me because I'm kinda lame. So, I'm going to have to say Jasmine because she is the only one I know who consistently updates her blog. Other than that, I say feel free to answer any of the above questions that you feel like answering in the comments section.

Merry Christmas!

Is it Christmas Yet?

I am excited for Christmas. This is mostly because I am taking a vacation for Christmas. Matt and I are going to Washington to see his parents for Christmas. I really like the idea of not working for 6 days and not cooking or doing house work for 6 days. That is just going to be a good time.

The best part of Christmas is the food and the not working. Sadly, I only get Christmas Day off as a holiday and I have to use my PTO for the other days that I have off. Suprisingly, I actually have days off. I haven't been sick in one whole month *knocks on wood.*

Matt is currently sick which is tragic for him and for me because I don't like seeing him sick. I wish that we both could be in good health all of the time. That would be nice.

This will be my first Christmas away from home and although I am excited to spend the time with the Kimball's, I will really miss my family. I like my family traditions and I like things to not change, but I am attempting to embrace differences. Eventually, Matt and I will have to create our own Christmas traditions that we will teach to our own offspring someday, but I am content to use our parent's traditions for a little while.

I didn't even decorate for Christmas at all this year. I figured that since we would be gone for Christmas, and since our only Christmas decorations are a set of ornaments that my Grandma Chipman gave me, that we would just not decorate this year. We have big plans to go and buy decorations at the after Christmas decoration sales. That way, we can get decorations for cheap.

I want to become one of those women who has decorations for every holiday and my house looks very festive every month (Natalie's Mom), but I'm just not sure if I have the patience for it. I want my house to look cool without any work from me. That would be great.

I've already finished all of my Christmas shopping. Yay! I went last weekend with Erin and I got it all done in a four hour shopping trip. It was quite fun. I like shopping for other people because it is like guilt free shopping. Matt still has a little shopping to do, but that is for gifts for me, so I'm not allowed to go with him. I know how much he hates shopping, so I am not surprised that he has put this off as long as possible.

Christmas is the best.

Whoopsi Doodle

I love/hate the snow.

I love the snow because it is all cold and frozen and pretty and fun to play in. But, I hate the snow because it makes driving a pain and it is all cold and frozen and wet. Plus, snow creates ice. Ice, is mean/evil, unless it is cooling my drink.

And, don't even get me started on how ice means ice picks. There will be no ice picks. (Trotski anyone?)

So, today, as I was walking into work, my foot happened to fall on a patch of ice and it slipped. At first, I thought I was going to fall, but I happened to get my other foot under me and temporarily steady myself. Unfortunately, that other foot also stepped down on the same patch of ice and quickly slipped as well. I still had hope of keeping my feet as a did a Goofy on ice foot slide maneuver, but, in the end, the ice got the better of me and I fell on my butt. Now, normally, this would not be so bad because I didn't fall too hard and I caught myself on my hand. (Gravel Hand!) But, the smokers who smoke in the Gazeebo at work caught the whole thing. They were all concerned and "Oh, are you okay," which I guess is better than laughing, but it was still embarrassing. It is one thing to slip on the ice while you are alone and have no one see it and it is another to have people see your not so graceful fall. If my fall had been graceful, I think I would have been more okay with it, but it was all slidy and awkward with limbs flailing everywhere. Needless to say, I hate snow.