Blogstalking Holiday questionnaire

NAME: Kelley and I go by Ceallach as well, which is the old Gaelic version of my given name. My name means warrior, or war and strife, depending on the source. Those of you who know me from knittychat, know that sometimes I use WarandStrife as my /nick. Now you know why!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Apple cider is my new favorite.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa only wraps his gifts, I have to wrap the rest.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Both, never can decide. White is nice, but I also like me some color.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? no
5. When do you put your decorations up? Sometime after Thanksgiving, and after I get over the whole, don't wanna do the holidays thing.....
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? In my family we usually have a number of dishes that are only for the holidays....Apricot Nut Bread, Cranberry Salad (kind of like Waldorf but with crans instead of apples) and the sweet potatoes, altho the sweet papas are a recent enjoyment for me.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Yeah, not so much. Dad grew up in a house where gifts were opened after dinner, which was an evening meal, not a lunch type meal. I HATED that! and he did not always get the HOLIDAY aspect, and so there was always work he wanted to do that day, unless he was watching the game. I hated the game.....noisy and Dad never spent time with me as a result.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? truth? When I was 9, and the EasterBunny had died. Santa was a natural extension of that. With my kids, we plan to emphasize that Santa really is the Spirit of Christmas.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, with my parents divorced, we now have to celebrate the holidays in a different way. Mom's family lived on a farm and they opened gifts on the Eve because of having chores to do on the Day. So now, we celebrate with Mom on the Eve, and Dad et al on the day.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With the same decorations each year, with some additions, and a theme if I can work it up. When the kids are small, we have done a beany baby tree, so that there is no issue with them pulling things off to play with, or even putting them back on. Plastic balls, no glass.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? In California, snow is a treat, and you have to seek it out.
12. Can you ice skate? kind of
13. Do you remember your favorite gift? hmm depends when and from who? My favorite gifts tend to be supplies for hobbies.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The Spirit. I don't care for the rampant commercialism of the holidays....or the extended holiday hours because DH works in retail and so I see my husband less in the holidays, while I work less myself. It's a very lonely time for that reason for me.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? See #6
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas music.....Christmas music is so optimistic and hopeful that it offsets all the holiday stress for me.
17. What tops your tree? Star.
18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Both. But I much prefer giving that is not obligatory.....
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? I can't pick just one, but my faves are Silent Night, Hark the Herald Angels, We Three Kings, I Saw three ships, Away in a manger, Adeste Fideles (in Latin), 12 days,
20. Candy Canes... Yuck or Yum? Yuck, much prefer Mint M&Ms or TOFFEE!

So there it is!