Very Merry Survey in 2020

Before Christmas

Does your family send out Christmas cards?
Yep. My mom sent out a bajillion, with a newsy letter, but I just do a photo card and I send 30-50 (depending if I decide to do things like give cards to all my coworkers, which I am not doing this year).

How soon do you start shopping?
Generally if I know my kids want something big I start shopping in the summer. This may be the last year that works, they are getting more particular in their interests and last-minute shopping will serve us better in the future.

Who do you shop for?
Mostly family, plus a few friends.

Decorations

Do you put up a Christmas tree?
Always! Even when I lived alone, I had a full-size (fake) tree.

If so, is it fake or real?
Usually fake, but Rob likes real trees so when we aren’t going to be traveling for the holiday we get one of those. This year’s tree is lovely!

Do you like tinsel?
I’ve never used the stuff.

Do you use homemade or store bought ornaments?
Mostly store bought, though I do have a few homemade - some from when the kids were wee, but also two that my mother made when she was in kindergarten.

Do you put Christmas lights outside your house?
Yes. I am obnoxious. Only my fear of heights prevents me from going truly overboard.

Do you put lights on the tree?
Of course! I prefer colored lights, they remind me of my trees growing up.

How about popcorn and cranberries?
Nope. Pretty sure the dogs would tear the tree down if I used food to decorate it.

Is there a wreath hanging on your door?
No, but we do have wreaths on the windows this year. I made the bows and am absurdly proud of them.

Christmas Eve

Do you celebrate it?
We don’t really do anything particular. My sister is big on Xmas Eve, so if we’re celebrating with her there is more of a fancy dinner, but when it’s just us we don’t do much. We do open one gift on Xmas Eve, and it’s always Christmas pajamas.

Do you hang up your stocking?
Of course! After Sophie was born, I ordered us a nice set of embroidered stockings - they say “Dad”, “Mom”, “David” and “Sophie”. I love the dogs, but not enough to get them stockings ;)

Does your family read “Twas the night before Christmas?”
Nope.

Favorite

Christmas Movie?
Muppet Christmas Carol is my absolute favorite, but I like a lot of Christmas-ish movies: While You Were Sleeping, Love Actually, Die Hard, etc.

Character from any Christmas Movie?
Can’t say I have a particular favorite.

Christmas Song?
Carol of the Bells.

Christmas Memory?
I have lots of pleasant Xmas memories. Nothing stands out right now, but I’m tired and have had wine so I reserve the right to edit this later!

This or That

Give or Receive?
Giving. I love it when I get just the right thing for just the right person!

Eggnog or Cider?
I make coquito, which is puerto rican coconut eggnog, and it’s fucking amazing.

Red or Green?
Green, though I do love both.

Ham or Turkey?
Either. This year it’s ham. Some years it’s turducken. Depends what I feel like cooking!

Star or Angel?
This year, it’s a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who.

White Lights or Colored Lights?
Colored, please!

Blinking Lights or Still Lights?
Still. Not trying to give anyone a seizure.

Were you Naughty or Nice this year?
Depends who you ask!

Presents

What do you want for Christmas this year?
I want a very particular purse that is, of course, out of stock, but I’m hopeful that Rob can secretly procure one for me anyway.

When do you open your gifts?
Xmas morning, after breakfast. The order is this: stockings, then breakfast (a very particular casserole that my mom always made for our family when I was growing up), then presents.

What’s the best gift you’ve ever gotten?
I don’t know? Rob always does a great job with gifts, but they’re rarely surprises. I guess Duchess (my Great Dane) counts as a Xmas gift, since I first learned about her at my book club’s Xmas party eight years ago, and she’s pretty spectacular :)

What’s the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?
Evil Ex (the bastard I dated just before Rob) broke up with me just after Xmas. He tried to present it as a gift to me since we had been fighting for a while.

Who gives you the most gifts?
Definitely Rob.

Have you ever had a secret Santa?
Yes, my friend group has been doing this the last few years so we don’t all go broke trying to buy for each other and I love it - but this year I’m stressed because the gift I ordered to give to my secret Santa is running really late and might not be delivered in time…

Do you like wrapping gifts?
Not really, but I’m pretty good at it and the damn things aren’t going to wrap themselves.

Random

Do you put change in those red buckets?
Nope. If you need to give to a charity at the holidays, I recommend Modest Needs or Heifer International.

Do you burn a yule log?
No, but we often watch one on tv!

Can you name all the reindeer?
Maybe, but I don’t really care enough to try. They were all dicks to Rudolph anyway.

Do you bake cookies?
Ask my coworkers, who are all out shopping for new pants because of the weight they’ve gained due to my prolific baking.

Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Claus?
No. Growing up, my grandfather (mom’s stepfather) dressed up as Santa, so that would have been fucking weird.

Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe?
Yes, just last week in fact :)

Do you go caroling?
I have sung in many a Xmas concert, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone properly caroling.

Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights?
Absolutely! I love me some Xmas lights. We went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden last week (which is where I encountered the aforementioned mistletoe), their lights are particularly spectacular. But I like just driving around looking at miscellaneous houses too.

Have you ever left Santa cookies?
Yep.

Have you ever sat on Santa’s lap?
It’s been a minute, but yes :)

Who do you celebrate Christmas with?
It varies. Always Rob and the kids (since they’ve been around), sometimes my family and sometimes his.

Where do you celebrate Christmas?
It depends. Rob hates to travel at the holidays, but he also gets that I want to be with my family sometimes - so we’ve spent many holidays in Florida at my sister’s house, or with my parents (when Dad was alive), but this year we’re staying home.

Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Rarely. I live in the south, and I grew up in Miami, so that’s definitely not the norm. But there were a few Christmases in Virginia when I was very young (we moved to Florida when I was ten) where I think it snowed.

What part of Christmas do you look most forward to?
The food, and the atmosphere.

Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa?
Yep.

Does your family always take a picture at Christmas?
We try to do a family picture once a year at least, but typically it’s in advance of Xmas so I can use it on the card.

Have you ever heard the song “Thank God For Kids” by The Oak Ridge Boys?
No, and it sounds awful.