*blush*

so, about a week ago..... yeah, a WEEK, my dear friend Fransie tagged me with a Christmas tag, and I have not had a moment to be here for any great length of time .... so, before I answer the questions, I need to say SORRY SO VERY VERY MUCH my friend ..... I have loads to blog, and tons to tell ... it has been a fabulous Christmas indeed! :O)

so here is the tag, and the answers ..... (by the way, LOVE being tagged! :O)

1. Egg Nog or hot chocolate? egg nog .... and not always spiked. i do enjoy it, but very limited as it tends to bother my belly ~ but so hard to resist!

2. Does Santa wrap his gifts or does he just put them under the tree? some of his gifts are wrapped, but the really fun, highly sought after tend to be unwrapped, with big bows on them.

3. Colored or white lights? growing up, my mom alwayas had the gihugent Italian colored bulbs on my tree, and I never liked them, now they are so nostalgic, I miss them. she still has colored, but they are tiny. we, however, only have white ~ inside on the tree, and outside decorating the house.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? no, sadly. we always had one at my house growing up, and i don't have one here .... hmmmm, must get one. :O)

5.When do you put up your tree? we try and get it two weekends before the holiday. any earlier, and the live tree struggles with the indoors, as well as the two dogs tails. :-\

6. What is your favorite Christmas food? probably the shrimp, or the lasagna. truly, i don't have a favorite ~ it's all good.

7. What is your favorite Christmas memory from when you were a child? oh, gosh, there are so many! I think though, heading home from my grandparents, and the HUGE family dinner we all had, and talking about Santa coming that night, then running in to the house, rushing to get jammies on and head to bed, close my eyes fast and fall asleep as my parents would read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Probably my most favorite memory though, is this: I remember once I had fallen asleep, and woke for what seemed only a few minutes later, heard some noise, and went to the top of the stairs - when i looked down the stairs, i swore that a man in a red suit was there, and he was humming a tune ... our three dogs were with him, wagging their tails, and he never saw me, so i snuck back to bed and never told a soul about the "sighting". But man, did i believe for ages after that ...... still do!! :O)

8. Do you open presents on Christmas eve? we have before the kids, now we exchange the gifts with those folks that we won't see the next day, and our kids know that sometimes people other than Santa give gifts to us

9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? with pretty white lights, and all kinds of ornaments that are specail to each of us from the years we have all been collecting them. typically, S and I will get the lights on, then the kids go to town with the ornaments. the star goes on the tree Christmas morning

10. Snow! Love it or hate it?LOVE IT!

11. Can you ice skate? amazingly, sort of. can you imagine with a hockey phenom son, and i don't skate .... but, yes, i know how, but my skills are rusty .....

12. Do you remember your best gift? homemade, thoughtful, from the heart gifts have always been my favorite. there are so many ..... this year, i got one too! :O)

13. What does Christmas mean to you? What is the most important thing about it, for you? Christmas is a family holiday, rich with love, and peace. it allows a moment to take a breath and enjoy all the goodness in your life. it allows us to find what the fabric of our family is, and cherish the time we've had the previous year, and look forward to the next year, while enjoying the present and the gift we have in each other.

14. What is in the top of your Christmas tree? this year, a beautiful star. last year, a cherished angel.

15. What is your favorite Christmas tradition? Christmas Eve dinner and revelry at my parents house .... about 20 of us gather, and have a really great time all together. this year, it was bittersweet ~ we were in my parents new incredibly beautiful loft, but not the home we've been for the last 30 + years ..... it was a nice way to begin a new tradition!

17. What is your favorite dessert after Christmas dinner? I would have to say pecan pie when it's there .... this year, i had a cocktail for dessert. ;o)

18. What is your favorite Christmas song? I have too many to only choose one ..... I'd have to say The Nutcracker Suite soundtrack is very high on the list, though .....

19. Kerstkransjes. Do you like 'em? don't think i've had them ... but i know i'd like them!


20. What is your favorite Christmas movie? It's a Wonderful Life and the all time favorite A Christmas Story.

thanks again F! :O)

That was fun .... I'll be back with an update soon ..... Merry Merry!