(no subject)
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate??
the thought of drinking eggs is revolting, and hot chocolate makes my stomach upset.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
hm i remember as a kid that my parents would put wrapped presents under the tree way before Christmas, but then on Christmas morn there were all these new unwrapped things piled high, and that was pretty exciting because i was like :O. some kids struggle for food, i live in warmth and get lots of crap for christmas. dear God please destroy this world soon.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
i like colors. i especially like those old kind that were really big and they blinked randomly once they got warm, because the sound of the tinktinktink they make in the middle of the frosty coldness is spectacularly beautiful.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
no we've never done that. i don't get where i'm supposed to hang it...it's not like i want to hang it around the house and kiss my parents or anything. wouldn't carrying it around with me make more sense?
5. When do you put your decorations up?
oh for heaven's sake i always secretly looked down on people who put their decorations up early but now i understand. i understand that a week before Christmas i'm left with an undecorated house and no desire to put anything up to brighten my spirits.
6.What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
why did you exclude dessert? um anyway i'm not really into holiday food. oh wait i really like my mom's sugar cookies and that's a dessert so there.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
i remember one Easter i woke up before my dad left for work and my parents gave me my Easter basket. my dad had gotten me this wind-up toy car that i really wanted from a bread shop in town. whenever i think of it it makes me happy and reminds me how much i love my dad. i still remember having to say goodbye to him when he had to leave for work.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
from kids at school i guess. i don't remember when i finally stopped believing but i remember kind-of hearing that it wasn't real and i would prayandpray to Santa for him to show that he was real and he never did. that praying-to-Santa incident has had a big impact on the way i see religion.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
i think i did that a few times. i don't remember much of the stuff i got for Christmas. i don't know how anyone could look back on their childhood at all the crap toys they have completely forgotten and still grow up to buy their kids all that same crap. well, yes i do know the excuses people give, and how they're guilted into it and it's all masquerading in selflessness, but i don't accept that as a reasonable way to live.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
uggghhhh i want a tree :( i was going to get a living tree because i'm against both the consumerism of buying a tree and the environmental impact of cutting down trees, but now it's too late and i'm treeless. all i really want to do is to go in the attic at home and look at all the oldold ornaments from my grandparents' time. i love how they feel and look and there's just something more honest about a goofy-shaped santa or reindeer that feel so gross and are covered in glitter. or at least they're more honest than the limited-edition electric moving Hallmark ornaments that my mom used to get every year and put on our tree.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
yeah it's cool. i remember a few Christmases when it didn't snow and it was like blah.
12. Can you ice skate?
no thanks. even the thought of ice skating makes my ankles hurt.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
i don't like getting gifts. no i'm not kidding.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
geez this is the hardest question. i guess i like the fact that even though Christmas can be really busy and hectic, there is usually a time when things are really calm and everyone can step back and relax. in the blue snow-covered early morning, when my parents and i are opening presents, there's a time to just stop for a moment and really look at the people you love and see them as living, breathing humans who feel and hurt and have expectations and fears just like you. and they love you. it kinda makes me believe in God.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
oh i guess that's why you said "excluding desserts" earlier.... ok let's see, i also like something called Stollen Bread that my parents always get from an Amish bakery. sometimes it's good but usually it has the same mystical good-because-it's-bad aura that fruitcake does.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
i like the time after the presents are open and it's lunchtime because everyone is happy and in a good mood and not knowing quite what to do with their new stuff. i like eating the cookies and candy that i invariably have found stuffed in a stocking and just looking at my parents and being thankful for them. there's no tradition or pressure or expectation, it's just a family making sandwiches together and resting in the comfort of each other.
17. What tops your tree?
hm i would probably put a red bow up there or maybe a blinking star
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
i don't like doing either. i don't like the attention it puts on me as either the "giver" or the "receiver" -- both roles make me embarrassed. if you love the present, it makes me too aware that i'm that emotionally close to someone. if you don't like it, it makes me feel terrible thinking that you might be faking happy.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
this year i really like "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day" because it has this verse in it:
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
because that's pretty much how i feel lately.
20. Candy Canes! yuck or yummy?
*shrug*! i don't like them when they're WAY minty though. nevertheless they are a neat treat
21. Fave Christmas Movie?
A Christmas Story. i think it's really well made and fun to watch, but just the fact that it's played back to back for hours and hours during Christmastime is cool enough.
the thought of drinking eggs is revolting, and hot chocolate makes my stomach upset.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
hm i remember as a kid that my parents would put wrapped presents under the tree way before Christmas, but then on Christmas morn there were all these new unwrapped things piled high, and that was pretty exciting because i was like :O. some kids struggle for food, i live in warmth and get lots of crap for christmas. dear God please destroy this world soon.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
i like colors. i especially like those old kind that were really big and they blinked randomly once they got warm, because the sound of the tinktinktink they make in the middle of the frosty coldness is spectacularly beautiful.
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
no we've never done that. i don't get where i'm supposed to hang it...it's not like i want to hang it around the house and kiss my parents or anything. wouldn't carrying it around with me make more sense?
5. When do you put your decorations up?
oh for heaven's sake i always secretly looked down on people who put their decorations up early but now i understand. i understand that a week before Christmas i'm left with an undecorated house and no desire to put anything up to brighten my spirits.
6.What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
why did you exclude dessert? um anyway i'm not really into holiday food. oh wait i really like my mom's sugar cookies and that's a dessert so there.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
i remember one Easter i woke up before my dad left for work and my parents gave me my Easter basket. my dad had gotten me this wind-up toy car that i really wanted from a bread shop in town. whenever i think of it it makes me happy and reminds me how much i love my dad. i still remember having to say goodbye to him when he had to leave for work.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
from kids at school i guess. i don't remember when i finally stopped believing but i remember kind-of hearing that it wasn't real and i would prayandpray to Santa for him to show that he was real and he never did. that praying-to-Santa incident has had a big impact on the way i see religion.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
i think i did that a few times. i don't remember much of the stuff i got for Christmas. i don't know how anyone could look back on their childhood at all the crap toys they have completely forgotten and still grow up to buy their kids all that same crap. well, yes i do know the excuses people give, and how they're guilted into it and it's all masquerading in selflessness, but i don't accept that as a reasonable way to live.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
uggghhhh i want a tree :( i was going to get a living tree because i'm against both the consumerism of buying a tree and the environmental impact of cutting down trees, but now it's too late and i'm treeless. all i really want to do is to go in the attic at home and look at all the oldold ornaments from my grandparents' time. i love how they feel and look and there's just something more honest about a goofy-shaped santa or reindeer that feel so gross and are covered in glitter. or at least they're more honest than the limited-edition electric moving Hallmark ornaments that my mom used to get every year and put on our tree.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
yeah it's cool. i remember a few Christmases when it didn't snow and it was like blah.
12. Can you ice skate?
no thanks. even the thought of ice skating makes my ankles hurt.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
i don't like getting gifts. no i'm not kidding.
14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
geez this is the hardest question. i guess i like the fact that even though Christmas can be really busy and hectic, there is usually a time when things are really calm and everyone can step back and relax. in the blue snow-covered early morning, when my parents and i are opening presents, there's a time to just stop for a moment and really look at the people you love and see them as living, breathing humans who feel and hurt and have expectations and fears just like you. and they love you. it kinda makes me believe in God.
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
oh i guess that's why you said "excluding desserts" earlier.... ok let's see, i also like something called Stollen Bread that my parents always get from an Amish bakery. sometimes it's good but usually it has the same mystical good-because-it's-bad aura that fruitcake does.
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
i like the time after the presents are open and it's lunchtime because everyone is happy and in a good mood and not knowing quite what to do with their new stuff. i like eating the cookies and candy that i invariably have found stuffed in a stocking and just looking at my parents and being thankful for them. there's no tradition or pressure or expectation, it's just a family making sandwiches together and resting in the comfort of each other.
17. What tops your tree?
hm i would probably put a red bow up there or maybe a blinking star
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
i don't like doing either. i don't like the attention it puts on me as either the "giver" or the "receiver" -- both roles make me embarrassed. if you love the present, it makes me too aware that i'm that emotionally close to someone. if you don't like it, it makes me feel terrible thinking that you might be faking happy.
19. What is your favorite Christmas song?
this year i really like "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day" because it has this verse in it:
And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
because that's pretty much how i feel lately.
20. Candy Canes! yuck or yummy?
*shrug*! i don't like them when they're WAY minty though. nevertheless they are a neat treat
21. Fave Christmas Movie?
A Christmas Story. i think it's really well made and fun to watch, but just the fact that it's played back to back for hours and hours during Christmastime is cool enough.