If you celebrate Christmas, I have questions! I’ll ask the question in bold, then write my answer next to it. You can answer as you like!
Do you put up a tree? Yes. We did real trees for decades and now have a fake tree. We need a new one, but every time I price them, I like my old one just fine.
Do you send out holiday cards? Usually. I’m less motivated each year, mainly because both my RA and neck issues make it a painful process.
Do you watch Christmas movies? Love them, hate them or don’t care? I watch some. Love a few, including Chevy Chase’s Christmas Vacation and Christmas With The Kranks. A lot of the Hallmark Christmas Movies bore me. Sorry to all of you who love them!
Listen to Christmas Music? Yes but sparingly. The one that made me laugh the hardest is “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” because the first time I heard it, the kids were young and we were all packed in our van on our way to my mom’s house on Christmas Eve. I thought it was hilarious but I have a weird sense of humor. Overall, I don’t know what my favorite song is, I like many of them. By the way, I found out I can’t sing in grade school when I sang “Silver Bells” in a tryout for the choir! They put me in somewhere in the back, then build a sound proof room around me to protect the audience, LOL. I’m only exaggerating a little, I truly can’t sing. I have just enough of an ear to hear how bad I am but can’t figure out how to fix it. It’s pretty funny!
Do you bake cookies or treats? Um…have you met me? LOLOL! Yes. Cookies and cakes. I’ll make a pie if someone requests it, but generally find pies boring. My kids grew up with me baking, and we always had Christmas cookies. We would let them decorate sugar cookies and they had a blast. They loved it.
Do you have a special Christmas Meal? Not really. When I married Wizard, I learned that tamales for Christmas was a real thing. I had no idea, and now we often do that. This year, my daughter-in-law is making a stuffed flank steak with prosciutto and blue cheese (I think — she told me but I can’t find the message) that I’m excited to try! We vary it every year. But we love it when my gourmet daughter-in-law is cooking! As far as food traditions with me personally, the two things I get asked the most to make is deviled eggs or sour cream/cream cheese potatoes — which some of my nieces and nephews call “Aunt Jennifer’s Potatoes.”
Okay that’s enough questions. Feel free to ask your own if you like! Happy Wednesday!
November 29th, 2023 at 10:57 am · Link
1. Tree: Sometimes. LOL I grew up with real trees then at one point, Mother decided she hated the pine needles so bought a fake. It was amazing how all our winter sinus problems went away! Once on my own, I got a fake one. When family came here for one Christmas meal (more on that question below) or another, we put up a tree and decorated–along with the yard! Things–and family health–changed. Now we go up to the kids’ house for cinnamon rolls (which I make) and presents. We later go by Uncle Fix-It and Aunt Hooey’s for pie and presents. (She’s in a wheel chair so navigating other homes is an issue.) This year, things are up in the air for…reasons. I used to leave the tree up year-round.
For other reasons, we took it down before last Christmas and didn’t put it back up. Not sure we’ll put it up this year either. We’ll see. (And no, it’s not because we’re being Grinchy. LOL)
2. Cards: Again, I used to, along with the dreaded yearly newsletter. Oh, the humanity!
Then life got busy and I tried to send out a card when we received a card and then I didn’t. I feel a little guilty but hey, I’m too old to worry much about it.
3. Christmas movies: Yes. If I catch them. For years, LG and always watched “White Christmas” after Only went to bed and we were doing the Santa thing. Some of the Hallmark movies are entertaining but I don’t automattly switch to either of the Hallmark channels to watch. The aforementioned “White Christmas” is probably my fave. I always laugh at “The Santa Claus.” Would you believe that this is the 20th anniversary “Elf” and I’ve never seen it? Maybe I am a Grinch. FYI, I’ve never seen “A Christmas Story” either.
4. Christmas music: A local radio station goes 24/7 Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day. Ugh! That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy the music, just not that saturated.
As the day draws closer, I do find myself humming or singing my favorite songs and we used to play Christmas CDs when decorating and during holiday dinners here. I LOVE Mannheim Steamroller Christmas stuff. Other favorites include “Little Drummer Boy,” “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “Carol of the Bells,” and just about any of the Christmas hymns we sang in church growing up.
5. Christmas treats: I used to do a HUGE treat tray for LG’s office. Cookies, fruit breads, candies (divinity, fudge, etc.). No office now so no cookie tray–which is much better for our waistlines and LG’s diabetes numbers.
I’ve always given pans of my yeast rolls to neighbors, family, and friends. Still do that.
6. Special meal: Growing up. we always had spaghetti for Christmas Eve dinner, with the family yeast rolls, salad, and coconut cream pie. I carried that over when LG and I got married, but substituted chocolate meringue pie (and later, my mother-in-law’s Hershey Pie). If someone else hosted Christmas dinner, then the “Gang” gathered here for Italian. And FYI, tamales is VERY much a Christmas staple in these parts. One of LG’s clients used to bring him home-made tamales straight from his mother’s kitchen. They were all kinds of tasty and we’d save them for New Year’s Eve.
I’m going to add two questions, one short, one not so much (depending on the answer – LOL)
Do you “open” Christmas stockings on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning, and if on Xmas morning, before or after presents? Christmas morning, before presents. Mother and Dad started that so they could sleep in. LOL My brother and I could grab our stockings whenever we woke up and take them back to bed to go through the goodies. Only NEVER got up early–we’d often have to wake her up.
Outdoor decorations–a little or a lot?Now, it’s a lighted green swag on the front porch and lights lining the walkway from the porch around to the driveway. Then, we went whole hog. Lights covering the house and wrapping all the trees (and we have a LOT) in the yard. We had a fire chief Santa with firefighter elves (and safety net in case he slipped on the candy cane fire pole from the roof), Rudolph (with a flashing red nose) driving an antique fire truck, a by-plane and control tower (the plane “flying” between two trees), and the North Pole Championship softball game between polar bears and penguins. I designed and painted everything after LG cut them out of plywood or built them (the plane and the control towers which was a “garden windmill tower) topped by a metal tub with elf versions of Wiley Post and Will Rogers as air traffic controllers). We used to spend one whole day getting everything up and then taking it down. Then it started taking about a week. When it hit two weeks, we gave up and admitted we were too old and crickety. LOL Not to mention that climbing ladders is problematic! We don’t need any ER trips!!!
Fun post today, Jen! 🥰
November 29th, 2023 at 3:38 pm · Link
1. We have a fake tree. I haven’t had a real one since I was a kid living at my grandparents. Gramps always chopped down a tree. They were beautiful.
We did the potted Christmas trees a few years and planted them in the yard. They’re at our old house, so they must be huge now.
2. Each year I say no to cards because of the RA. I just can’t write them. But I breakdown and do about 20. A far cry from the 100+ I used to do.
3. I love Christmas Vacation and ELF. Hubs has been watching the Hallmark channel. If it keeps him calm – I’m okay.
4. I used to like Christmas music when they would start playing it on the radio 2 weeks before Christmas. Now they start on Nov. 1st. Drives me nuts.
5. I don’t do any baking or candy making anymore. My shoulder can’t do it. Hubs used to love to make sugar cookie cutouts but not anymore. I was thinking I may try and do some rum balls this year. I can get C over to crush the Vanilla wafers and my Kitchen aid should do the rest.
6. We used to do a ham dinner for Christmas but not now. I’ve make the flank steak with spinach, red peppers and gorgonzola but not the prosciutto for regular dinner a couple times. Maybe I’ll do that this year. Thanks for the idea 😊.
It’s been very chilly here., This morning it was 16F. Yesterday we had 6 inches of snow and a high of 22F. The driveway was a sheet of ice at 5:30 AM today when I took the trash can out to the road. It should warm up into the low 40’s tomorrow.
I hope you’re having a great day.
November 29th, 2023 at 5:15 pm · Link
Silver, for sure life, circumstances and energy change my decorating choices; and time and energy are also a big factor. Love all your answers, and now I’ll answer yours:
Christmas stockings: We opened them Christmas mornings before gifts. I was almost always up before anyone, so sleeping in was never an issue. The stockings were super fun and the kids loved them. For me growing up, my brothers and sisters we’re older and I was the only kid at home for a long time. I would open my stocking when I got up too
Outdoor decorations: You did a heck of a lot more than us, and it sounds like it was super cool!!! We did a ton of lights on the two story house because Wizard is not afraid of heights. Oh and one year back in our first house, the kids talked Wizard into competing with the neighbor across the street in how many Christmas lights we could put up. I think we won, but it was way more about the kids having fun. Now he can’t do it (we don’t want any trips to the ER either!) and I’m trying to collect decor we can do more easily. But it’s not much this year for many a bunch of reasons and that’s okay too.
Thanks for playing along and adding more fun questions!!
November 29th, 2023 at 5:20 pm · Link
Viki, when we were first married and the kids young, we’d cut down our tree too. It was fun, but that gets old real quick, LOL. I appreciate the fake tree just fine now
Yeah, I can relate to the cards. I haven’t found the time to design one that I can just print labels and send. But I’m shrugging a lot off this year if I just can’t get to it.
I’m with both you and Silver on the Christmas music! I like some around Christmas but it starts way too early.
WOW that’s cold! And the icy driveway is a bit dangerous. Hope you’re able to mostly stay inside!
Happy Wednesday!