I've been tagged!

Thanks to Cindy for the taggage. (Heh, as opposed to baggage.) A-ny-way....

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Oh, hot chocolate all the way. I mean, I can drink eggnog, but I crave hot chocolate.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? Santa wraps presents. My husband thinks it is slightly odd that we have no presents under our tree at all until the Christmas morning, but that's the way it's always been in my family. Presents to each other and presents from "Santa" get put out in the night before Christmas, and they're all wrapped. (Except the really, really big or oddly shaped ones.) Besides, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and a now-mobile baby would demolish anything put out beforehand. And it's more fun to unwrap stuff.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Always colored lights on the tree. I prefer white lights on the house, perhaps with some color accents. Though I do appreciate "gingerbread" houses with colored lights along the rooflines. DH prefers the opposite (white tree, colored house) but he kindly abdicated and let me have my way. :-)

4. Do you hang mistletoe? We have a fake cluster (real is poisonous to pets and babies) with a bell that we hang between our living room and kitchen.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving. Growing up, we always had real trees, so it was more like mid-December in my family. But DH likes doing it right after Thanksgiving, and we have an artificial (pre-lit, it's great) tree, and the long weekend is very convenient. But never before Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Grammammy's bourbon balls. It's a family recipe, handed down for about 200 years. (Modified somewhat for modern ingredients.) I just wish I got around to making them more often.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Hmmm. I remember the year we got our stockings and stocking holders. I was maybe 7 or 8, and we were pretty poor. But my aunts and grandma went in together and "Santa" brought them to Grandma and Grandpa's house by "mistake." My stocking had an angel on it, but my favorite thing was my stocking holder - a little black and white kitten - I still have it and use it.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Okay, I admit it - I never believed in Santa. There's not a negative reason, I just remember knowing from a very young (like 2 or 3) age that Santa wasn't real. I did lead my brothers on, though.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Every year we get new pajamas on Christmas Eve, and that's the only gift we open before Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Pre-lit with colored lights, angel on top, gold bead garland, and all our family ornaments (lots of Hallmark stuff, etc.). No tinsel - animals spread it and eat it. We usually get a new ornament every year (mine are almost all cats - do you sense a theme with me?) and for special occasions (New Home, Parents-to-Be, etc.) but there's lots of room left for more. :-)

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? In my dream world, it would be in the 60-80 degree range from January 2nd to December 17th. Then on December 18th, the temperature would drop, it would snow 6-12 inches, and stay snowy until New Year's. Generally, around Christmas I like snow, especially when it is fresh and clean. After about February (or the first warm spell, whichever comes first) I'm ready for Spring. I'm a warm-weather girl.

12. Can you ice skate? I've only been once in my life, but I did okay then.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Other than my stocking holder, that's hard to say. I've gotten a lot of great gifts over the years, very thoughtful ones, and ones that I really wanted. But nothing pops out at me. Oh, wait. Love, the grey-and-white Pound Purrie (remember those?) I got when I was about 5 or 6. I still have her. She was my "reigning" top toy all through my childhood.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I like spending time with family. I also enjoy giving gifts. The big thing, though, is comemorating Christ's birth (even though it was probably really in the spring).

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Haven't I answered this? Oh, that was dish. Okay. Well, make my "dish" honeybaked ham, and my "dessert" bourbon balls, then.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve we get a bunch of indulgent snacks that we normally don't have, and watch Christmas movies and hang out and open our pajamas.

17. What tops your tree? An angel figurine.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Giving. I love to pick out "just the right" gift. Though recieving is fun, too. :-)

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Carol of the Bells. Favorite version: Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? They're okay. Look good on trees, but our dogs eat them. I might eat one or two over the season, but I can take or leave them really.

Hmmm...I tag Jen and Shaylin.