CHRISTMAS QUIZ--tagged by Lorie

1. WRAPPING PAPER OR GIFT BAGS? I love Christmas wrapping paper and there are always so many gifts to wrap that gift bags aren't very practical. Occasionally I use them for big items, but always firmly staple them shut so prying eyes and fingers can't penetrate.

2. REAL TREE OR ARTIFICIAL? Has to be REAL! One of our first Christmas "trees" was just a collection of pine branches that someone had trimmed off their trees and left on the side of the road. Pete thought he had found a gold mine as he proudly brought them home for me to decorate. We arranged them in a large bucket and called it our Christmas Bush. Going to the woods to cut fresh trees has become a fun family tradition for the day after Thanksgiving (lots more fun than participating in Black Friday . . .)

3. WHEN DO YOU PUT UP THE TREE? When I was a Pieper girl, our family tradition was to put up and decorate the Christmas tree on my birthday, December 17. Now I can't wait that long. I usually get it set up around the first week of December and leave it undecorated for a week or so.

4. WHEN DO YOU TAKE DOWN THE TREE? The day after New Year's day--unless it is REALLY dry.

5. DO YOU LIKE EGGNOG? That would have to be a definite NO!!! When I was young, my mom would make eggnog for us kids after we had been sick to help get some nutrition back into our wasted bodies. I associate eggnog with sickness, not a fun Christmas tradition.

6. FAVORITE GIFT RECEIVED AS A CHILD. We could ask Santa for two things, and it always amazed me that no matter how strange our request might be, he would always deliver the goods. Once Brenda asked for wooden shoes, saying Santa could pick up a pair as he flew over Holland. I'm sure "Santa" was put to the test, but he came through and firmed up our faith in him. I especially looked forward to getting a new book for Christmas and I didn't have to ask for one--it was always there. I loved curling up with a good book during the Christmas holidays.

7. WORST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER RECEIVED. I hated getting clothes of any kind when I was young--of course, that changed into the teen-age years!

8. FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE. "It's a Wonderful Life." I also love any and all versions of "The Christmas Carol."

9. DO YOU HAVE A NATIVITY SCENE? Yes. I've gone through several over the years. One of my early favorites was a set of figures I made using old thread spools dressed up in felt clothes. The kids played with them a lot until they disintegrated. I used to wonder why Fisher-Price didn't make something like that--and they finally did. I recently purchased those for my grandkids to play with when they come. I don't have any fancy figures.

10. MAIL OR E-MAIL CHRISTMAS CARDS? I never got into the Christmas card thing. I couldn't see the point of sending a card and just signing your name, so I'd write a note to each person and that just took too long, so I gave up on it. Occasionally I get to feeling guilty because of all those I receive and I make another stab at that tradition. Maybe I'll have to try the e-mail approach.

11. WHEN DO YOU START YOUR CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? I start making lists in November, order some things through catalogs, but do most of the shopping in early December. I like to be mostly done by my birthday so that I can enjoy the last week before Christmas working on projects, homemade gifts, neighborhood gifts, etc.

12. HAVE YOU EVER RECYCLED A CHRISTMAS GIFT? One year we decided that among us and our kids we would have a "recycled" Christmas and could only give to each other gifts that we either made from whatever we had on hand, or something that already belonged to us that we wanted to give away. It was amazing to see the creativity that sparked and it was tons of fun. We should do it more often. I don't have the nerve to give a recycled gift to anyone but CLOSE family! (excluding expired gift cards, of course)

13. FAVORITE THING TO EAT AT CHRISTMAS. Probably Christmas cookies, the rolled out and decorated ones. When I was about 14 I made several batches of the delicious treats for our family to have on Christmas Eve. I rolled out the dough and then cut out each cookie in the shape of a holly leaf. I frosted them green and put three cinnamon candies in the corner to represent holly berries. They were works of art! I put them in the freezer to save for the big night. When I went to get them, they were almost all gone! Someone had eaten them secretly. I was steaming MAD! I finally discovered that my little brother Blaine and his friends had been sneaking them one at a time when they got together to play after school, thinking no one would miss one or two. But they couldn't stop eating them. Mother had her work cut out for her trying to smooth that one over so we could have a peaceful family Christmas. Forgiveness from me was a l-o-n-g time in coming! It's fun to laugh about now. (But I do have to remind Blaine about it every so often . . .)

14. LIGHTS ON THE TREE. That's my least favorite part of the tree decorating process, but the best thing about it when you turn them on and the magical glow that they cast. I've tried some outdoor lighting, but that is just too much work. I've given up lately, but always wish I had put some up. I love looking at Christmas lights.

15. FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONG. I love almost all Christmas music--the old traditionals as well as some of the newer versions. I also really like Alan Jackson's "Let It Be Christmas." I was listening to it yesterday--it's awesome. My least favorite song is "Twelve Days of Christmas." No matter what the version or who performs it, it just grates on my nerves and I can't stand it.

16. TRAVEL AT CHRISTMAS OR STAY HOME? We've done both over the years, but I prefer being at our home for Christmas. As they say, "there's no place like home for the Holidays."

17. CAN YOU NAME SANTA'S REINDEER? Easily--Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen--and the most famous reindeer of all Rudolph!

18. ANGEL OR STAR ON TOP OF TREE. Usually a star, but often just a big snowflake. Never had an angel for the tree.

19. OPEN PRESENTS CHRISTMAS EVE OR MORNING? Morning--the earlier the better!!! So it's actually, technically still Christmas Eve. Everyone can dig into their stockings as soon as they get up, but have to wait for everyone to open the gifts. Then someone passes out all the presents and we take turns opening them so we can see what everybody gets.

20. MOST ANNOYING THING ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR? It just goes by too fast. I do get tired of all the Christmas commercials on TV and how they make you feel like you just have to have everything and then some. Also, I think outdoor Christmas lighting has gotten way out of hand. It used to be so exciting to see Christmas lights because there weren't that many so it was a real treat. Now it is major overkill with everybody trying to outdo their neighbors!

21. FAVORITE ORNAMENT, THEME OR COLOR. I usually stick with the traditional red, green, white and gold. One year I tried a blue, purple, green theme--it was pretty, but just didn't feel right. One year I dressed up tiny teddy bears to represent each one in the family and what was going on in their lives at that time. They have been some of my favorite ornaments to hang on the tree.

22. FAVORITE FOOD FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER. I hate cooking on Christmas Day and we've never had a real traditional Christmas dinner. I'll stick a ham in the oven and some potatoes to bake and whatever else we can throw together for a simple meal.

23. THINGS I LOVE ABOUT CHRISTMAS TIME: softly falling snow on Christmas morning, singing Christmas songs with the family around the piano, playing games together well into the night, Christmas music playing in the background while you work on Christmas projects, lots of laughter and the joy of being with loved ones, dressing up to act out the true Christmas Story, caroling in the snow around a bonfire, wrapping presents and planning surprises, Christmas stories and movies, chocolate treats, saying "Merry Christmas," feeling happy . . . does the list ever end????????????