Some of the questions are repeats of the other one I did, but I left them in. As you probably know, I have trouble picking favorites, so consider these "favorites at this very moment, liable to change five times in as many hours".
Favorite Christmas…
01. Non-Jesus-related song? Right now I'm feeling in the “Here We Come A-Caroling” mood. It mentions God, but not Jesus, I think. . . If you want a totally secular favorite, I'm partial to Elvis' "Blue Christmas". (I like the "ah-wah-ah-wah-wah" girls in the background. (g))
02. Jesus-related song? “O Holy Night”
03. Santa-related song? “Up on the Housetop” (Both this and the previous answer were also the answers on my source for this meme. What can I say? In unimportant matters, I allow myself to be easily swayed.)
04. Fictional character? Hm. Having trouble thinking of anything but A Christmas Carol. . . so probably old Scrooge himself. But only if you take into account the whole story.
05. Dinner’s main course? Main course. . . so only meats? Ham, then. Turkey's good, too, but I think I prefer ham. More flavor.
06. Dinner’s dessert? Whatever there is. ;o)
07. Scent (pine, gingerbread, candles…)? I love the smell of cookies baking and good food cooking. (I love pine more, but it's not really a Christmas smell to me.)
08. Animated movie? Can't think of animated movies. . . but I like the Rudolph special.
09. Non-animated movie? Not much comes to mind. I used to enjoy Home Alone, when I was a kid.
10. Personal memory? Go back and read the stuff about Santa's visit and my stuffed animals, from the last meme. ;o)
11. Story/Fairy Tale? I don't know many stories or fairy tales about Christmas. . . If you take "story" to mean simply a telling of something-- not implying that it's a fictional tale-- then I'd have to choose the original Christmas story.
This or That
12. Candy cane or peppermint patties? Who in her right mind would choose a cane over a patty?! ;o)
13. Sugar or gingerbread cookies? Sugar. Obviously.
14. Tinsel or beaded strands? This makes me think they really mean garland, unless they're hanging the beaded strands from single branches, like tinsel, rather than winding it around the tree. . . I've never used beaded strands, so tinsel, I guess.
15. Multi-colored or same-colored lights? I like both. (We usually choose white, though.)
16. Flashing or still lights? Flashing's fun for kids, but I prefer them to be still, I think. Oh, I don't know! (g)
17. Wreaths or mistletoe/holly? Wreaths. I like the idea of mistletoe, though.
18. Rudolph or Frosty? Rudolph, without question.
19. Sledding or snowball fights? I've never been sledding, and I've only had a couple of sad attempts at snowball fights. (g) I think I'd prefer sledding, if I had the chance.
20. Snow or ice/icicles? Snow seems nicer. Ice is dangerous!
21. Snow hat or earmuffs? What's a snow hat? I'd probably prefer a hat for warmth.
22. Getting or giving? Giving
23. Snow days or plow trucks? Snow days. (Not that we get those around here. . .)
24. Stockings or presents? Both. Stockings are for candy, presents are for everything else.
25. Cookies & milk or letter to Santa? Both, of course. (The letter is mostly to tell him that the cookies and milk are for him-- and not some random intruder ;o)-- and that the carrots are for the reindeer.)
26. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Christmas Eve is more exciting-- especially for kids.
27. Log Burning Channel or real thing? Around Christmas, I'd prefer the real thing, but we opted out of a fireplace to avoid the mess (among other reasons). Never heard of the Log Burning Channel, though. (g)
28. Cards or emails? Cards. Or email. Or neither. (g)
29. Shoveling or cleaning off the car? What's the difference? I guess you just shovel paths? I've never done either.
30. The Inn’s manger or the animals? . . .Huh? The animals, I guess?
31. Mary & Joseph or The Wise Men? Mary and Joseph, of course.
32. Hot cocoa or eggnog? Cocoa.
33. Jack Frost or Little Drummer Boy? Drummer boy.
Yay or.. Ugh
34. Holiday shopping? Yay, if I know what to show for.
35. Icy roads? Ugh. (Who would say "yay"? Maybe someone who needs an excuse to stay home. . .)
36. Limited driving visibility? Same as above.
37. Christmas carolers. Yay, I guess. I'd be kind of uncomfortable and unsure of what to do, though, if they came to my house. I'd rather be among the carolers than the. . . "carolees". ;o)
38. Mall Santas? Eh. I don't really care either way.
39. Salvation Army Santas? Honestly? Well, kind of "ugh", after the gazillionth time of hearing those ear-piercing bells.
40. Blizzards? Ugh.
41. 24/7 Holiday radio? Yay, though I need a break every now and then.
42. Freezing cold? Ugh, I guess. I like it to feel like Christmas, though.
43. Setting up the tree? Yay.
44. Wrapping presents? Yay.
45. Visiting/seeing family? Yay.
46. Ad-Lib on “Rudolph…” (like Monopoly!)? Don't really care. I probably won't participate, but maybe I liked it as a kid. . .
47. Free mint red/white candy? Hm. Yay, I guess. I don't really need it, though, and if I'm going to eat candy, I'd rather it be something I really like.
48. Belief in Santa Claus? For me, yay.
49. Chocolate countdown calendar? We never did those that I can recall, but yay. (Anything with chocolate gets a a "yay". (g))
50. Peeking at your gifts (or by accident)? Ugh.
51. Making out with Santa under the mistletoe? Ugh. I was always disturbed by that song. Creepy and gross. Even if it is just your husband in a Santa costume. . .
52. Decorated houses? Yay.
53. Extreme decorated houses? Yay. Hey, knock yourself out! Saves me the trouble of decorating, as I can enjoy it vicariously. ;o)
54. White Christmas morning? Yay. Sounds nice, but extremely unlikely down here.
55. Searching for ornaments in the attic? Ours aren't in the attic, and I generally know where they are. It sounds more like "ugh" than "yay", but as long as they're not too hard to find. . .
56. Santa knowing when you’re sleeping and awake? Yay. (Hey, it's not like he's a stalker or something.)
Name That Tune
57. “Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling.” "Sleigh Ride"
58. “Good tidings for Christmas and a happy New Year.” "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
59. “The lights are turned way down low…” "Let it Snow"?
60. “In the meadow we can build a snowman.” "Winter Wonderland"
61. “Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh!” "Jingle Bells"!
62. “Remember, Christ, our Savior was born on Christmas Day.” "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"
63. “Not only green when summer’s here, but also when ’tis cold and drear.” "Oh Christmas Tree"? I'm kind of guessing here. I don't know that song very well.
64. “And Heaven, and Heaven and nature sing.” "Joy to the World"!
65. “Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la.” "Deck the Halls"
66. “Down through the chimney with lots of toys…” "Up on a Rooftop"? I think. Now, how do I know if I got it right? ;o) (I'm too lazy to look them all up.)
First Thought That Comes To Mind When You Hear…
67. Snowflake! "that stay on my nose and eyelashes". . .
68. Pinecones! my yard. ;o) We have plenty of pine cones around here.
69. Elves! and the Shoemaker-- some fairytale. I also think of green pointy hats and shoes.
70. Sleigh! Ride! with You! ;o) (According to the song.)
71. Presents! Open!
72. Cookies! Crickets! . . . I have no idea why that just happened, though. Weird. . . . Maybe I was thinking of Grasshoppers?
73. Misletoe! Reindeer. (why?) and kisses -- that's my first "logical" thought.
74. Rudolph! "the red-nosed reindeer".
75. Blizzard! The blizzard scene(s) from the Rudolph TV program.
76. School’s Canceled! Yay! ;o)
77. Ice Skating! Figure skaters and fancy costumes.
78. Santa’s Lap! Awkwardness. . . and leaky diapers! (g)
79. Black Friday! Weird name for a great shopping opportunity.
80. God’s Son! Jesus. (Not very creative, but to the point. (g))
81. Melting Snow! Ew.
82. Lumps of Coal! Must've been bad this year. . . (Has anyone ever really gotten that, though?)
83. Nutcracker! I think of the associated music.
84. Ho Ho Ho! "Meeerrry Christmas!"
85. North Pole! Santa Claus.
What’s a Winter Activity YOU Do…
86. …In the snow by yourself? Just look around. Enjoy the novelty.
87. …Inside by yourself? Work on handmade gifts. . . wrap presents. . . Answer silly memes. ;o)
88. …In a public place (with/alone)? Hm. . . Christmas shopping? I don't do much "in public", really. (g)
89. …With friends/family in the snow at home? If there's snow, we're usually admiring it, giggling excitedly. ;o) Maybe having a little snow fight, if there's enough to make snow balls.
90. …With friends/family inside at home? Singing Christmas carols is fun-- I'd also like playing games-- but more often we're just chatting amongst ourselves.
Grade/Rate Holiday Movies A - F
91. A Christmas Story. I'd forgotten about this one. I'd give it an A.
92. How The Grinch Stole Christmas? You mean the old-fashioned one, right? A+.
93. The Santa Clause? Oh, I don't know. I hate grading things. . . I haven't seen most of these in a long time, anyway. . . B?
94. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer? A+.
95. Frosty The Snowman? B?
96. Home Alone. B.
97. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I'm not sure. . . B-? C? Some of it was funny, but other parts. . .
98. Elf. B? A-? I'm not sure. I can't remember a lot about it. . .
99. Miracle on 34th Street. I don't remember this one well enough to grade it.
100. A Charlie Brown Christmas. I'm not a huge Charlie Brown fan, but it's a classic, so it gets a B.
The ____ Present You’ve Received?
101. Most expensive? I don't know. . .
102. Ugliest? I'm not sure, and I wouldn't say if I were. ;o) I don't remember any ugly gifts.
103. Worthless? No gift is worthless if you believe that it's the thought that counts.
104. Most-wanted (personally)? Hm. Probably something I received as a kid.
105. Most-wanted/popular (media frenzy)? I don't know. . . Carrie and I each got Cabbage Patch doll back when they were popular. Probably something like that. These days, I don't usually get "media craze" type things. I wait until they're cheaper-- or get an off brand. ;o)
106. Unwanted? I wouldn't care to say, if anything came to mind.
107. Never-used? Hm. . . I can't think of anything.
108. Exchanged for something else? If I've gotten duplicates, I may have exchanged one of them-- usually with the knowledge of the giver. But nothing specific comes to mind.
109. Biggest (size)? Probably the trampoline we girls got as a joint gift, one year.
110. Most meaningful? Hard to say. . . So I won't. ;o)
Christmas At My House…(one or the other)
111. Tree is fake/real? Fake.
112. Tree is under/above 4′? Above. (I think it's supposed to be ten feet, but it's probably more like nine, with the top folded down so the star goes on securely.)
113. Open presents Christmas Eve/Day? Day.
114. House/entire yard is decorated? No, not the yard-- and just parts of the house.
115. Amount of presents under the tree? Right now, just one. (g) That'll change, but there usually aren't a lot of gifts under our tree.
116. Snowman is a male/female? We don’t have one, but if we did, it'd probably be male. Or maybe a little "snow family".
117. Go for Santa/Jesus? Weird question. It's about Jesus, of course. Santa would visit if there were kids in the house, though.
118. Homemade/delivered/takeout Christmas dinner? Homemade (but not by me, since we go to family for Christmas).
119. Bedtime is before/after midnight? Before, I hope. I need my sleep! ;o)
120. Wake-up is before/after 7am? I almost always wake before 7, and Christmas is no different. I may not get up until after 7, though.
121. Go/don’t go to church on Christmas? Usually not.
122. Pray & sing Happy Birthday/do nothing before bed? Pray. Never heard of singing "Happy Birthday". . .
123. Do shopping before/after Thanksgiving? After. I'm busy thinking about family birthdays and things in November.
124. Low-key/over the top decorations (inside and out)? Both are ok. I probably lean more toward low-key, myself-- but that may be more because I'm too busy/lazy to go over the top. ;o)
Have You Ever?
125. Built a snowman? Not that I recall.
126. Heard Santa’s sleigh? Except in movies, no. But I told you about seeing Rudolph's nose.
127. Seen Santa & Rudolph in the sky? No, I don't think so. . .
128. Sat on Santa’s lap? Yes.
129. Shoveled the driveway/sidewalk? No.
130. Made snow angels? No.
131. Built a fort/igloo? No.
132. Wrote a Christmas list? Yes.
133. Wrote a letter to Santa? Yes.
134. Left cookies/milk for Santa & reindeer? Yes.
135. Caught a snowflake on your tongue? I think I may have tried once. . .
136. Went caroling? Yes.
137. Got hurt during the winter season? No. I think one year Carrie and I got sick right near Christmas. . . Was it chickenpox? I can't remember.
138. Gone ice skating/sledding? No.
139. Kissed under a mistletoe? No.
140. Experienced/saw a miracle happen? . . .Not that I can remember. . . Depends on what classifies as a miracle. I think I've seen/experienced a few near-misses, and there are coincidences in life that seem to me more than a coincidence, but I don't know if I'd call them miracles.
141. Get everything you wanted for Christmas? Yes.
142. Cooked/baked? Yes. (Seriously, who hasn't cooked or baked at some point?)
Complete The Line
143. “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lean your ___ this way.” ear
144. “And children listen to hear ___ bells in the snow.” sleigh?
145. “And on every street ___ you’ll hear silver bells.” corner?
146. “O night divine, O night when Christ was ___.” born
147. “All I want for Christmas is my ___ front teeth.” two
148. “It’s beginning to ___ a lot like Christmas.” look
149. “Round yon virgin ___ and child.” mother
150. “Sing praises to our Heavenly ____.” hm. King? or is it Father?
Christmas 101
151. Color of Rudolph’s nose? red
152. Jesus’ Virgin Mother? Mary
153. What made Frosty come to life? an old hat with some magic in it
154. Two main colors of Christmas? red and green (Who'd get this wrong?)
155. Does Mrs. Claus have a first name? I don't know, but surely she must.
156. Where does Santa live? North Pole
157. True love gave what on the second day of Christmas? Two turtledoves.
158. What kind of nuts are roasting on an open fire? Chestnuts.
Make Up Your Own Christmas Tale
159. Once upon a time, there was a: fluffy little Eskie dog
160. Who couldn’t stop: smiling.
161. After a while, she fell asleep next to a: black-and-white cocker spaniel.
162. When they woke, there was: a bowl of delicious dog biscuits just waiting to be eaten.
163. Thanks to them: the family always had a source of amusement. Then End. ;o)
How Does He Do It?
162. Get down the chimney? It's magic, so how should I know? Actually, that goes for most of these things. ;o)
163. Deliver presents all over the world? Time slows down-- or he moves super-fast, or both-- to accommodate the needs for each particular year.
164. Get so fat and still act so jolly? Well, if you lived at the North Pole, you'd want an extra layer of fat, too. ;o) He eats sugar cookies and other goodies to keep in top Santa form. Who wouldn't be happy, living on a diet of desserts? ;o)
166. Provide compensation for elves making toys? Elves don't really require compensation. Toy-making is their whole reason for being. They earn room and board-- and the right to live in the happiest place on earth. What more could they want?
167. Stay unseen from the rest of the world? I'm not sure. More magic, I guess. Maybe he has an invisibility cloak of some sort.
Would It Still Be Christmas Without…
168. Candy canes? Yes.
169. Snow? Thank goodness, yes. Otherwise we'd never have Christmas!
170. Stores opening at 5am? Yes.
171. Winter vacation? I guess, but part of Christmas is spending time with family, and the vacation days make that easier.
172. Visiting family & friends? I suppose so, but it wouldn't feel as Christmasy.
173. Fake Santas? Yes.
174. Christmas trees? Yes, of course, but again, it wouldn't feel as much like Christmas.
175. New holiday movies? Yes, definitely.
176. Getting holiday greeting cards/email? Yes.
177. Holiday tunes? Yes, but it'd be a little sad without any music.
Share Your Stories in 1 Sentence
178. The best Christmas you’ve had. I have no idea. . . pretty much all of them from my childhood.
179. The most upsetting Christmas you’ve had? I don't think I've had any upsetting Christmases, yet. . .
180. One hilarious Christmas blooper? I can't think of anything at the moment.
True Or False
181. You prefer to stay inside where it’s warm? True
182. You’ve given something (or $) to charity? True
183. You spent more than what people spent on you? I don't know. Depends on the person.
184. You like to take your time opening presents? True, I guess.
185. The thing you want most this year costs $100+? I don't think there's a single one thing I want most. No single item on my list is that much, I think.
186. You expect to get more than 10 presents this year? Hm. I'm not sure. I don't think so. Depends on if you count each individual package as a present or consider multiple items from the same person(s) as one gift.
187. You’re a Scrooge/Grinch? False.
188. Christmas = snow? False.
189. You know the lyrics to more than 25 Christmas songs? I may not know every single word, but yes, I'm very familiar with more than twenty-five of them.
Grab Bag
190. Three best things about Christmas? The meaning of Christmas. Spending time with family. That happy Christmasy feeling of excitement.
191. Worst Christmas song? No particular song comes to mind. . . Well, maybe that annoying one about the guy who's grocery shopping and runs into his old girlfriend? That one just gets on my nerves. Looked it up. It's "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg. It's sad and maybe even poignant, but. . . I think it's just the idea of that woman drinking (in a car outside the liquor store-- how elegant!) with some "old lover", while her husband is probably waiting for her. I mean, no-one forced her to marry the other guy if she didn't love him. And yet we're supposed to feel so sorry for the two old lovers. The whole thing irritates me. (g) I guess I'm not very sympathetic. (shrug) Also, it has absolutely zero to do with Christmas. So I wish radio stations would stop playing it repeatedly, this time of year.
192. If you were a Christmas character, who would you be? I can't think of many Christmas characters. . . And even fewer that are female. Maybe Clara from The Nutcracker? (g)
193. What type of decoration should stop being made? I haven't seen any decoration that I loathe that much.
194. Tastiest holiday treat? Fudge. So rich it'll make you sick if you aren't careful. (g)
195. Favorite pop culture/stereotypical Christmas icon (noun)? Other than Santa and Rudolph, the Grinch.
196. Know how to make cookies/brownies/cake from scratch? Yes to the cookies. I've only made a cake from scratch once that I can recall, but I've done cookies many times.
197. Ever cut your mouth on a candy cane/candy? Ouch! Yes. It's a Christmas rite of passage, isn't it? ;o)
198. What other culture would you like to experience Christmas with? Strange question. For me, the answer is fairly easy; it'd be interesting to experience Christmas in Sweden, with Donald and his family. Not that I think there's a huge cultural difference, but there are variations.
199. What kind of pattern/pictures do you like on your wrapping paper? I like animals-- either dogs or birds, squirrels, deer, etc. I also like vintage-looking papers. . . Holly, poinsettias, etc. Patterns that are more graphic and less representative (dots, stars, or stripes vs. pictures of dogs) are nice, too. I'm not too picky, but I like what I like. ;o)
200. Will you make a Christmas picture for your blog/website/profile? Not planning on it, no. I may take some photos of our tree and other such things.
Phew! Done!
