Gettin' to Know You - Christmas Questionnaire!

I just love being a stickybeak and finding out more about the bloggers I follow. Michelle at Fabulous in First has put together a Christmas questionnaire to help us all get to know each other a little better, holiday style! Such a great linky idea - I had lots of fun looking through old photos and reminiscing. :)

Hot Chocolate or Eggnog?

Christmas here in Queensland is usually sweltering, so the idea of drinking anything hot is, frankly, awful.  No snuggling by the fire here!! And I've never tasted Eggnog - I have this thing where I won't eat or drink anything that I deem to be 'weird'.  There's no rhyme or reason to what goes on my weird foods list  - some of the entries include ketchup, mango, those crunchy noodles that sometimes go in salads, kiwifruit and any meat on the bone.  So I guess the answer to this question is: neither!  On Christmas Day you'd likely find me drinking sparkling grape juice (an old family tradition) or anything straight from the fridge. :)

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them underneath the tree?

Umm... he wraps them!  Are there children out there getting UNWRAPPED presents?  Shocking.

Coloured lights or white?

For my own home, white all the way.  But I do enjoy looking at all the brightly coloured lights on the houses in my neighbourhood.

When do you decorate?

This year I decorated my tree mid-November!  But usually the 1st of December... I was overexcited this year! :)

Real or fake tree?

Fake!  We don't really have anywhere to buy real trees here - I'm sure you can find them at plant nurseries but fake trees are the norm.  People who do have real trees sometimes have gum trees, which I think is super cute. :)  I've spent a couple of Christmases overseas so have had real trees there.  Although last year, living in our Canadian basement we only had room for a few branches that we bought from Superstore.  (They are probably just the ones that fall off the big trees!).

Real branches in our basement last year. :)

What tops your tree?

A star. :)

This year's teeny tiny tree in my apartment!

Favourite Christmas memories or traditions?

This is a tough one. I love Christmas and have such fond memories of every year!  Some special ones:
*Spending Christmas Day walking through London with 3 of my cousins and close friends when we all ended up there at the same time back in 2002.

*The first Christmas with my nephew, Mack.
*Going to the big outdoor Carols by Candlelight concert in Brisbane with my best friend every year... and ending up sitting in plastic ponchos and under umbrellas because it rains every time!

*My cold Christmases in Canada - one on a holiday and one when it was my home.  Last year I cooked  a 3 course breakfast, we made a gingerbread house and then went for a walk in the snow.

But probably my favourite tradition is the big party my extended family has in the evening on Christmas Day.  Everyone (50+ of us!) gathers together and we eat, give gifts and dance to old rock & roll music until late in the night.  It's the only time in the year when we are ALL together, so it's lots of fun.

Do you remember your favourite gift as a child?

One year I desperately wanted a Cabbage Patch Kid.  Christmas morning I woke up and Santa had left one right in the fireplace!! (Yes, my parents have an open fireplace - even in tropical Queensland!  As you can imagine, we only ever light it in the middle of winter.)  Proof that not only does Santa exist, but he really does go in an out of the house through the chimney.  This must have been back in the 80's, because that Cabbage Patch Kid still had the hard plastic head and hands.  I got another one a few years later that was nice and soft. :)

Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts?

Both!  I love shopping for family and friends and choosing things that will make them happy.  I also love wrapping them so they look beautiful.  But I must admit, I love waking up Christmas morning and opening pressies to see what special things people bought for me!! :)

What is your favourite Christmas song?

Ugh, such a tricky question!  I just love Christmas songs and carols. But if I had to pick, I'd say 'Oh Holy Night', or maybe 'Joy to the World'... or 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful'...

Candy Canes. Yuck or yum?

I'm not really a candy person, but I do like the peppermint flavour.

Favourite Christmas movie?

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  When Clark turns on the lights he's put on the house and it almost blinds them and drains power from all the houses around... that cracks me up.

Do you shop online or in stores?

In stores.  I love wandering around, listening to the Christmas music, taking my time to check out everything before choosing gifts to buy.

Photo cards, letter or store bought card?

Um... store bought gift tags! :)

Now it's your turn!  Link up to share about your Christmas style. :)

Lauren