wolffe

1. Eggnog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate. With marshmallows, of course.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Depends. If they're small, they're wrapped. Otherwise they're just sitting out.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White this year, but we usually do colored lights too.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Not for a long time.

5. When do you put up your decorations? About the second week of Dec. We always get a live tree and I don't want it to die before Christmas.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Probably Grandma Kelly's coconut cake. I'm not sure I'm making it this year though.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child. Mom and I had this tradition of "stealing" our xmas tree every year from the boy scout troop lot down the street from our house. We were poor, and couldn't afford a tree, so we went xmas eve and picked the best one left. They were all free at that point, but it was more fun to say we were stealing it.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I can't remember, but I still believe Santa exists in everyone's heart who makes an effort.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? No, but I'm liking the idea of getting the family holiday PJs and opening those on xmas eve to wear xmas day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? All ornaments. We don't have any balls on the tree this year. Partly because I'm afraid Jake will break one and get hurt, and partly because we have enough ornaments to not need any.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? A bit of both. If I don't have to go out in it except to play? Love it. Of course, snow here means it lasts a day or two and then goes away. If it were a months long on the ground type of thing I wouldn't be happy.

12. Can you ice skate? I've never tried.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No. I tend to remember spending time with the family instead of specific gifts. Cheesy, I know, but true.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending time with my family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Grandma Kelly's coconut cake is in a tie with my Mom's oatmeal raisin cookies. Course I can't really have either of those this year what with the gestational diabetes and all.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Giving "Gibson gifts". My uncle Gibson was quite... unique ... and would give us strange but fun gifts every year. I've tried to keep that tradition alive with small things in our stockings.

17. What tops your tree? A silver filigree cut metal star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Money is tight like it is for everybody so I stress that my gifts aren't good enough, but I still prefer to give.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Fa la la la la, la la la fuck. Um, but seriously I don't really have one.

20. Candy Canes? Not unless they're the hershey's kisses kind. Or stuck in a cupcake. Don't get me wrong, I eat them, I'm just not a huge fan.

21. Do you feel Christmas is too commercialized? Yes. I think advertising and media put so much pressure on everyone to spend, spend, spend and find the perfect gift that it moves us away from just getting together and having fun.

22. Real tree or artificial? Real. Always.

23. Do you put lights up on the outside of your house? No, but Jason does. ;) We have two lighted deer (and if I could afford it I'd have a whole herd in the yard) and we put the big, fat C7 lights around the door.

24. Do you do a Christmas Dinner or Supper and who cooks? We do a combined dinner/supper. We eat around 3. Jason and I cook. We make his Italian Grandma's spaghetti and meatballs. Yum.

25. Is your family the everyone unwraps gifts at once sort or do you do it one gift at a time as the others watch? One at a time. We never have that many gifts to go through, so going one at a time makes it last longer.

26. Do your pets share in the festivities? Yep! They each have their own stocking. I always get them some new toys. Tiger would always get a bone.

Successful recreation of my Grandma's coconut cake, thanks to a recipe card my Mom found. OM NOM NOM.


My Italian husband made sauce for Christmas dinner spaghetti. More NOMS. Meatballs *and* sausage. I could bathe in it.


All the toys were a big hit.


Mom being silly in Jake's hat.


My brother with Jake's new tin drum and the goggles from his tool bench.


I don't like the lighting (my dining room makes everyone look orange in pictures) but I do like this shot of my brother and his girlfriend.


Hanging out in the bed with Grand Ma Ma this morning.

Decorated now, although we didn't put any of the plain balls on. I'm trying to decide if I want to. They're the ones that attract the cats the most, which means they'll most likely also attract Jake. He's been good about staying away from it, but the super shinies might be too much. More on flickr.



I'm trying to recreate my Grandma's coconut cake recipe, and I made a trial run tonight. I learned a few things. I didn't do the 7 minute frosting right, so it's a bit grainy. I doubt it would have thickened up to be really good for cupcakes even if I had beat the hell out of it, but I'll definitely make it a bit thicker. Tastes great though! Next time I'll get the process right and it'll be as close to Grandma's as I can get I think.

Okay, so Jason felled the tree while Jake and I stood by and watched. It was fun, and then hot chocolate was had. We, uh, bought too big of a tree. *snort* We've given it a bit of a haircut and it isn't scraping the ceiling anymore, but I have doubts about getting the star up there without cutting more off. We're taking a break before the decorating begins.





My poor Jetta. Haha

This is the list of people I have addresses for already (if your address has changed from last year, I'll need the new one). Not on the list but want a card? Comments are screened. :)

amerynn
angelsmom
annanda
april8may29
carrie119
cloverest
galateadia
heinous_bitca
hurricane_amy
marzian
mazikeen
mcsassypants
mellusions
murielmuriel
pigri
pyrokinesis
shada_ly
tallguy
tigerkitty
twotone

Happy Thanksgiving!

I bought too many holiday stamps. I need more addresses! So far, these people are getting cards:

shada_ly
amerynn
tallguy
carrie119
mcsassypants
angelsmom
twotone
tigerkitty
mellusions
marzian
heinous_bitca
hurricane_amy
pigri
april8may29
murielmuriel
annanda

Who else? Comments are screened and stuff.

And now that I'm feeling better, it's time for me to get on with the holiday cards. Want one? Gimmie your address. Comments are screened for you protection.