Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. This is for those who I do not have e-mail addresses for. I would love your responses to these questions.





1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I love to wrap gifts, but if it's oddly shaped, I bag it
2. Real tree or Artificial? Unfortunately artificial. We used to get real, but something just does not feel right about shopping at a tree lot in your shorts since we moved to Arizona.
3. When do you put up the tree? Definitely after Thnaksgiving. We do no Christmas anything until after thanksgiving - we've got to give Thanksgiving a chance
4. When do you take the tree down? on Epiphany - January 6. Dave feels the official Christmas season starts on Dec. 25
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, if it's in my latte


6. Favorite gift received as a child? A baby Alive - she actually ate and pooped. Why is that so fascinating as a child and then as parents we can't wait to get rid of the diapers?
7. Hardest person to buy for? Dave and his parents - they don't need or even want
8. Easiest person to buy for? Noah - he wants everything!
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Four currently - I love them. One I painted, one my mother painted, one made of blocks for Noah to play with and one that was a gift
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Usually mail, but they never get done until the following Easter. This year we are going a different route - blog
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Nothing free is ever bad - you can always regift
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story (who doesn't love this one)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Used to have all shopping done summer before, but am no longer that organized
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Christmas, birthday,... I always appreciate anything given to me, but if I won't use it, why let it go to waste?
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? A 9x13 pan of my mom's baklava!
16. Lights on the tree? and stair rail, and plants, and house and..
17. Favorite Christmas song? Do I have to pick just one? My Christmas Card to You by Partridge Family
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We never have traveled far - just a few miles to parents house. This staying home and traveling the week after. Best of both worlds
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen - but do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all - Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer - had a very shiny...oh sorry, I got carried away
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star recently21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Always one present on Christmas Eve - usually pajamas
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Christmas stuff in the stores and commercials before Halloween!
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Ornaments are supposed to have a theme?
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? my new favorite is sandwich fixins - I don't cook and it's Dave's favorite meal - it's become our new tradition since staying home for Christmas eve. It used to be my mom's lasagna - now we get it after Christmas - like I said, best of both worlds
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Snow at Pine Top and to be with family (and to sleep on my back or stomach)
26. Who is most likely to respond to this? Everyone - right?!
27. Favorite Stand Out Christmas Memory – Past Christmas traditions that have changed since moving to Arizona. Our whole family used to go on a long shopping and sight-seeing weekend in Salt Lake City and stay at the Marriot Hotel connected to the mall. It was a great way to kick of the Christmas season. We all used to have a big sleepover at my parents house for Christmas eve and we were each in charge of leading some sort of activity for all of us to do that night. I really miss those years, but we have now started some great new traditions. We all meet in Pinetop, Arizona and stay at a cabin there for the week following Christmas day. We do our activities there together along with ski, sled and have a weeklong sleepover. Can't wait for it this year! And now I really love leaving the snow behind when we come home.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Love,
Monica