In Leau of Friday's Feast

Friday's Feast has been cancelled today, :o( but Logtar stepped in with this Christmas Meme, so here goes!

1. Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share Christmas facts about yourself.
3. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Welcome to the Christmas edition of “Getting to Know Your Friends.”

1. Wrapping or gift bags?
Both. I like wrapping them and doing them up pretty, but lately find it faster to use the bags, lol

2. Real or artificial tree?
My 'Christmas tree' this year is a Norfolk Island Pine. I had one of these plants years ago and used it for my Christmas tree, but don't remember what ever happened to it, must've died. This year I bought this new one. There are actually several plants in the one big pot. I put what few scraggly decorations on it that I have. Not many. I'm single and never here on Christmas Day, so don't worry too much about it. I do other decorations too, and don't want to overload this plant. Also have a small fibreoptics tree that I've used the last couple years, but haven't got room for it this year with the Norfolk Island Pine. Maybe I'll put it on the TV in the bedroom.

3. When do you put up the tree?
I often don't... last few years I do about a week or so before the big day.

4. When do you take the tree down?
New Years, or a few days into January.

5. Do you like egg nog?
Love the stuff Mom used to make, can't stand the stuff you buy in the stores.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
That lump of coal the one year was really great! Haha. Actually, I don't really remember what I got, though I remember many other things about Christmas mornings.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
No I don't

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Nothing comes to mind, least ways, nothing true, haha.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Both usually, but haven't gotten around to mailing any this year, so will hand some out personally, and email the rest.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Don't really have a favorite... there are many on at this time of year that I like to watch.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually I don't shop.... I make gifts instead. This year I didn't have time to make anything, so ordered some wonderful teas from Mo at The Wren's Nest and It's A Blog Eat Blog World. I sure hope they get here soon. Just 2 more 'mail' days 'til Christmas. I plan to buy Mom a nice tea cup and some crackers and other snacks... do up a nice gift basket for her. It's so hard to know what to give an 84 year young person who has more money than I do. I think I'll give some photos I took, matted, to the rest of the family members, and some tea to my sister M. She always gets 'extra' cuz she's nicer to me than the rest are.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including yams and my special bread pudding.

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I have no lights on my little Norfolk Island Pine, I don't want to overload the branches and hurt the plant. I have colored lights that I put up around the window.

14. Favorite Christmas song(s)?
I forget the name of it, but it's about a turkey being invited for Christmas dinner with the farmers family. It's really funny. I also like "Six White Boomers" where 6 large white male kangaroos pull Santa's sleigh around Australia and a lost 'joey' gets a ride home on the sleigh.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I've traveled 2 times in all my years, one was with family. The rest of the years, I've always gone home to Mom's, about a 30 minute drive if the roads are bad enough to slow me down. haha.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner & Blitzen, Rudolph... and of course, Olive.

17. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Neither.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
When I was a kid, Mom & Dad let us open one each on Christmas Eve, and the rest had to wait until Christmas morning. One Christmas morning, Dad went out to milk the cow and we had to wait..... then he came in and Mom gave him his bowl of porridge, and we had to wait.... We all swore Dad ate slower on that morning, but he always said he ate the same speed as any other day... hahaha.

Now, all wait until I look after my animals and drive to Mom's place where we open our gifts together. There's no hurry, they'll all be there when I get there. Now, if a nice man of my dreams was to give me a gift that might be harder to wait to open, haha.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
Nothing. I don't let these things annoy me. I see it that I have 2 choices. I can get annoyed or I can be happy. I choose to be happy!

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color?
Nope... I just use what I have a wa la, it is what it is.

21. What do you leave for Santa?
Nothing. The old goat still delivers my gifts to Mom's house and I haven't lived there in over 30 years.

22. Least favorite holiday song?
Several that I won't go into here, haha. I have 2 choices..... 1 is to bitch and complain, the other is to go on to the next question. I choose the next question.

23. Favorite ornament?
I kinda like the Santa, sleigh, reindeer on mountain, taking off... it's a water thingy, but the motor for the water pump doesn't work any more. It still looks cool though. And I like the little houses and the church. Hold on... I'm going to take some pics for you.

24. Family tradition?
Don't really have one.

25. Ever been to Midnight Mass or late-night Christmas Even services?
Last year our Christmas Candle Lighting Service was on Christmas Eve, but it's not usually. This year it's Friday December 21st... Just over 19 hours from now... and I'm singing and talking in it. There is sooooo much to do before then.

Merry Christmas to All!!

I challenge all that read this to do one and link back here as well as leave a comment so I can come read yours.