Buddy the Elf! What's your favorite color?

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
If you get your present in a gift bag, you will know that yours was one of the last to get wrapped…I was out of steam and had to throw it in the bag. Don’t worry, I still love you.

2. Real tree or artificial?
Liz, I love how you ignored all of your doctor’s advice and got a real tree anyway. You’re awesome ;)
I have a fake one this year…lots of tree scented candles, though. LOTS.

3. When do you put up the tree?
The weekend after Thanksgiving. I would have put it up in March, but SK forbid it. In turn, I have told him that if he wants the tree to come down, EVER, he is going to have to do it. Christmas trees year-round would make me happy.

4. When do you take the tree down?
When SK decides to do it.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Never had it. Don’t think I would like it. Egg as a drink? Gross.

6. What was your favorite gift received as a child?
I got a pretty sweet 3-story Barbie house with an elevator one year.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
We do, we just don’t have it out. Not enough space in our apt!

8. Hardest person to buy for?
SK. Well, he’s not hard to buy for, but he’s hard to surprise. Mostly because I want to tell him what I got him as soon as I buy it. I’m not a good secret keeper.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
My brother. Kiddo is cool with gift cards.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
One year an aunt was working at Mervyn’s during the holiday season and she gave us all clothes from there. Not such a bad deal, until I went to try and return the shirt because it was too small and I found that I could get exactly $2.13 worth of something else at Mervyn’s. She had shopped on the clearance rack AND used her discount, so I basically could exchange my too small shirt for a sock. Count ‘em—ONE.

11. Mail or email cards?
When I remember to, mail. We haven’t gotten ours out yet this year, though.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. “Merry Christmas! Shitter’s full!” I also love the Jim Carey Grinch, and Elf.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Um…about that…
I haven’t actually started yet. I KNOW. I am thinking about it though. I will get some, hopefully all, done on Saturday. 2 years ago was the worst. I had to work up to Dec 23rd, and decided to go shopping that night after work. December 23rd, people! And I went to the mall. It took me 25 minutes to find a parking spot, no lie, and I ended up calling my mom and screaming into the phone, “how pissed will everyone be if they DON’T get Christmas presents from me this year?!?!” I always end up putting it off until the last possible moment and then I usually shop frantic and mad. Which is weird because I LOVE buying gifts for people. Sigh…I need to work on my shopping discipline.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Recycled as in put it in the recycle bin because I was done with it (ie—consumed bottles of liquor from my brother) or recycled as in re-gifted? Because I’ve done both.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Gyoza. Think Japanese rice paper tacos. SO GOOD. Reminds me of Christmas in Lompoc, with all of the family. And the smell stays in the house for days, so it feels like it makes Christmas last longer.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I like both, but our tree this year came pre-lit with colored lights. I’m not a themey Christmas tree person…none of the shit on my tree matches. And I love it that way.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
I love any and all Trans Siberian Orchestra Christmas stuff. I also am a fan of Sarah McLaughlin’s Wintersong album. But really, I like it all.

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home?
Either. I’d love to spend Christmas with all of the family, but alas…we’re stuck in Houston.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers?
Really, Rudolph is the only important one.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. We had an angel one year a loooooong time ago and it was like, animatronic and looked like it was flying at you. It was a possessed angel.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We used to go to my dad’s parent’s house on Christmas Eve and do a big dinner and open presents from them and that side of the family. My mom and dad would bring 2 of the presents they got for us to open that night. The rest was done on Christmas morning at my mom’s parent’s house. There were more little kids on my mom’s side of the family so Christmas morning was a bigger deal to them.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
OHMYGOD Liz if you made a “Carmen’s Christmas Sweater” calendar I would SO buy one. I am guessing a lot of former So.Cal Rainbow girls would too!
For me, it’s just the traffic. Houston traffic is already terrible, but throw a holiday into the mix and it’s really almost unbearable. Also, I hate that the weather in Houston can’t ever make up its mind about whether or not to be cold. Hmmmm….80 degrees with 100% humidity Christmas, or 40 degrees and insanely windy? Who can tell?!

23. What I love most about Christmas?
Everything! I love decorating, I love buying and wrapping presents—when I can manage to do it in a timely fashion, I love hanging out with family and seeing friends that aren’t always in town, and I love the music and movies. When the weather is as it should be, Christmas is wonderful.

24. Favorite tradition?
Watching Christmas Vacation and texting Uncle Chip and Aunt Cheryl and Matthew and Elizabeth funny quotes. I miss you guys. Come home for Christmas!