JenIg, you are hereby awarded the Most Hilarious Scrooge Award for your answers to this survey,  And since I loved reading yours, here is mine for anyone who might care to read it.  Everyone, feel free to use it if you like and let me know you did so I can come read your answers too!

Add me to the list of people who love Christmas!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?  Whatever I got cheap last year or can recycle from a gift someone else gave me.  And yes, if I give you a gift, I do want the bag back, thank you very much. 

2. Real tree or Artificial?  In my family it is practically an admission that you are a failure in life if you don't go out and cut your own real tree... but real trees make all of us folks with allergies and asthma crazy nutso, so I finally broke down and got a fake one.  Breathing is good.  I also must reveal, in the interest of full disclusure, that when I did go fake, I went all the way... it has three pieces that snap together, fold out and lights are already on.  All this AND no hives... WHY didn't I do this earlier??!?!?!

3. When do you put up the tree? That would assume I have a plan, which I normally don't.  One year it went up before Thanksgiving.  I think last year it went up December 23.  Yeah, I probably scarred the kids for life.  Oh well.

5. Do you like eggnog?  Yes.  It is disgustingly slimy, but somehow I like it.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?  Kitchen set or Barbie townhouse.  In retrospect, I shouldn't have played with the kitchen set so much... in another 20-25 short years from then, I would be required to prepare 3 meals a day for five people, so I would get plenty of "play" time.  I should have kept the Barbie townhouse, cause it was fancier than my house will ever be.  I mean, who knew I wouldn't have an elevator in my home?

7. Hardest person to buy for?  My dad.  Definitely.

8. Easiest person to buy for?  Abbie.  Because anything I get her, she will like, and she always shares with me (clothes, books, cds, candy etc).  I stole that answer from Jenig verbatim except for changing Coie to Abbie.  

9. Do you have a nativity scene?  Several.  We have this one fabric one where all the dolls have string hair, and it has velcro on the door of the barn, and the velcro keeps pulling the hair, it is getting ugly.  I love our Fisher Price one, it is from before they added the palm trees to the set ( what is that about anyway?  Did they just discover Baby Jesus was actually born in Florida or something?).  Two years ago, we received the Willow Tree one as a gift and I LOVE IT.  And we just got a toy one to review, but I haven't opened it yet.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?  Mail, but usually months after Christmas or not at all once I see that the pool has opened for the summer and feel too stupid to send them.  Email would be good for me, because I have a learning disability that involves the US Postal Service... but the spector of my dear deaprted grandmother and what she would think of (gasp!) EMAIL CHRISTMAS CARDS (!!!) has thus far prevented me from converting to email.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  A bird feeder.  Don't ask.  There is a story but I refuse to tell it.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?  It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas (I am a sap), Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Christmas Vacation (but I also love to laugh)

13. When do you start shopping? Depends on the year, and most of all depends on our success or failure in budgeting that year.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?  I don't think so, I have recycled many other gifts but I can't remember a Christmas one.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?  Pecan strips, Christmas cookies, and Christmas dinner.  I, like my friend JenIg, steal 40% of whatever candy the kids get.  Up until now, though, I never used it as a way to teach my kids about Democratic tax policies, but that's a great idea.  Thanks, Jen!

16. Lights on the tree?  White only, and the tiny kind.  That's what came on the tree... see above.

17. Favorite Christmas song?  I love em all, can't pick a favorite.

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home?   Stay at home and then travel all over the city to different family gatherings all day Christmas Eve and day.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?  Yep.  But I have to sing the song to do it.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?  Angel who is always crooked and getting pretty dinged up but we love her.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?   At our house, in the morning.  But grandparents on Christmas Eve... and Christmas afternoon.... and later in the week....

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year Diamond commercials.... Oh my, Jen, how I completely agree with you about this one but would have never thought of it!  Also, trying to figure out schedules between everyone.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?  There is no theme and we have every color.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? EVERYTHING.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?  Again, gotta steal from a friend... Jen put 30 thousand dollars, and I sure would take that!  (Or a free new house, I'm not picky.)