Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

(Below is the Christmas card I designed for this year)

Christmas Quizical

I always see these cute little Q & A's on other people's blogs and I think they're so fun to read. I came across this Christmas one and as I found myself answering it in my head as I was reading, so I decided to hop on that train...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper, all the way. I rarely give gifts in bags (I first typed this bags in gifts...Christmas Eve nap necessary maybe?) Wrapping gifts went up a notch this year with crafting pom-poms and stamping (see a few posts below).

2. Real tree or Artificial? I think I may have a slight allergy to real, but definitely real.

3. When do you put up the tree? I don't have a tree, but for me no decorations of any sort before Thanksgiving. November 25--game on.

4. When do you take the tree down? Decorations down by the 1st ideally.

5. Do you like eggnog? Don't love it nor hate it. There's just something slightly off-setting to me when I pour something in the glass, and go to rinse it out and it leaves a film that only soap takes off. However, I am making an eggnog cake today.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My mom was (is) a great gift giver. Christmases were fun!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No! :( I do not have one yet (nor many decorations). That being said, starting with a clean-decorating slate is exciting for me, and I love getting to choose just what I want. I remember my family's generic nativity scene as a child (which my barbies would visit) and I know that I really want to find something a bit more meaningful for me. I would love to pick up a nativity scene from Israel or Africa, or this GORGEOUS scene made out of driftwood that is at a store downtown. But until it is 75% off, it won't be mine.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Male cousin and nephews; they are all teenage boys. That's all I have to say about that.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Roommate and my mother.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Nothing is coming to mind...blocked out maybe? I do remember one of the more shocking gifts as being an anatomically-correct boy baby doll when I was young.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf, and Love Actually. And How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Dr. Suess version, not the Jim Carry version. Yikes).

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When I see something on sale. Or that's just right, so usually in the spring.

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peppermint-Mochas from Starbucks. And only in the red cup. With half the chocolate. And non-fat milk. And no whip. And no foam. Yes, I'm that girl when ordering at Christmas time.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Depends.

17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night and O Come O Come Emmanuel.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Prancer, Comet, Cupid...Blitzen?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? This year: yesterday, when taking a trip to Trader Joes and Publix for a few ingredients and it turning into a 2.5 hour trip (which is usually a 30 minute trip).

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? Classic.

Hiking

One more thing that happened in the past couple months is that my birthday twin and I turned 26! We spread out our celebrations over 2 weekends (I have learned from wise people over the past few years that it's good to spread these things out), and we started the celebrating with a hike up Blood Mountain. While in hometown we had been enjoying unseasonably warm weather, for a while it was cold. And it was COLD the weekend we went hiking. The bulk of N.'s and my conversation on Friday night involved how many layers we were going to be wearing. 5:30 a.m. came early enough (to a remark later of, "why do we never do anything late?" [see HH trip]) and we were off! We drove and drove, parked, and got going.

Well, we got going after N. saw the sign about bears in the area, "what do you do?!?!" and trying to sort out the way, N.-"are you sure this is the trail?" Me, "no."

But we made it! And it was beautiful!

All the pictures from this trip were from N.'s iPhone; I was advised by N. to not bring my camera. Something about "falling" and "breaking it." It's like she knows me or something.

P.S. Final layer count: 7