For Those Who Celebrate Christmas/Part Two
Star or Angel? I have a kitty angel to top my tree.
White Lights or Colored Lights? White.
Blinking Lights or Still Lights? Still.
When do you open your gifts? I opened some on Christmas Eve during our Zoom celebrations, others on Christmas morning.
Do you buy gifts for your pet? No. Because I spoil them 365.
Be honest: What's the worst gift you've ever gotten? Nothing that rises (or sinks) to the title of "worst."
Have you ever traveled for the holiday? Oh, yes. Most years I'm in Key West for Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back there again next year. I miss celebrating with Henry, Reg and Patrick. There's so much love there.
Did you see Santa as a child? Only at the mall.
Can you name all the reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
Have you ever gone caroling? Nope.
Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? My mom loved it and nagged my dad until he acquiesced. So we'd pile into the car and drive out to the fancier suburb and look at the lights on the bigger, nicer houses. I was sensitive to the tension between my parents, and wondered about but couldn't articulate my problem with the class distinction thing (which felt very unChristmasy), so I didn't enjoy it. My sisters both loved it, though. In fact, my kid sister and her husband just posted Facebook pictures of their drive to that same tony suburb.
Have you ever left Santa cookies? Yes
Have you ever had a white Christmas? Not this year. In fact, not most years. January is, unfortunately, the big snow month here in Chicagoland.
Have you ever made a gingerbread house from scratch? From a kit? Nope.
Be honest: Do you think the season is too commercial? Nope. It's as commercial as you allow it to be.
Imagine you were going to create the quintessential holiday soundtrack -- which song(s) absolutely must be included? "The Christmas Waltz," "Blue Christmas," "Silent Night," "River," "Joy to the World."
What are your Christmas pet peeves? ONE: Die Hard is so a Christmas movie! Your basic holiday tropes are there: It takes place on Christmas Eve, the hero heals his estrangement from his family, and the disgraced cop is redeemed at a critical moment. TWO: "My Favorite Things" is not a Christmas song! Maria sings it during a summer rain storm in Salzburg. Trust me, it snows in Austria. If they wanted snow behind her as she sang, they could have it. Plus, in those days, brown paper packages tied up in string usually came from the mailman or the butcher, they were not gifts. She recalls her favorite things when "the bee stings," and bee sting is not one of your typical wintertime maladies. So leave "My Favorite Things" off your Christmas playlist.
White Lights or Colored Lights? White.
Blinking Lights or Still Lights? Still.
When do you open your gifts? I opened some on Christmas Eve during our Zoom celebrations, others on Christmas morning.
Do you buy gifts for your pet? No. Because I spoil them 365.
Be honest: What's the worst gift you've ever gotten? Nothing that rises (or sinks) to the title of "worst."
Have you ever traveled for the holiday? Oh, yes. Most years I'm in Key West for Christmas. Hopefully I'll be back there again next year. I miss celebrating with Henry, Reg and Patrick. There's so much love there.
Did you see Santa as a child? Only at the mall.
Can you name all the reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph.
Have you ever gone caroling? Nope.
Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? My mom loved it and nagged my dad until he acquiesced. So we'd pile into the car and drive out to the fancier suburb and look at the lights on the bigger, nicer houses. I was sensitive to the tension between my parents, and wondered about but couldn't articulate my problem with the class distinction thing (which felt very unChristmasy), so I didn't enjoy it. My sisters both loved it, though. In fact, my kid sister and her husband just posted Facebook pictures of their drive to that same tony suburb.
Have you ever left Santa cookies? Yes
Have you ever had a white Christmas? Not this year. In fact, not most years. January is, unfortunately, the big snow month here in Chicagoland.
Have you ever made a gingerbread house from scratch? From a kit? Nope.
Be honest: Do you think the season is too commercial? Nope. It's as commercial as you allow it to be.
Imagine you were going to create the quintessential holiday soundtrack -- which song(s) absolutely must be included? "The Christmas Waltz," "Blue Christmas," "Silent Night," "River," "Joy to the World."
What are your Christmas pet peeves? ONE: Die Hard is so a Christmas movie! Your basic holiday tropes are there: It takes place on Christmas Eve, the hero heals his estrangement from his family, and the disgraced cop is redeemed at a critical moment. TWO: "My Favorite Things" is not a Christmas song! Maria sings it during a summer rain storm in Salzburg. Trust me, it snows in Austria. If they wanted snow behind her as she sang, they could have it. Plus, in those days, brown paper packages tied up in string usually came from the mailman or the butcher, they were not gifts. She recalls her favorite things when "the bee stings," and bee sting is not one of your typical wintertime maladies. So leave "My Favorite Things" off your Christmas playlist.
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| In the movie, this was just days after she sang "My Favorite Things." Clearly not Christmastime. |
I kinda like being the arbiter of these things. Let me know if there's anything else Christmasy you need me to decide.
Your Christmas lights answer reminds me of my own childhood, where we drove to the more ritzy neighborhoods of San Francisco to see the lights.
ReplyDeleteWhat sort of wally thinks My Favourite Things is a Christmas Song? But agree with you about Die Hard - awesome movie. Hope you've had a good Christmas (or as you say over there, Happy Holidays)
ReplyDeleteWe watched The Sound of Music yesterday. It is not a Christmas movie, but I do enjoy the movie and the songs. I read the book too when I was a kid. I think it was called the Trap Family Singers.
ReplyDeleteI'll just be my own arbiter, I think. :-) Some children are very keyed in to what is going on with their parents, others not so much.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope next year you're back in Key West--I vicariously live for your toes in the sand pictures.
ReplyDeleteYour Christmas pet peeve answer made me laugh. I agree with you though. Loved your answers! Have a nice day!
ReplyDeletehttps://lorisbusylife.blogspot.com/
Your take on Die Hard was a revelation and YOU ARE SO RIGHT! I've shared it with others, and everyone agrees. Die Hard IS a Christmas movie, and shall no longer be Christmas-adjacent in my house. Your Sound of Music thing cracked me up, because it's my favorite "wrapping presents and watch along" movie. Why is it such a Christmas thing...inquiring minds want to know.
ReplyDeleteIt's understandable that you picked up on the tension with your parents, but I'm thinking you were an atypical child to think about class differences when looking at the lights. I've known very few kids who would think of that. We have been getting hit so hard with the snow here this month and it looks like a big storm is heading your way this week. I hope your January isn't too snowed in.
ReplyDeleteYou are SO right about Die Hard. My cable company gives me HBO Max for free. So I watched WW1984 this afternoon. Tonight it's Die Hard.
ReplyDelete