Christmas Questionnaire (& Freebies!)

I love, love, love the theme of this linky party!

Hosted by Fabulous in First :

My favorite part is seeing everyone's pictures & reading about their traditions. I just reread that & it sounds like I may be a blog-stalker. I ♥ to catch glimpses of how other people decorate!

To participate, I'm going to have to go back & forth between my own holiday growing up and how we celebrate (or not) in the present day. Hopefully that will make sense as I write on...

Hot Chocolate or Eggnog?

Both! Growing up it was definitely hot chocolate. My mom was the kind to make everything from scratch and I remember her stirring hot chocolate on the stove. But I def wouldn't mind the dehydrated mini-marshmallow kind either - it's all good! As a grown-up, I'm now all about the eggnog.

Does Santa wrap presents or sit them underneath the tree?

Santa always wrapped the gifts and they were under the tree week(s) ahead of time. I had memorized the gift tags, size, and placement by Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, there were always 1-2 unwrapped gifts added to the stash :)

Colored lights or white?

I like single-colored lights, whether white, green, or red. I think they look so simple & elegant!

When do you decorate?

"Decorate" is a term used loosely around here. Since we travel for the holidays, we no longer put up a tree and get crazy with lights. We have a few traditional items that we put out Thanksgiving weekend. 

What is your favorite Christmas song? 

I ♥ every single Christmas carol! Fast, slow, sappy, classic...I can't imagine choosing one, but it wouldn't be Christmas without hearing Vince Guaraldi's Christmas Time is Here.

Candy Canes. Yuck or Yum? 

I (thankfully) do not like candy canes, so I don't feel tempted to eat them. One of my traditions is to make peppermint fudge for gifts and I never eat a bite!

Favorite Christmas Movie? 

There's no way I can choose only one...White Christmas, Christmas Vacation, Elf, Polar Express, Miracle on 34th Street (1994). 

Do you shop online or at stores?

I only shop online these days. I don't know how I ever survived before signing up for Amazon Prime!

Favorite Christmas Memories or Traditions?

Both of our families are from the Midwest. For years, we always made the drive/flight home to Ohio whether we lived in Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, or Baltimore. For the past 5 years or so, we decided to make an extended visit to see family during the summer when everyone had a more relaxed schedule and less germs. This was decided after the second year in a row I had the stomach flu on the flight back from the holidays (it actually has happened a total of three times - it's something I never hope to experience again!). Our new tradition is a very quiet vacation in Florida for a week during the holidays. It's a time to sleep, read, breathe fresh air, and sleep some more:

We stay at my M.I.L's beach house and she decorates it for us with "beachy" Christmas decorations! We visit several times a year, so we know the area and have all our favorite sights and restaurants:

You may have noticed a theme in the pictures...I only pack gym clothes to wear! Actually, I will pack one dress to wear Christmas Eve when we go here, but the rest of my suitcase is tank tops and running skirts/capris! That's a true vacation ♥

I also organize all my reading materials to take to the beach. I still have time (thanks again Amazon Prime!) to order more...please link up to share your must-read books! Thanks!!

A Linky Party!

My newest holiday traditions are the ones I make with my students. We play Coal, write letters to S.C. (freebie!), perform RAK (freebie!), and wait to see what Justin Bieber (freebie!) is going to do next! I hope to continue to build on these traditions in the years to come :)