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"She Loves Me" - 1978 BBC production with Robin Ellis and Gemma Craven

Christmas meme

I have had little interest in blogging lately.  I guess any extra energy is going into physical therapy and practicing flute for choir tomorrow (and keeping things going while dear husband was gone all week).  I've reached my "feeling a failure at Christmas" point, after which, hopefully, I'll start to enjoy it.

[Later note:  I wrote this post this afternoon.  We decorated the tree this evening, and I'm feeling much more Christmas-y.]

I have energy and feel pretty good earlier in the day, but, by the time I get on the computer, I have no energy and feel rather flat.  I'm even behind on our photoblog about Duke Gardens.  I haven't even done anything with the camera lately. 

We had some snow last night, but I can't do anything in it, or even go outside, because it's icy and I don't want to re-injure my knee while it's healing. 

I realized, when I came across this Christmas meme at Electronic Cerebrectomy, that I haven't done a meme in a long time.  This is a long meme (though I've cut out some questions) which will make up for that (pictured right: Biltmore House last December):

Favorite Christmas…PC120027
01. Non-Jesus-related song?
Baby, It's Cold Outside    

02. Jesus-related song?
Silent Night (I can also sing the first verse in Estonian)

03. Santa-related song?
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

04. Fictional character?
Jim and Della in O. Henry's Gift of the Magi

06. Dinner’s dessert?
...has to be chocolate

07. Scent (pine, gingerbread, candles…)?
Pulla

08. Animated movie?
Rudolph

09. Non-animated movie?
She Loves Me

This or That
12. Candy cane or peppermint patties?
Neither.  I like pillow mints or After Eight mints.

13. Sugar or gingerbread cookies?
Estonian Christmas cookies

14. Tinsel or beaded strands?
Tinsel.

15. Multi-colored or same-colored lights?
Multi-colored. Same-colored are too tasteful.

16. Flashing or still lights?PC120019
Still on our tree/outdoor decorations. Flashing on other peoples'.  I like to look at the flashing ones, but I don't want to see them all the time. (Lights to the right are at the Biltmore House)

17. Wreaths or mistletoe/holly?
Neither.  I have a bad memory of wreaths from high school, and dear husband can do wonderfully without the mistletoe.

18. Rudolph or Frosty?
Rudolph

19. Sledding or snowball fights?
Sledding.  I couldn't do that today because of my knee.

20. Snow or ice/icicles?
Snow

21. Snow hat or earmuffs?
Hat

22. Getting or giving?
Giving.

23. Snow days or plow trucks?
Snow days!

24. Stockings or presents?
Presents

26. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
Both.  They each have their own specialness.  Our church has a beautiful Christmas Eve service (and lots of fun singing for the choir).

27. Log Burning Channel or real thing?
Log Burning Channel?!  Heresy!

Real thingPC250017

28. Cards or emails?
I like letters that tell you what people have been doing.  I might even get ours out this year.

First Thought That Comes To Mind When You Hear…
67. Snowflake!
Falling

68. Pinecones!
Bluegrass

69. Elves!
Herbie

70. Sleigh!
Ride

71. Presents!
Open

72. Cookies!
Yummmm!

73. Mistletoe!
Yummmmm! [The kissing - not the mistletoe, which is poisonous]

74. Rudolph!
Like a lightbulb

75. Blizzard!
Not where we live

76. School’s Canceled!
Friends for younger son to play with

77. Ice Skating!
Weak ankles

79. Black Friday!PC130037
Go hiking

80. God’s Son!
Adoring

83. Nutcracker!
Rehearsals (lots of rehearsals)

What’s a Winter Activity YOU Do…
86. …In the snow by yourself?
Take pictures

87. …Inside by yourself?
Read

88. …In a public place (with/alone)?
Go to see Christmas Decorations with my family (e.g. Biltmore House, in Asheville, pictured right, and above)

89. …With friends/family in the snow at home?
Sledding

90. …With friends/family inside at home?
Games

Grade/Rate Holiday Movies A – F
91. A Christmas Story. Haven't seen it
92. How The Grinch Stole Christmas? B for the original.  I'll never see the recent one.
93. The Santa Clause? Haven't seen it.
 94. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer? A+++
95. Frosty The Snowman? A.  This doesn't get an A+ because it scared me when I was very little.  Every time we made a snowman, I was afraid it would come inside and melt on my floor (I didn't need snow creations committing suicide in my room).
96. Home Alone? Haven't seen it.
97. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Haven't seen it.
98. Elf? You know, I don't watch most recent Christmas movies
99. Miracle on 34th Street? A+. It just came from Netflix
100. A Charlie Brown Christmas? A+

Christmas At My House…(one or the other)
111. Tree is fake/real?
Fake.  I'm allergic to real ones.  The one we have is the one my parents bought when they figured out that we were allergic. 

112. Tree is under/above 4′?
Above.

113. Open presents Christmas Eve/Day?
Christmas Day at home or Christmas Eve at my mother's house.

114. House/entire yard is decorated?
Moderate decorations inside.  A few bushes and a tree outside.

115. Amount of presents under the tree?PC250025
Enough to take quite a while at a leisurely pace.

116. Snowman is a male/female?
Non-gendered

117. Go for Santa?
We don't make a big deal of Santa.  A simple stocking will do. 

118. Homemade/delivered/takeout Christmas dinner?
Homemade.  Last year, at daughter's request, we had stuffed shells for Christmas dinner.  I don't know what dear husband will make this year (he's the creative cook.  I'm not).

  119. Bedtime is before/after midnight?
After.  We have a Christmas cookie snack after we get back from the Christmas Eve service.

120. Wake-up is before/after 7am?
LOL!

After.

123. Do shopping before/after Thanksgiving?
After.  November has its own joys.

124. Low-key/over the top decorations (inside and out)?
Low key outside, but we have lots of fun and creative ornaments on the tree (pictured above and below).

Have You Ever?

PC250019 128. Sat on Santa’s lap?
Long ago

129. Shoveled the driveway/sidewalk?
Yes. We had a long driveway in upstate NY (one of the reasons I love NC)

130. Made snow angels?
Yes.

131. Built a fort/igloo?
Yes.  We did build a wonderful one once in NY.

135. Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
Still fun.

136. Went caroling?
I love caroling, but I haven't had a chance to do any for years.  I keep thinking of trying to get a caroling party together, but I'm always behind on what I have to do in December.

137. Got hurt during the winter season?
Do two knee surgeries count?

138. Gone ice skating/sledding?
I love both.

139. Kissed under a mistletoe?
There must have been some mistletoe at some party dear husband and I have been to - in which case, yes.

True Or False
181. You prefer to stay inside where it’s warm?
I feel cooped up inside.  Particularly today.

182. You’ve given something (or $) to charity?
Yes.

183. You spent more than what people spent on you?
Who keeps track?!

184. You like to take your time opening presents?
Yes.

185. The thing you want most this year costs $100+?
Dear husband and I got each other a new CD player (our old one is rejecting more and more of our CDs), which arrived last week.  We'll open it at Christmas.

188. Christmas = snow?
Central NC = No

189. You know the lyrics to more than 25 Christmas songs?
Definitely!

Grab Bag
190. Three best things about Christmas?
Sitting and snuggling someone in front of the lit tree with all the other downstairs lights off. 
Baking.
Watching everyone open presents - particularly the Christmas treasure hunt.  For each of our kids, I make a treasure hunt with about 8 or 9 clues.  The clues start with pictures when the kids are young, and go to riddles or word scrambles when they're older.  One year, I did a French word scramble for older son. 

(Hint (which I learned from older son):  Word scrambles are the most difficult when the scramble looks like a real word)

191. Worst Christmas song?
There are so many bad ones, it's hard to decide.

194. Tastiest holiday treat?
Egg white cookies with chocolate chips

195. Favorite pop culture Christmas icon?
Rudolph

196. Know how to make cookies/brownies/cake from scratch?
Yes.  They're best that way.

199. What kind of pattern/pictures do you like on your wrapping paper?
Pretty or interesting or colorful.  Most of the wrapping paper I've seen at the stores this year wasn't interesting enough. 

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