A Fun Game of Christmas Tag!

Okay, so I've got a fun post today!

I've been tagged by Lisa at Two Bears Farm and the Three Cubs to play Christmas tag! She's got a great blog filled with fun things like recipes, adventures she's been on, fun things she and her sons have done, great photos (you know, because a picture's worth a thousand words). AND she hosts Memory Lane Friday every week! When you get a chance, check out her blog. It's one of my favorites.

Anyway . . . she was tagged for this game of Christmas tag in blog-land, and now she's tagged me and a few other bloggers. So to keep the game going, I'm going to answer the questions she's posted. (To see her answers, by the way, check out her A Fierce Game of Christmas Tag post.)

1. When do you usually know and feel that it's finally the holidays?
For me, I think it usually starts around Halloween. See, because there's just something fun and festive about Halloween, with all the candy, the costumes, the trick-or-treaters. And now that Livie is trick-or-treating, it just feels like it's the kick-off for the holiday season.

Plus, just a couple weeks after Halloween, it's Veterans' Day, and my birthday. Then another couple weeks to Thanksgiving.

2. What do you want for Christmas this year?
 A horse, of course. And a dog. Well, not really, because we're on a tight budget, so nothing much. Maybe a couple things from L.L. Bean, or a couple "date nights" with Andrew so we can go out to a restaurant or to a movie (True Grit, Little Fockers, to name a couple).

3. Do you go all out with decorations?
Not really.  The tree, the stockings, a little chile-ristra made up of chile-pepper shaped red lights which we hung in the kitchen and turn on when it gets dark.

4. What are you doing Christmas Eve?
The morning of the 24th, I'm making our Christmas Eve dinner - chicken posole. Then it'll go into the fridge while I clean up the kitchen.

Then in the afternoon, we're getting dressed up to go to the first Christmas Eve Mass at 4:00 PM.  Afterward, we'll head home to heat up dinner and have a nice time at home.

Oh, we're going to track Santa's progress at NORAD's Santa Tracker. 

Hopefully Livie will go to bed early and easily, in preparation for Santa's visit.

Andrew and I will then be Santa's helpers, and, well, you know the rest . . .

5. What are you doing Christmas Day?
Well, Livie will get up so she can see what Santa brought. We'll eat breakfast, then head out to my parents' house (about 130 miles away) to visit with them for a few days. My mom is apparently going to make tacos for Christmas dinner!

6. It's Christmas time. What are you reading?
I'm reading a book called Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler. It's not a "Christmas" book because it's action-adventure. But it was an early Christmas present from my father-in-law, so it's an appropriate read, right? ;)

7. Favorite movie to watch during the holidays?
I'd have to say Miracle on 34th Street, the 1994 version. This was the topic of last Friday's Memory Lane Friday. CLICK HERE to read that post. But I also like Bad Santa, but that's not one I can watch with Livie.

8. Favorite Christmas song?
Hmm, let's see . . . Harry Connick, Jr's version of We Three Kings which I can't help but dance along to. Also, his version of The Little Drummer Boy, Dean Martin's Silver Bells, Eartha Kitt's Santa Baby, and Chris Botti's O Little Town of Bethlehem.

9. Favorite holiday drink?
Umm, usually I have to have one serving of Anderson Erickson's egg nog (non-alcoholic) to make it feel like the holiday season. Oh, and if you're wondering, Anderson Erickson (AE) is a local dairy.

There are some beverages that I'd love to try, though. I'd love to try glögi, which is a mulled wine enjoyed in Finland, and the other Scandinavian countries, as well, but they spell it differently.

I've also seen some holiday drinks in a magazine that I'd love to try - a peppermint martini type of drink, and hot buttered rum, just because I'm curious about how that tastes. One of these days . . .

10.How is your Christmas shopping going?
Done. I dislike shopping at this time of year, so I try to either get it done early, or order online.

11.If you could spend Christmas Day anywhere else, where would you spend it?
It would absolutely be in one of two places - either in Chicago, or in the Southwest.

There's something about being in a big city like Chicago around the holidays that just seems like magic. I get a little homesick for Chicago this time of year. The lights, the hustle and bustle, the hockey. . . . Plus, Andrew and I got married in Chicago just 10 days before Christmas. So I have a special fondness for Chicago this time of year.

And the Southwest? Maybe it's because I always loved Christmas at my grandparents' home in El Paso. Being with my grandparents at this time of year always brought out that Christmas magic feeling for me. Also, I love luminarias, and being in the desert Southwest at Christmastime. And the posole, tamales, and margaritas!

And maybe it was because we spent Livie's first Christmas in Alamogordo, but our New Mexican Christmas was probably one of my very favorite Christmases of all time, that Christmas in 2006.

Also, Santa Fe is magic, with the farolitos (luminarias), and the Las Posadas procession. The procession goes something like this: someone plays Mary and another plays Joseph as they try to find lodging for the night. They have a huge crowd with them as they stop at each door in the Plaza. No one answers, but they have people playing "the Devil" saying there's no room here. And at the end of the procession, someone finally does have room. Then everyone goes in and has hot chocolate and cookies.

I've always wanted to experience that. Maybe one of these years, when Livie's a little older, we'll be able to spend one Christmas there. 

12. Any holiday traditions?
My family always opened presents on Christmas Eve - the presents from family members. Then on Christmas Day, we'd open our presents from Santa.

The holiday tradition I've started with Livie is tracking Santa online, thanks to NORAD's Santa Tracker (see the link above, at question #4). I think I like it more than she does!

I've also enjoyed making cookies with Livie, now that she's old enough to help. It's fun!

13. Favorite thing about the holidays?
It's festive. I get to eat tasty treats normally reserved for this time of year. Andrew and I get to celebrate our anniversary. We get to be "Santa's Helpers" for young Livie. We get to spend time with each other, and our families.


Okay, so there you have it!

Now I'm going to tag a few people and hope they don't mind playing along:
Jessica at Little Merry Sunshine
Niki at Faith, Family, Friends and Food!
VtArmyWife at A Year in the Life of a Military Family
Beth at Social Climbers