1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. Just--nicer in my opinion.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
We've had the same artificial one for as long as I can remember--that seems to work fine.

3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually a day to a week after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Sometime in January...

5. Do you like eggnog?
Never had it actually. Maybe there's a reason.

6. Favourite gifts received as a child?
Mm... Not sure really. *shrug* None stand out really.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Um--Dad and Mom. Dad probably.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
My best friend.

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A shirt from Kohls. It was awful. I did NOT like it.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Not sure--maybe a month or two ago.

11. Do you have a nativity?
Yep. Small--kind of a "shelf" one.

12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
"It's a Wonderful Life"??

13. Favourite Christmas book?
Not sure.

14. Favourite Christmasy dessert?
Peppermint stick dessert!

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
Sweet Potato Pie!

16. Lights on the tree? Coloured or white?
Colored lights.

17. Favourite Christmas songs?
I like "The Christmas Song" by Owl City... And of course, hymns like "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"... Casting Crown's "Peace on Earth" is good too. I think.

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

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Nope, I don't think so.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
An angel this year. Sometimes it varies.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Sometime on Christmas day--Though I tell ya, having to wait until Christmas evening or a few days AFTER Christmas is torture.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Annoying songs, Annoying Santas, and... yeah.

23. Favourite ornament theme or colour?
Um... I'd be happy with just beads and lights and maybe some fake berries stuck in for good measure.

24. Favourite for Christmas dinner?
Isn't this the food question asked earlier??... hm. Well, I said Sweet Potato Pie then. And it'd be the same now.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I really don't know. My brothers are getting me "earbuds" since mine broke... Not sure what my parents are getting for us/me though. For the past few years I've kind of known what I was getting.

ilovefauns: I love the ditto house! that is awesome!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. It's always more fun and exciting to open wrapped presents.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real! There's always something special about them... the wintery, Christmassy smell of a piece of the woods brought indoors. *happy sigh*

3. When do you put up the tree? It depends. If we're lucky, it'll be within a week and a half after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime after Christmas... in January...

5. Do you like eggnog? I've never had it, actually.

6. Favourite gifts received as a child? Hmm... nothing particular comes to mind.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Probably my sister.

8. Easiest person to buy for? Dad.

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? An ugly outfit I received from my grandma once. No kidding... it was nasty.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Ehh.... I don't know. It depends. This year, I... ... haven't bought anything yet at all.

11. Do you have a nativity?Yep, two of them.

12. Favourite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life!!

13. Favourite Christmas book? Probably "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever".

14. Favourite Christmasy dessert? Figgy pudding.

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas? Oof, that's hard. I really don't know... everything's good!

16. Lights on the tree? Coloured or white? Hm.. not sure. I like them both.

17. Favourite Christmas songs? Ummm.. "What Child is This?", "O Holy Night", "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", "Birthday of a King", and others like that.

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

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Ehh... I'll try. Dancer, Prancer, Donner/Donder, Vixen, Cupid, Comet, Blitzen, and... that's it.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? An angel.

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

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Fat santas who won't shut up.

23. Favourite ornament theme or colour?
Ehhh.... no clue on that one.

24. Favourite for Christmas dinner?
Well... we don't usually have a big Christmas dinner.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Oof, I don't know. I'll be happy with what I get!

I don't use wrapping paper OR gift bags! I just hide the gift behind my back, then hand it over!

I have a question and be honest in your answers, please . How many of you believed in Santa when you were young (or do you still? ).

I remember when I was 5 or 6 I woke up on Christmas morning and went out to go see the aftermath of Santa's visit. Of course everyone had a big ol' stack of loot, but that all paled in comparison when I ran into the kitchen and saw hoofmarks all over the kitchen floor tracked in from the back door. There were a whole line of em', complete with a half eaten carrot (for the reindeer) and cookie crumbs and an empty glass of milk (for Santa of course) on a little table we had between the kitchen and the living room. I called my friends over to my house to take a look and every one of them was floored .

My mom told me later on in life that she took potting soil and with her pointer and middle fingers rubbed two lines into the linoleum floor so that it resembled a rough reindeer track. She also said I wouldn't let her mop that part of the kitchen floor for months. That was a really cool Christmas, I must admit. One of the reasons I'm so looking forward to having kids is so that I can do the same kind of stuff with them too. Do any of you have similar Santa stories growing up?

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper, preferably recycling used paper!
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real, growing until I choose it and taken home freshly cut. (NZ Pinus Radiata)
3. When do you put the tree up? Usually get it first Saturday in December.
4. When do you take the tree down? After Twelfth Night party on 6 Jan.
5. Do you like eggnog? The name puts me off.
6. Favorite gifts received as a child? Dolls house made by Dad (age c 6); my first set of Narnia books (age 18).
7. Hardest person to buy for? Not sure.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Males.
9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't recall one.
10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? A couple of months before Christmas, informally.
11. Do you have a nativity? Yes.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Snowman
13. Favorite Christmas book? Thora Hird's Christmas countdown book.
14. Favorite Christmasy dessert? Christmas pudding with custard
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fresh berries (summer fruit)
16. Lights on the tree? Colored or white? Yes, coloured.
17. Favorite Christmas songs? In the Deep Midwinter, Silent Night, many more.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Both
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who think songs about winter are Christmas songs.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Charlie Brown on globe of world, singing "Joy to the World" from Bonners (sp?) in Michigan.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing especially. My garden to be tidied. Cures for my trees which all seem to have fungus or wind damage.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper, preferably recycling left over and unused Christmas wrapping paper from last year.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I'm allergic to pine trees, plus it is more economical to reuse a tree as long as possible, even if it is only once or twice.
3. When do you put the tree up? Whenever I get my family into gear.
4. When do you take the tree down? Before Jan 6th, the Orthodox Christmas.
5. Do you like eggnog? Is that something like an egg flip?
6. Favorite gifts received as a child? Books.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Grown-ups like me.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Little kids.
9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The chair off a doll's house dining room set meant for someone else, when I was still five years old.
10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When the the school year ends.
11. Do you have a nativity? Only a little one. Otherwise no.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It isn't a movie actually. It is the yearly televised Christmas Carols put on either at the Melbourne Myers Bowl or else at Sydney Town Hall.
13. Favorite Christmas book? Good question!
14. Favorite Christmasy dessert?A nice flambé'ed Christmas pudding with cream or icecream, and threepences and sixpences in it for luck.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fresh berries (summer fruit)

Have to agree! Especially if they are on a pavlova.

16. Lights on the tree? Colored or white? Yes, coloured.

Absolutely!
17. Favorite Christmas songs? Adeste Fidelis, O Holy Night, the Holy City and the Three Drovers.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Definitely stay at home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No, not without looking them up.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Preferably a star.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning, after Church attendance.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who think songs about winter are Christmas songs.

Amen! How could I not agree?
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Anything but white. Or Black.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Something someone else has cooked. But seriously, my grandma's basin puddings with threepences and sixpences in them, to fish out and then go and spend.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Not to be lumbered with the washing up, a nice cool day and to live long enough to enjoy the treats promised for next year's Christmas, that is to say, Deathly Hallows and Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

That's a great story, Shadowlander .
But I can honestly say I never believed in Santa clause. I always disliked him, even as a kid, lol.
I always thought it must be a downer when kids found out it wasn't true, and kinda mean to let them on lol.

Haven't posted in this thread yet. Thought I'd pop in and post a few pictures of our Christmas decoration this year!

I noticed no one else had posted any photos of their decorations. I'd love to see everyone's, if anyone would care to post them!

I'll always be a,
NL101

Shadowlander: I never believed in Santa, and I never will!

Shadowlander: I never believed in Santa, and I never will!

So, no good stories about him then, eh?

Shadowlander: No, I have never believed in Santa. We always knew our parents/relatives were the ones supplying the gifts. So no Santa stories, sorry.

Later when I have more time on I will post my favorite family Christmas traditions.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Our dad takes some of us out into the "Middle of nowhere" to pick out a free-range tree!

3. When do you put up the tree?
Umm.. it varies. This year it is not up yet! But last year I think we got it up around the 15th.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Sometime after my brother's birthday in the first week of January.

5. Do you like eggnog?
Not really. I usually drink about one cup of it per year, and that is enough for me!

6. Favourite gifts received as a child?
A bag with knitting needles and yarn, same as my sisters. Our mom taught us how to knit that year. The poor woman. It was insanity! It took us like two weeks to be able to do the bare basics! Several of us were reduced almost to hysterics by the 26th, due to our inability to produce anything looking like actual knitting. Oh, the memories!

7. Hardest person to buy for?
Papa, Mama, and baby brother.

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Probably my 8 year old sister.

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Hmm. I don't seem to have a long memory for that kind of thing. Probably excessive amounts of cheap candy from our Papa's manager at Christmas Parties.
She is a very nice lady, though. There are just so many of us to buy for!

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
This year, about the 12th of December. Usually I have a couple gifts by September.

11. Do you have a nativity?
Yes, a cute little ceramic Avon set my parents received after their marriage. We are all very attached to it. Also, I have a sweet little handmade felt-and dowel set from a long-ago Sunday-school teacher. I believe she made one for every child! A lot of love went into it. It is very special to me.

12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
I have not seen many. For some reason, I've never found "It's a Wonderful Life" more then mediocre. I guess probably an older version of A Christmas Carol. I don't remember which one at the moment, but we've seen it several times. I would like to see The Nativity Story, but have not yet.

13. Favourite Christmas book?
The Jesse Tree.

14. Favourite Christmasy dessert?
My Mama's homemade granola, (she only makes it at Christmas) on vanilla ice cream. The Best!

15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
I would have to say same as above!

16. Lights on the tree? Coloured or white?
Colored.

17. Favourite Christmas songs?
We Three Kings, Carol of the Bells! Both wonderful. Oh, and What Child is This.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
When I was little we would travel to my maternal Grandparent's house. But then we moved with the army and no longer travel for Christmas. Well, actually, the last couple of years we have traveled to the semi-local Alyeska Hotel sometime in December for couple days of relaxation.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
No way. Just Rudolph. And Dancer and Prancer. And Donner. (there is one named Donner, right?)

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

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas afternoon, more like!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Over commercialization. And the fact that Christmas advertisements start before Thanksgiving! (Or is that the same thing?)

23. Favourite ornament theme or colour?
Umm... I've never really thought about it. I guess [well done] homemade.

24. Favourite for Christmas dinner?
Meat stew.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Let's see. Do you want it in alpha order, or just as they occur to me Just kidding! Books, one or two accordion files, organic toothpaste (really!), a pair of earrings.

I never believed in Santa; It just wasn't part of our growing up. I didn't even really know that other people believed in him until I informed my best friend that there wasn't a santa and she got really mad at me.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real! They smell so nice, and cutting it down is so much fun.

3. When do you put up the tree? Third sunday of Advent.

4. When do you take the tree down? After Epiphany, usually.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yuck. Aka, no.

6. Favorite gifts received as a child? I think that I got Fashion Pollys one year for Christmas. And candy was always good.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Ugh, my parents!

8. Easiest person to buy for? My sister, Sarah. I know what she likes cause we're so close in age.

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My sister gave me a bag of rocks. And my other sister gave me this atrocious plaid skirt one year. I was very bad at covering up that I hated it. To this day I think it was ugly.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? When Advent starts!

11. Do you have a nativity? Yep! It's lovely, from Bronner's Christmas Store in Michigan.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Tough call. It's between Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the old Miracle on 34th Street.

13. Favorite Christmas book? Oh dear. Who knows? The Christmas Story, by Tomie De Paola, probably. It's a pop-up book!

14. Favorite Christmasy dessert? Jam Thumb-print cookies!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Home-made Cinnamon Rolls! Mmmmm...

16. Lights on the tree? Yes sir! Colored, with ginormous bulbs. I love them!

17. Favorite Christmas songs? "Joy to the World" has been my all time favorite. I also like "O Holy Night".

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

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dancer and Prancer and Donner and Vixen, Blitzen, Rudolph...Bah, I fail.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star. It has a bell in it, so it jingles if the tree starts falling.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. Stockings when we wake up, presents after Mass!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That Christmas music is playing directly after Thanksgiving! I mean, come on! It's an entire month before Christmas for crying out loud!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We don't have themes...

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham and other delicious food.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Good books, Taylor Swift CD and Switchfoot CD, and two movies.

Aww...Santa's not at all bad, methinks. My parents explanation to me was that God's biggest gift to the world was Christ, and so Santa was kind of an "employee" of God, giving smaller gifts to little kids to show that same element of gift-giving, albeit on a much smaller scale. But we always kept in our minds that while the gifts we got were cool they all paled considerably next to The Biggest Gift of all.

And darn it, it was cool when I believed in Santa. Here was this portly, kindly old dude sneaking down the chimney one day a year (or through the backdoor because we didn't have a chimney) and depositing goodies under the tree. And I'd lay in bed really struggling to stay awake to catch him in the act but inevitably falling asleep, even after listening on the radio when the announcer would say "Santa's been spotted over New York", or what have you. There was just this pure, innocent kind of magic about it that really just appealed to me as a little kid. In fact, the killjoys at school who loudly proclaimed there was no Santa were the ones I imagined to have gotten a stockingful of coal (although I often wondered why coal would really be *that* bad, considering there were far worse things Santa could have put in there ), but all in all it was a lot of fun and something I really look forward to sharing with my kids when they eventually come along.

TheGeneral and Liberty: ditto on Santa. I'm finally posting something in this thread!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper [carefully opened to preserve it]

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial ... cheaper, doesn’t catch on fire, reusable

3. When do you put the tree up? First week in December

4. When do you take the tree down? Around New Year’s Day

5. Do you like eggnog? I love eggnog!

6. Favorite gifts received as a child? Hmm. I liked books and clothes.

7. Hardest person to buy for? Everybody. I’m not very good at picking gifts. But it's been getting easier over the years.

8. Easiest person to buy for? See #7.

9. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? None.

10. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Early to mid-December

11. Do you have a nativity? No. But I like them! They should be displayed everywhere, including public property!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? “White Christmas,” “It’s a wonderful life,” and Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel. Fav Christmas TV show: “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Yes, more than one.

13. Favorite Christmas book? None in particular

14. Favorite Christmasy dessert? Cookies, spice cake

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Green bean casserole

16. Lights on the tree? Colored or white? Yes, white.

17. Favorite Christmas songs? Be prepared!
Carols: “We three kings,” “O come o come Emmanuel,” “Joy to the world,” “God rest ye merry gentlemen,” "In the bleak midwinter."
David Phelps: "Joy Joy"
Selah: “Joy,” "What child is this," “Light of the stable”
Avalon: “Joy to the world,” “Angels we have heard on high,” “We are the reason”
Michael W Smith: “All is well,” "Christmastime"
Evie: "Come on ring those bells"
Other: “Mary did you know,” “Sweet little Jesus boy,” “We come from the glory,” “What a wonderful child,” “Go tell it on the mountain,” "One small child," "Carol of the bells."

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? No and I don’t care.

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

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People saying “Happy holidays” and secular “Christmas” songs with cheap lyrics, like “Santa baby.” Yuck!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Red

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham or turkey

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Nothing really. I may not even get anything. It’s not the first time. But I love giving! This year, I’m giving my mom a CD of her favorite singer.

Check out these links for some great Christmas songs!
My Christmas playlist on YouTube [woefully incomplete ]
Avalon, "Joy"
David Phelps, "Joy Joy"
Gaither Vocal Band, "Christmas Style"
Gaither Homecoming Friends, "Joy to the World" I heard this on the radio last night!
Michael W Smith, "The Ultimate Christmas Collection"
Selah, "Rose of Bethlehem" [Amazon.com, 30-second clips, buy CD, etc ]

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
1. “It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers, that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in” [Isaiah 40]. What is Christmas all about? God became a grasshopper! At Christmastime, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. We celebrate the fact that Hope entered the world. But when Jesus Christ entered this world as a little baby, He was far from home: heaven. He was homeless, a stranger and pilgrim on this earth. There was “no room” for Jesus or His parents “in the inn” [Luke 2]. “He came unto His own and His own received Him not” [John 1]. The world rejected Christ its Maker. During His 3.5-year ministry, Jesus had no place to lay His head [Luke 9]. Think about it. God the Creator and Sustainer of all life had no place on this earth to lay His head. That’s just one small taste of what He sacrificed for us! Is there room for Jesus in your heart this Christmas? Have you made your heart Christ’s Bethlehem? Check out this Talleys song: “My heart would be Your Bethlehem”.
2. Isaiah 9:6 and John 3 it's the nature of God to give and He gave us His best ... His Son Jesus Christ. What have you given God and others this Christmas? We reflect the glory of Christ when we give! Check out this video on teenage affluenza.
3. I really want to know... What are you doing for others this Christmas, with your time and money? Angel Tree: giving presents to children of prisoners. Then there's feeding the homeless. Some families are using money normally spent on Christmas gifts and giving it to missions, to others in need, etc.