Hi, hi! 😀
Sooooo I was hoping to have a vegan cookie dough truffle recipe for you guys today, but I didn’t really have a chance to do much experimenting with all the Christmas cooking I had to do over the weekend, and the one batch I did manage to squeeze in didn’t quite meet my standards. So it’s back to the drawing board with that one, and if things go well, hopefully I can have it up for you guys within the next day or two.
In the meantime, I thought I’d make things festive with a little Christmas survey action. I filled one out last year as well, and figured I might as well make a tradition out of it 😛
Egg Nog or hot chocolate?
Nothing beats a warm cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream.
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He most definitely wraps them! And when I was younger he had to make sure to wrap them extra well so that I couldn’t peak ahead of time 😉
Coloured lights on tree/house or white?
White lights. We had coloured lights on our tree when I was growing up, but I switched over to white when I moved out on my own.
Do you hang mistletoe?
I don’t, and I can’t honestly say that I’ve ever come across anyone who does. Do people really do that? Or is it only something they do in the movies?
When do you hang your decorations up?
Usually the first Sunday of Advent.
What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
My mom’s been making this potato/egg/veggie salad type thing (similar to this one) for the holidays for pretty much as long as I can remember, and while I used to hate it when I was younger (I hated all veggies… and eggs), it’s easily my favourite dish on the table now… especially since we only have it a few times a year.
Favourite holiday memory as a child?
Probably having my grandma come spend Christmas with us one year. All of my family (besides Mom and Dad) live in Poland, and I’ve never been able to spend any holidays with them. Having my grandma around for that one Christmas was definitely a special treat.
What is on your Christmas wish-list?
Honestly? Not a whole lot. We’ll be heading out to the Fairmont Banff Springs right before Christmas, so that’s kind of what I’m looking forward to the most.
Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve?
We do! My family is Polish and we actually celebrate Christmas Eve (Wigilia) more than we celebrate Christmas Day. We’ll spend the day prepping, sit down to a meatless dinner, open presents, relax for a while, and then head out to midnight mass. Absolutely adore it.
How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
With white lights, gold garlands, gold ribbons, and little critters made out of wood, twine, or felt. I’ve got a little shabby chic thing going on.
Snow? Love it or dread it?
Love it! Not only because I kind of need it for snowboarding, but because it makes everything look so pretty and festive. We’ve had snow every year for as long as I can remember, and I’m not sure it would feel like Christmas without it.
Real tree or fake tree?
Fake. I’d love to have a real tree, but my building doesn’t allow them so I get by with a nice pre-lit tree and some pine scented candles. Not gonna lie — the convenience factor is definitely a beautiful thing.
Do you remember your favorite gift?
A Playmobil dollhouse. You know that one toy that you placed on a pedestal when you were a child? That was mine. I wanted one for years before finally getting it for Christmas one year, and I adored that thing. I’m pretty sure that it’s still hanging out somewhere in my parents’ basement to this day.
What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Family and tradition.
What is your favourite holiday dessert?
Black Forest cake. I realize it has almost nothing to do with Christmas, but my mom always made one from scratch on holidays and birthdays, so it has a lot of sentimental value attached to it. Plus you can never go wrong with chocolate and whipped cream.
What is your favourite tradition?
Going to midnight mass. I don’t remember a Christmas where we didn’t go to midnight mass, and it always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
What tops your tree?
Air. I haven’t really found a tree topper that I love, so I’ve just been keeping it empty for now.
Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Giving… even though the process of trying to find the perfect gift stresses me out to the max. It’s a good feeling to see someone’s face light up when they open up a well thought out gift.
What is your favorite Christmas song?
All of my favourites are Polish carols. We usually don’t start playing them until the 24th, so they really make it feel like Christmas.
Candy canes, yuck or yum?
Indifferent? They’re not my favourite things in the world, but they’re not horrible either. I mostly use them for decorating.
Favorite Christmas Movie?
A Christmas Carol. Any version of it — Muppets, Mickey, Carrey, and all.
What do you leave for Santa?
Nothing anymore. But I used to leave milk and cookies out when I was younger, and I’d get all sorts of giddy when I woke up in the morning and saw that a few cookies were gone.
Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
Christmas mornings are usually pretty quiet for us since we do the majority of our celebrating on Christmas Eve, but we do open stockings, have a special breakfast together, and watch Christmas movies in our PJs.
Do you prefer to shop online or at the mall?
As crazy busy as it can be, I actually prefer doing my Christmas shopping in the mall. I just love all the excitement in the air. That and the pretty decorations and music help get me into the Christmas spirit.
Christmas letter or Christmas card?
Christmas cards. As much as I’d love to be able to send a long letter to everyone, I end up sending out way too many cards to write a super long message — it’d take me weeks to do.
What’s your favourite Christmas tradition?
Do you celebrate Christmas Eve?
Is your tree real or fake? What kind of lights do you have on it?
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Love this survey! I came across it through Road Runner Girl, who found it on Jill Conyer’s blog, who found it on your blog – So I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a great idea! I’m going to post mine late today.
It is so much fun to read about other’s traditions and memories. Thanks for the post!
We do fake too. Growing up, we had fake. For a couple years in high school, when we sold Christmas trees, we had 2 – a real and a fake. My Hus wants a real one so bad, but we got a real one 4 years ago and I STILL find needles! If we had hardwood floors, I’d be all for it, but not with carpet! And he just HAD to have a blue tree. He has wanted a blue tree forever, so it’s blue lights, blue ornaments, and blue tree skirt, but I added silver ornaments and snowflakes to it too. 😉 My mom would ALWAYS make TONS of homemade cinnamon rolls, but the last time she made them they didn’t turn out, so she said that tradition was over and she is never making them again! LOL
We used to celebrate Christmas Eve with my dad’s side of the family and Christmas Day with my mom’s, but now I live so far away from either that I’m lucky if it’s my year to do anything with them at Christmas. This year is the first year in our own house (that we own) and we’re hosting my husband’s family for Christmas dinner. We have a real tree with white lights and lots of random decorations that my children have picked out. I think my new favorite tradition is just watching them grow into Christmas. They are almost 4 and 1 1/2 this Christmas. I wish I still had their wonderment and awe at the lights, Santa, etc. Happy Holidays!
I agree, chocolate and whipped cream is always a good thing! That Black Forest cake and your mom’s veggie potato salad sound incredible. You need to share those recipes with us!!
This year we only got a little 3 foot tree because our new place is too small but it’s still real. Brandon and I both love that real tree scent so no fakes for us. But the top of ours is also decorated with air, haha! Our star was too big for the little tree. 🙂
We have a fake tree. I’ve never had a real one. My mom loved putting up the tree as soon as Thanksgiving was over growing up, so a real one was out of the question. We use colored lights.
We have a fake tree too… that Baby D tries to eat! lol… I can’t find a tree topper I love either!
What a great survey! I may have to play along. We also celebrate on December 24th as well. My mom is Hungarian and my dad is from Finland and that was their tradition. We generally have fish of some kind for dinner, then open presents!
We also celebrate on Xmas eve. Not much for us to do on actual Xmas day but continue eating. I always get a real tree. To me Xmas is not Xmas unless you have a real tree.
My favorite tradition is most definitely sending out Christmas cards. I LOVE sending and receiving them. Seriously the highlight of the season for me 🙂
I’m an avid snowboarder too. Even though I now live in Texas…. But I feel you on the snow part-Christmas just feels so legitimate with snow on the ground!
I had a Playmobil doll house, too! Actually, I think I still have it in the basement…
I always look forward to doing a ton of Christmas baking with my mom and to looking for the “Christmas pickle” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pickle) at my grandparents’ house.
We don’t celebrate Christmas Eve, really, but we celebrate ON Christmas Eve. We tend to celebrate with my mom’s family on Christmas Eve and my dad’s family on Christmas day.
We’ve always had a fake tree, because it’s less mess. And there are white lights on it! But one of the strands just went out. Should probably get that replaced…
We also celebrate Christmas Eve! I never celebrated on a morning, so this tradition is totally strange to me.
And as for christmas songs . I love the classics like Silent Night etc., but I must say my absolute top is Let it Snow. I LOVE this song. And All I want for Christmas is you from Mariah – even better when in ‘Love Actually’. 🙂
Favourite Christmas tradition- there’s a street near me where if you buy a house o it you have to sign a lifetime contract saying every Christmas you will put the most insane amount of effort possible into your lights/decorations. It’s open to the public to walk through OR take a horse drawn carriage! I’m having my birthday party there on Fri but we go as a family every year 🙂
Christmas Eve- we watch Miracle on 34th St and eat a good dinner!
Always real, always rainbow! You can see how lovably discombobulated it is: http://youtu.be/zVLC9DiYdd8
I love survey-type posts! You should do them more often!
http://youtube.com/sparklesandsuch26
Lets see, we have 1 real tree and 4-5 fake trees (I know crazy but they have themes) all white sparkle lights! We CELEBRATE Christmas Eve family comes in from Calif, Fla, Chicago so we get them all than and our Christmas Day is layed back and cozy. Go to church that morning. Tradition my mom passed away 3 years this coming Feb and I took over making Kugla its a Lithuanian potato dish turns out good but still not like hers. Merry Chrismas Amanda!
I didn’t get a tree for my apt… womp womp… but I’ll get a real one when I go home Friday 🙂
The playmobil dollhouse was on of my favourite gifts too! I felt so lucky as a little girl to have something so beautiful and big. I know it’s buried somewhere in my Dad’s house. I secretly want to dig it out and set it up, despite being 27 years old.
I’ve never seen any version of The Christmas Carol! I need to do that, apparently. Which version should I start with?
My favourite Christmas tradition is doing the giant crossword from The Globe and Mail with my family on Christmas Day. We take it very seriously and even wrote up a document of rules one time and made everyone sign it (because we’ve had instances of certain family members working on it behind others’ backs hahaha).
What’s your favourite Christmas tradition?
I am polish too! I always remember the opaitek being sent from Poland for is to share. Babcias delicious treats, my fathers bday is on Christmas Eve so we d always have his favorite …..Black Forest cake! Midnight mass , leaving cookies for Santa And most of all just the excitement and anticipation of going to sleep Xmas eve!
Do you celebrate Christmas Eve?
Is your tree real or fake? What kind What’s your favourite Christmas tradition?
Do you celebrate Christmas Eve?
Yes! Wigilia
Is your tree real or fake? What kind of lights do you have on it?
Fake!
of lights do you have on it?
I have white lights. More adult. If I had children i would prob do color
I also love going to Midnight Mass. When we come home we have dessert and open 1 present 🙂
We don’t really “celebrate” Christmas Eve, but it is by far my favorite. I think it’s just the anticipation of Christmas (counter that with the 3pm depression I fall into on Christmas Day). Even though I know there is no Santa and I pretty much know all the gifts I’m getting, it’s just so exciting to wait for Christmas! My favorite Christmas tradition is watching A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve! We used to bake and decorate cookies while the marathon was on and my dad would make his own specialty Chex Mix. Now, I’m into my 2nd(ish) Christmas as a married lady, so we’re still figuring out our traditions.