Christmas Meme

Brave Astronaut posted this one. I've left off the last two questions (it was one of those e-mail forwarding things). Now there is a nice balanced 25 questions.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or artificial? I grew up in the woods; trees belong outside. Plus, the artificial tree always looks better than the Charlie Brown trees my father brought home.
3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever.
4. When do you take the tree down? The first or second Saturday after Christmas.
5. Do you like egg nog? Yes, storebought. I drink one quart every year. I once had a friend make fresh and it was really thin and not so much.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't really remember the gifts I got. There is a photo of me with no front teeth and a really bad haircut beaming over the table hockey game but I don't even remember playing with it. I always loved getting a new box of 64 Crayolas, but did I get them for Christmas?
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Why would I have that? Christmas is about Santa Claus.
8. Hardest person to buy for? FIL. Even his kids have no idea what to get him.
9. Easiest person to buy for? My mother.
10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Handmade in the mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Probably the time my grandparents were being so evil to my mother that she stayed home alone while my father dragged us off to "enjoy" Christmas with his family. I was about seven, and 33 years later this is still my worst Christmas memory...be careful how you treat others in front of children.
12. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The day after Christmas.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course. My father's sister regularly gets me these spangly make-up bags. I give them to my maternal grandmother for her birthday in March.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? A tie between Aunt Mikki's cheeseball and her turtles. Oh, those turtles.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? White. Only. Ever.
17. Favorite Christmas song? "Silver Bells."
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? From 1966-1984, stay at home. From 1985-2006, travel, sometimes 3000 miles. This year, the parents are coming to us!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course.
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Snowman.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? We have a Wigilia celebration with my mother's family, and we open a lot of our presents then. But for our immediate family it's Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? When people in long lines or crowds complain about being in long lines or crowds (at the post office, at the mall, at stores, in traffic). It's like this every year, so change your frickin' attitude. (Or shop online and complain to your computer.)
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? I love my tree with the hand-stitched perforated paper Santas.
24. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? Lobster stew, and this year I'm making it.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? World peace. And for my grandmother to come to Pennsylvania and enjoy herself. Okay, I know you love the Maggie stories. For as long as I can remember, my grandmother (now 85) has worked as a bartender in this total dive, and she always works on Christmas day, opening at 6:00 am for the drunks...she's like a Christmas angel bringing booze to the needy. So now, we're asking her to come 300 miles for a week to celebrate Christmas with her family. (She actually asked, "who will open the club?" Um, we don't care?) Ever since we decided in August to have Christmas down here, about once a week she gets pouty and says she's not coming. So let's hope they get her in the car and make her stay until the 27th when we celebrate my aunt's 60th birthday. After that, she can go back to the bar (where you can actually get a mixed drink, heavy on the drink, for $1.25).