Christmas Customs

Jackie Mason | December 16, 2008
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Tony Peters | December 16, 2008
Real tree or Artificial? 3 cats.....trees aren't an option

Favorite Christmas Movies? Year without a Santa Claus

Favorite Christmas songs? Good King Wenceslas

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? yup even Rudolf

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? A nice apple pie

Favorite for Christmas dinner? Goose

Most annoying thing about this time of the year? fruitcake....I really can't say anything else

Angel on the tree top or a star? see answer about tree though if it's my choice star

Do you like eggnog? by the gallon

Scott Hardie | December 16, 2008
Tree: Artificial. I grew up with real trees and they're a pain in the ass. Some people accept no substitute, but I gladly do.

Movies: Does Die Hard count? Probably The Ref. Among the classics, A Christmas Carol, which keeps getting remade (Jim Carrey next year) but rarely well.

Songs: "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "What Child is This." I'm partial to Sarah McLachlan's haunting version of the latter, which I fell in love with after staying up late decorating the tree and sitting in the dark just enjoying the twinkling lights and petting the cat.



Reindeer: Not in order. And I have to think hard about it.

Food: Eggnog.

Dinner: Glazed ham, glazed carrots. Not glazed donuts.

Annoyances: A couple of years ago, I got fed up with the constant CHRISTMAS!! around me, and vented here. I got it out of my system. Christmas and I are like this now. I can't wait to have kids to share it with.

Angel or star: Christmas may be a religious holiday to most people, but it's a secular tradition to me. Star all the way, if anything.

Eggnog: Bring it.

Lori Lancaster | December 16, 2008
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Richard Slominsky | December 16, 2008
Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, not by choice.. We have cats..

Favorite Christmas Movies? It's a wonderful life, and Miracle on 34th st

Favorite Christmas songs? Silent Night, Holt Night, and Beautiful star of Bethlehem

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Yes

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cherry and/or Apple pie, and the cookies my kids leave for Santa

Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham

Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People who aren't in the festive mood

Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
Do you like eggnog? Oh Yeah....

Amy Austin | December 16, 2008
Real tree or Artificial? Grew up with real, mostly -- even with cats and dogs, too. ("Not an option"... please.) But there's been more than one year that a tiny tabletop artificial tree was the center of my "Charlie Brown Christmas", too. And I can't even remember now the last time I had a Christmas tree at all -- including this year, too, I suppose. I guess I prefer a real tree... though I think I really hate the idea of the wholesale growth and slaughter of all the poor little evergreens anymore (and at a killing, too... literally *and* price-wise!), and I most envy those who live on a nice piece of land where they could pick one to chop, decorate where it stands, or plant a new one each year (and an occasional "White Christmas" would be nice, I think...)

Favorite Christmas Movies? Probably the Grinch... animated version, of course. Scrooged with Bill Murray is an excellent and easily favorite take on the can't-go-wrong Christmas Carol.

Favorite Christmas songs? Too tired of it all to think of a favorite right now. However, the semi-lame/entertaining Christmas "horror" flick Wind Chill (more suspense than gore, which is kind of nice, actually) has put Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" on the "least favorites" for a while...

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? I think so... when I'm not too exhausted and don't have to try so hard. (Too tired to really try at all, actually... I can't believe I'm even taking the time to write this right now!)

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? *Anything* delicious. Which tends to be a lot of different things at Christmastime.

Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ditto to Jackie's answer -- except for cooking my own goose (haha) -- and see above.

Most annoying thing about this time of the year? For me, varies a little from year to year. This year, I'd have to say that being freshly unemployed, freshly divorced, broke, and forced to into making an unwanted move springs to mind as the top of my list. And, based on the seeming consensus here against grouches, party-poopers and wet blankets, I guess I would also have to say... me.

Angel on the tree top or a star? Whichever happens to be the prettiest -- and I think I'm probably a bit partial to angels for this reason. Grew up with a lot of star toppers, though, and like both for their own merits.

Do you like eggnog? Kind of a mood thing for me (nutmeg and alcohol -- in that order of priority -- make a big motivational difference, too), but yes... though I also tend to agree with Jackie again that you have to sip it, "not chug a lug it". ;-) Mulled wine is *very* delicious, too. ;-)

Lori Lancaster | December 16, 2008
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Aaron Shurtleff | December 16, 2008
Real or artificial: I had the opposite experience from most people, it seems. I grew up with an artificial tree every year, and now we try to get a real tree (if we are going to be around for Christmas, of course...it's a shame to get a tree and then not be around to enjoy it!)

Favorite Christmas Movie: Hmm... Silent Night, Deadly Night? Most of the good shows I wouldn't consider movies (Rudolph, Frosty, etc.), and most of the movies aren't so good. I think the best Christmas show is Blackadder's Christmas Carol, but I love Blackadder!!! :P Least favorite is the one with the BB gun...

Favorite Christmas songs: Angels We Have Heard On High, but I like almost all of them. Except for the John Lennon/Yoko Ono one, and the Bruce Springsteen version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town... Those are just not necessary.

Reindeer: Sometimes I can name them all. Probably not in terms of the song, but I could probably dredge them all up.

Favorite thing to eat: HAM!!! I love ham! Ham is the best! :D

Favorite for Christmas dinner: See above! It's ham-riffic!!!

Most annoying thing: Everyone gets all testy about everything this time of year! Let's enjoy the season, and let's hear whatever you want to hear, if you are bothered by things like that. If you hate Merry Christmas because you don't celebrate it, then just accept that I want you to enjoy the holidays, and don't spend your time pissy about how I phrase it. I've got 30+ years of saying Merry Christmas ingrained in me, so if I don't say Happy Holidays, accept that I'm not trying to oppress you, OK?

Angel vs. star: ? I've gone both ways, so it's all good. I think we currently have a star (tree's not up yet, because we're not sure what's going on for the holidays quite yet...but it's looking like we're staying here...)

Eggnog: I can swallow it if I have to, but I don't care for the taste so well. Definately have to chug it, because I won't last long on sipping. Yucky! Never had mulled wine, but I don't really like wine, so...

Jackie Mason | December 17, 2008
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