The Spirit of the Season Tag + The Holiday Tag
Today, I have two blog tags and no header picture for this article. Both of these tags contain questions about Christmas because Christmas is awesome. I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you want to do this tag, link back to this article. This is going to be a longer article, but comment below your answers to some of these questions.
1. What does Christmas mean to you?
Great question. Why don't you go ahead and read my article on that?
2. On the day you’re answering this, how many days until Christmas?
I am prewriting this article on August 18th. I am absolutely serious: there are 128 days until Christmas when I'm writing this. For the day this is posted, there are 21 days. Whether 20 or 120 days, I'm already excited for Christmas!
3. What is a super special Christmas tradition for your family?
We don't have a lot of special "family" traditions, but my brother and I have a lot of special traditions we uphold each year. We buy each other Christmas presents after Thanksgiving, and in December, we sit by our Christmas tree in the evening listening to Christmas music and shaking our presents. On Christmas morning, my brother and I wake up really early and listen to Christmas music and slowly die while waiting to open our presents. So my brother and I do a lot more together during the Christmas season.
4. What is your family doing for Christmas this year?
Opening presents in the morning and then going to our relatives' house for dinner.
5. What gift do you really hope your family gets you?
My family doesn't buy me gifts, but my brother does every year. I hope he gets me a plush animal of a character I love. He's gotten me several Angry Birds and characters from Super Mario over the years.
6. What gift are you really excited to give someone else?
I created word art out of one of my friend's four-line poem, and I am really excited to give that to her. I hope she likes it! I'm only writing this here because I know for an absolute fact that she does not read my blog.
7. What is your favorite Christmas Carol?
That's a hard one. At this moment, I will have to say "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee." This carol is much less known, but I still consider it one because it has been passed down since 1907. It's also the only carol I remember being sung at my first Christmas Eve service with my current church. That's one of my favorites, but I love a ton of other Christmas carols.
Hmm, now I have to be completely honest. Honestly, I like to give gifts better, and this is why. I send out a Christmas list of very few items, and I end up receiving everything on that list. But when I give a present to my family, they don't have a list, so they are completely surprised to see what I bought them. I think seeing someone else being surprised at my gift is much more priceless than myself receiving gifts I kind of know I will get already.
2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?
Nice list, of course. What are you insinuating?
3. What is your most embarrassing/funny Christmas memory?
This is the only memory I can think of. One year, I bought my mom a very hardy kitchen apron. It had black and white stripes with a pink pocket in the front. When my mom opened it, she thanked my brother and I for the gift at first, but then she commented that it looked like something criminals would wear. I then noticed the problem and only replied: "Ohhhhh…"
4. Have you ever had a White Christmas?
No, I live in Southern California and have prayed for a White Christmas for the past three years, but nothing has happened yet. I'm still going to continue praying because I sincerely believe that it will happen one day.
5. Do you start your Christmas shopping early or last minute?
I start Christmas shopping on Black Friday, so very early. I'm not a procrastinator at all. Okay, maybe when it comes to writing, I am.
6. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be? Why?
I haven't watched a lot of Christmas movies to be honest. The only classic ones I can remember watching are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman (which I didn't even finish because I don't like it?), and It's a Wonderful Life.
I saw a Hallmark movie called Northpole: Open for Christmas, and there were elves who made toys with magical snow and went on missions to restore the Christmas spirit. I think it would be cool to work for Santa Claus anyways, so sign me up to make toys with magical snow and have my own personal reindeer and sleigh (I'm not even kidding). I'm not going to put a picture of the movie poster here; it looks waaayyy too cheesy.
8. Name all of Santa’s reindeer.
As I said, I haven't watched a lot of classic Christmas movies, and I watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer when I was five or something. I had to search how to spell Rudolph before I spelled it like a German would. Let's see how this goes: Rudolph, Comet, Vixen, Donner... Those are the only ones I got. Sorry.
9. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?
In my article about "The Fall Tag," I said that I put up my Christmas tree and decorate it all by myself every single year. I try to put it up the week of Thanksgiving, that is after Thanksgiving. Because I decorate it myself, my parents don't really care.
10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Sadly, we have a fake tree, actually three fake trees. I've always wanted a real tree, but my mom convinced herself that real trees are too messy. But from what I've heard from other people, once you get a real Christmas tree, you never want to go back to the fake ones. The smell is too good. Comment below whether that is accurate. One day when I learn how to drive and have my own bank account, I will buy real Christmas trees forever and ever and ever.
11. Peeking at gifts or be surprised?
For the most part, be surprised. I don't want to spoil my fun, the one time of the year that I can be surprised. At the most, I stick my fingers into the sides of the wrapping and feel the box. If I'm lucky, I can see color. But usually, just by shaking it and gauging the weight, I can tell if the present is a toy or a book. One year, my brother decided to measure his gifts and see which LEGO set corresponded to the size and weight.
12. Do you have an ugly Christmas sweater?
No, I don't. I've never had an ugly Christmas sweater in my life. My youth group used to have a contest for the cutest, ugliest, and strangest ugly Christmas sweater.
13. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Stop asking me these questions. All of them? I have a Christmas playlist of 75 songs and counting. I will have to say "Because It's Christmas" by Sidewalk Prophets. Listen to it below. It makes me very happy.
14. What is your least favorite Christmas Carol?
This question was not originally part of this tag, but I just added it right now. There are not a lot of carols that I don't like, and trust me, there are some that I really don't like. My least favorite is "We Three Kings" because the songs are sung in minor chords. They just generally sound sad and rather depressing. I had one history teacher who said that "We Three Kings" reminds him of mourners trodding around a coffin singing a funeral dirge, and I can't say that he is entirely wrong.
15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?
No, we don't. But I make mashed potatoes every Christmas! I use Ree Drummond's recipe on Food Network, but you can find her blog, The Pioneer Woman, on the sidebar of my blog.
16. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?
I'm not terrible at it since I have to wrap all presents in my house except for mine. I still struggle with wrapping really large and really small presents, but I would say that I am on my way to becoming a pro-present wrapper.
17. Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?
No, I have not. I have sung Christmas carols in public, but not what you think of as Christmas caroling door to door. I would consider doing that if I went with my friends or church.
18. What tops your tree?
A glittery silver "star" tops my tree, It's more of a spiny ball though. It's really weird, but because of family commitments (which I will do an article over next year), I can't really take a picture of it. It's weird though.
19. Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Do you stick to them?
Yes, I do. Usually, those relate to writing. You can read my article about my 2018 resolutions. It's almost time to see how I did with those actually. I try to stick to them for the most part.
20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?
A white Christmas in California. It sounds like it would be a wonderful thing to see on Christmas Day. But if that happened, I would totally go to Disneyland because that sounds like a lot of fun.
1. What does Christmas mean to you?
Great question. Why don't you go ahead and read my article on that?
2. On the day you’re answering this, how many days until Christmas?
I am prewriting this article on August 18th. I am absolutely serious: there are 128 days until Christmas when I'm writing this. For the day this is posted, there are 21 days. Whether 20 or 120 days, I'm already excited for Christmas!
3. What is a super special Christmas tradition for your family?
We don't have a lot of special "family" traditions, but my brother and I have a lot of special traditions we uphold each year. We buy each other Christmas presents after Thanksgiving, and in December, we sit by our Christmas tree in the evening listening to Christmas music and shaking our presents. On Christmas morning, my brother and I wake up really early and listen to Christmas music and slowly die while waiting to open our presents. So my brother and I do a lot more together during the Christmas season.
4. What is your family doing for Christmas this year?
Opening presents in the morning and then going to our relatives' house for dinner.
5. What gift do you really hope your family gets you?
My family doesn't buy me gifts, but my brother does every year. I hope he gets me a plush animal of a character I love. He's gotten me several Angry Birds and characters from Super Mario over the years.
6. What gift are you really excited to give someone else?
I created word art out of one of my friend's four-line poem, and I am really excited to give that to her. I hope she likes it! I'm only writing this here because I know for an absolute fact that she does not read my blog.
7. What is your favorite Christmas Carol?
That's a hard one. At this moment, I will have to say "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee." This carol is much less known, but I still consider it one because it has been passed down since 1907. It's also the only carol I remember being sung at my first Christmas Eve service with my current church. That's one of my favorites, but I love a ton of other Christmas carols.
1. Be honest: do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better?Hmm, now I have to be completely honest. Honestly, I like to give gifts better, and this is why. I send out a Christmas list of very few items, and I end up receiving everything on that list. But when I give a present to my family, they don't have a list, so they are completely surprised to see what I bought them. I think seeing someone else being surprised at my gift is much more priceless than myself receiving gifts I kind of know I will get already.
 |
| Go ahead and judge me. Comment below whether you agree with my mom or not. |
2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?
Nice list, of course. What are you insinuating?
3. What is your most embarrassing/funny Christmas memory?
This is the only memory I can think of. One year, I bought my mom a very hardy kitchen apron. It had black and white stripes with a pink pocket in the front. When my mom opened it, she thanked my brother and I for the gift at first, but then she commented that it looked like something criminals would wear. I then noticed the problem and only replied: "Ohhhhh…"
4. Have you ever had a White Christmas?
No, I live in Southern California and have prayed for a White Christmas for the past three years, but nothing has happened yet. I'm still going to continue praying because I sincerely believe that it will happen one day.
5. Do you start your Christmas shopping early or last minute?
I start Christmas shopping on Black Friday, so very early. I'm not a procrastinator at all. Okay, maybe when it comes to writing, I am.
6. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be? Why?
I haven't watched a lot of Christmas movies to be honest. The only classic ones I can remember watching are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman (which I didn't even finish because I don't like it?), and It's a Wonderful Life.
I saw a Hallmark movie called Northpole: Open for Christmas, and there were elves who made toys with magical snow and went on missions to restore the Christmas spirit. I think it would be cool to work for Santa Claus anyways, so sign me up to make toys with magical snow and have my own personal reindeer and sleigh (I'm not even kidding). I'm not going to put a picture of the movie poster here; it looks waaayyy too cheesy.
8. Name all of Santa’s reindeer.
As I said, I haven't watched a lot of classic Christmas movies, and I watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer when I was five or something. I had to search how to spell Rudolph before I spelled it like a German would. Let's see how this goes: Rudolph, Comet, Vixen, Donner... Those are the only ones I got. Sorry.
9. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?
In my article about "The Fall Tag," I said that I put up my Christmas tree and decorate it all by myself every single year. I try to put it up the week of Thanksgiving, that is after Thanksgiving. Because I decorate it myself, my parents don't really care.
10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Sadly, we have a fake tree, actually three fake trees. I've always wanted a real tree, but my mom convinced herself that real trees are too messy. But from what I've heard from other people, once you get a real Christmas tree, you never want to go back to the fake ones. The smell is too good. Comment below whether that is accurate. One day when I learn how to drive and have my own bank account, I will buy real Christmas trees forever and ever and ever.
11. Peeking at gifts or be surprised?
For the most part, be surprised. I don't want to spoil my fun, the one time of the year that I can be surprised. At the most, I stick my fingers into the sides of the wrapping and feel the box. If I'm lucky, I can see color. But usually, just by shaking it and gauging the weight, I can tell if the present is a toy or a book. One year, my brother decided to measure his gifts and see which LEGO set corresponded to the size and weight.
12. Do you have an ugly Christmas sweater?
No, I don't. I've never had an ugly Christmas sweater in my life. My youth group used to have a contest for the cutest, ugliest, and strangest ugly Christmas sweater.
13. What is your favorite Christmas song?
Stop asking me these questions. All of them? I have a Christmas playlist of 75 songs and counting. I will have to say "Because It's Christmas" by Sidewalk Prophets. Listen to it below. It makes me very happy.
14. What is your least favorite Christmas Carol?
This question was not originally part of this tag, but I just added it right now. There are not a lot of carols that I don't like, and trust me, there are some that I really don't like. My least favorite is "We Three Kings" because the songs are sung in minor chords. They just generally sound sad and rather depressing. I had one history teacher who said that "We Three Kings" reminds him of mourners trodding around a coffin singing a funeral dirge, and I can't say that he is entirely wrong.
15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?
No, we don't. But I make mashed potatoes every Christmas! I use Ree Drummond's recipe on Food Network, but you can find her blog, The Pioneer Woman, on the sidebar of my blog.
16. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?
I'm not terrible at it since I have to wrap all presents in my house except for mine. I still struggle with wrapping really large and really small presents, but I would say that I am on my way to becoming a pro-present wrapper.
17. Have you ever gone Christmas caroling?
No, I have not. I have sung Christmas carols in public, but not what you think of as Christmas caroling door to door. I would consider doing that if I went with my friends or church.
18. What tops your tree?
A glittery silver "star" tops my tree, It's more of a spiny ball though. It's really weird, but because of family commitments (which I will do an article over next year), I can't really take a picture of it. It's weird though.
19. Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Do you stick to them?
Yes, I do. Usually, those relate to writing. You can read my article about my 2018 resolutions. It's almost time to see how I did with those actually. I try to stick to them for the most part.
20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?
A white Christmas in California. It sounds like it would be a wonderful thing to see on Christmas Day. But if that happened, I would totally go to Disneyland because that sounds like a lot of fun.
***
I hope you enjoyed the answering of those questions. Today's quote is by Winston Churchill, the famous British prime minister during World War II: "Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection."
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