Wishing everyone warmest holiday wishes!  This is the photo from our card this year — it was much easier to put a hat on a cat than to get the 3 agents all dressed up and ready for a holiday photo at the same time.  Soon after we get back on our feet from all these joyous festivities, I’ll have some knitting photos to post.  I have been knitting, just that much of it has been done in secret…  Take care, and enjoy your time, Tamara

I finally remembered to click on my bloglines the other day. I skimmed through my blogs and noticed 3 common things; first, everyone was apologizing for not blogging more often; second, they were apologizing for not being better blog readers; and third, they really didn’t have much interesting to write about so they were offering up a Christmas meme. I just have to say, ditto here to first, second, and third. Here’s my meme:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Usually wrapping paper. I don’t usually buy gift bags, but I do “recycle” them. The problem with gift bags is that you need to have tissue paper handy and I always run out.

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial. I never thought I would have an artificial tree, but I bought one a few years ago, when IHA was working full time and going to school full time, as I needed to be able to have something I could completely set up, decorate, and take down, all by myself. An artificial tree also does not need to be watered and we love that! We were also just really bad at real trees. The first year we were married, we were living in an apartment in Plainville. I was still going to school, and I was very sick with bronchitis that year. Our tree was just a mess – it wouldn’t fit in the stand, it wouldn’t stay standing up, and we couldn’t get it out of the stand. After struggling for what felt like forever, we finally threw out the tree, stand and all. I still feel so guilty over that too — in my mind I can hear my dad saying something like “What did you do that for? Wasting a perfectly good tree stand.” Then there were quite a few years when our trees just lost unsurpassed amounts of needles. And that one dreaded year when whatever species of tree we bought had really hard, sharp needles that fell everywhere and were so long that they completely plugged up the vacuum cleaner.

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever. We don’t have ours up yet this year because we are trying to minimize the amount of time the tree and the new kitten will be left home alone unsupervised.

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes! I’ve actually been making it a lot lately for after school snack for the girls.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Legos!!!!!

7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad.

8. Easiest person to buy for? This year it seems to be Agent J. There are so many things we want to get her, but we are trying to stay low key with the girls this Christmas.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? The girls each have one of their own they can put in their rooms if they so choose.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? I’m actually contemplating e-mailing some cards this year. I’m not sure yet. I just designed our card last night and still have to print, assemble, and mail them.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? There was this outfit that my mom bought me in college once — it was black and gold and looked like a leotard with a ballet skirt… I don’t think I ever wore that or maybe I returned it. I’m not sure what she was thinking.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I can’t think of any Christmas movies… hummm… maybe I should take some out of the library. I do like the Christmas special that had the Heat Miser in it.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember. I did get one of Sarah’s recycled gifts as a joke last year. Frank still cracks me up, btw. (Frank can be seen at the end of this post, if you are interested.)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Eggnog! I also like those little creamed onions. IHA does NOT like these, but I think I will make them this year anyway.

16. Lights on the tree? Yes, of course, and for the first time this year, we put lights on our trees outside. For a long time they weren’t really big enough, but they have finally matured enough to hold up some lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I like that one by The Waitresses about the cranberry sauce at the grocery store — I haven’t heard it yet this year though despite the fact that The River pretty much plays Christmas music non-stop.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. But someday I want to go somewhere warm.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? I don’t think so. Dasher, Dancer, Donner (Donder?), Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Blitzen. Is that it? Did I do it?

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning! My favorite part of the whole season is Christmas morning.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? How everything else gets put on the back burner because “it’s the holidays.”

22. Favorite ornament theme or color? Oh there are so many! When I grow up, I want to have all decorations that coordinate. I don’t know how I will ever pick a theme though.

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I’m starting a fund to save for a digital SLR. I also need a new umbrella. Oh, and someday, I would like a pretty compost pail for my kitchen. I also think the biodegradable pail liners are really cool.

24. Angel on the tree top or a star? I think we have an ornament that looks Russian.

25. Favorite Christmas dinner? I would love to have a nice roast beef, but since I can never cook it to taste good, I think we are going to have a spiral ham this year. Those are very difficult to mess up, you know.