Christmas Meme

I found this Christmas meme via Pixie Genne. I'm usually not much of a meme person, but in the throws of Nutcracker tech week, sans my husbands better computer, without photos and missing posting over the past few days - this will have to do! I tag Renee to answer this next!

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps - Santa takes great pride in wrapping because before this gig he worked retail and likes to show off his fancy ribbon tying skills!

Colored lights on tree/house or white? Matt likes colored lights, I'm all about the white. (They didn't have multicolored CANDLES back in the day?!) We settled on these nifty white lights though. The bulbs are frosted so they give a super soft glow to the whole tree! Gotta love that. (Although, I am warming up to colored lights)...

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Hmm, I think I would have to say my memere's rolls. My cousins and I would forgo the main course to eat these rolls, that probably have eighty pounds of butter in them. Soooo good!

Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
The first time I ever went to New York City, I was nine years old. At the time I had announced to the family that I was going to be a Rockette. (I'm 5'4" - this life plan didn't pan out). So my parents bought me tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. It was magical!

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes. My family has a tradition of getting together on Christmas Eve and eating Chinese food from the CHINA DINAH! Really it's called the China Palace, but nooooobody in our family calls it that! We exchange gifts then, and the morning is just for me and the hubby right now.

How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Matt and I both have assorted ornaments from our childhood, so that's fun to see those yera aft year. This year I'm participating the Holiday Ornament Swap - so I'm getting all of these neat new ones. I've started making ornaments as gifts and each year will be different, so I'll be adding one handmade ornament of my own per year. I usually also add one storebought one per year.

Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Absolutely FREAKING love it!

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Nova Scotia Shortbread cookies, cut out like strawberries and dipped in chocolate and red sugar.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Religious: Oh Holy Night Secular: Mele Kelikimaka both sung by Bing Crosby. Christmas is all about some Bing Crosby for me.

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Used to be yuck, but I've recently found that once paired with chocolate they're delightful. That tends to work with most things...

Favorite Christmas Tradition growing up:
See above CHINA DINAHHHH - or performing in the Nutcracker - which I'm doing for the first time in three years.

Least Favorite Christmas Tradition Growing Up:
Okay - so I might go to hell for this, but going to church. Oh dear Lord, knowing those presents were waiting back for me at the house was torturous. And it was a special holiday so mass had all of this crazy additional crap. And then the caroling sing along at the end. Which we HAD to stay for. Every kid in the place wanted to jump ship and go home I'm sure!

Breakfast or Presents First?
Presents while eating breakfast.