1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I'm all thumbs with wrapping paper and tape... the presents invariably look like they were rolled in colourful newspaper, so I much prefer bags. Usually it is Mrs. BB who does the wrapping since she likes to give nicely wrapped parcels and it ain't going to happen with me.
2. Real tree or artificial?
To tell the truth we usually don't have a Christmas tree since Mrs. BB puts up a mega Christmas village. Village? Heck, it's closer to a major metropolitan centre. It takes up at least 75% of the living room. The kids are fascinated by it since everything lights up and many things move around, such as the train and the gondolas for the ski slope.
This year we didn't do the village since our twin grand-kids (Allison and Zoé) are 10 months old and in the crawl everywhere and put everything in the mouth stage of life, so we put up a small artificial tree out of their reach and didn't even think of building the village. It would be about like Godzilla in Tokyo if we had. ;o)
Looks funny but I made a panorama out of three pictures so I could get the whole village in the picture. In the front that you can't see in the picture there are the train and bus stations and the harbour complete with artificial water, fishermen and boats.3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually Mrs. BB starts construction of the village at the beginning of December. It obviously takes quite a while to put up and take down.
4. When do you take the tree down?
She takes it down in the beginning of January.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Yuck! nuff said.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
It must have been a telescope that I received when I was about 11 years old. I had it for years and loved looking at the sky.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
Me... I love to give presents, but I'll usually just go get the things I need or want when I need them. Drives my kids crazy because anything they could buy me for Christmas I've already gone out and bought.
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Mrs. BB... I just watch her when we go shopping and when she looks at something longingly (often art supplies, she's an artist don't you know) I'll just buy it for her. I usually don't wait for Christmas because I much prefer the instant surprise, the impromptu gift.
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Do they do non-denominational, atheistic nativity scenes?
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I'll usually give a Christmas card to my close colleagues at school but I don't buy them, I print them myself using my winter photos and special cards for printing in an ink jet printer. I love to give a bit of myself rather than buy generic Christmas cards.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
None that I can think of.
12. Favourite Christmas Movie?
Hmmm, don't really have the time to watch Christmas movies but if I had to pick one it would be "A Christmas Carol" with Alastair Sim as Scrooge in the original Black and White. The scene with the ghost of Christmas Future and the tombstone scared me silly when I watched it as a young kid.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually too late...I hate being in the stores at Christmas... way too many people for my taste.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Nope.
15. Favourite thing to eat at Christmas?
My moms cooking... Ragout d'boulettes, tourtière, galettes à Laura (a kind of thick cooky/scone. It was a secret recipe of my grandmother), tarte à pichoune (a type of pie with a raisin and molasses filling)
16. Lights on the tree?
Of course there should be lights that way Santa can see in the dark.
17. Favourite Christmas song?
Don't usually do the Christmas song thing, but if I had to give some favourites I'd have to say the old French Canadian Christmas Carols because they remind me of when my father would sing at midnight mass. For example: Adeste Fideles, Ça Berger, Il est né le divin enfant
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
My family lives in Québec and Mrs. BB's family lives in Sherbroke so we usually end up doing the great triangle between Montreal, Québec and Sherbrooke... not always fun when the weather acts up.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Dasher, Donder, Cupid, Blitzen, Prancer, Vixen, Dancer, Comet and of course Rudolph (although he is a recent addition to the sleigh, the originals are from the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" published in 1823, Rudolphe makes his appearance in the 1950 song "Rudoph the Red Nosed Reindeer")
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
A star... poor angel with the tip of a Christmas tree stuck where the sun doesn't shine. ;o)
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We usually follow the French Canadian tradition which is to have a Réveillon after the Christmas midnight mass (we don't do the mass anymore but we still have the reveillon) I remember when I was a kid we were happy since we always got our gifts before the English kids since they would open theirs on Christmas morning and we'd open ours after midnight mass. We'd open our presents and then stuff our faces with mom's great food. We'd end up going to bed at 4 am and sleep til noon.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
The whole ersatz good cheer thing. Christmas has become just a big consummer thing to help the stores make their bottom line before the end of the year.
23. Favourite ornament theme or colour?
At the birth of each of our children we bought an ornament with their name and the year of their first Christmas. We did it again this year with Allison and Zoé so now they also have their ornament in the tree.
24. Favourite for Christmas dinner?I'll go with my lil sister's description... Mom's "ragout de boulettes". You take chicken broth, make pork meatballs, boil them in the broth. Add flour that you previously browned in the oven to thicken, season with pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg and serve with potatoes (potatoes must be mashed in your bowl after putting in the ragout) and sweet pickled beets. It sounds very bizarre written out like that, but it's delicious. Oh, and tourtière (a meat pie) and desert til it comes out of our ears. My mom bakes so many deserts that it becomes a chore to choose which one you'll take, so we end up taking a bit of everything...;o)
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Like my lil sister, I have pretty much everything that I need. A wonderful wife, two marvellous children, two adorable angelic grand children, a job I love, food on the table, a roof over my head (even if it leaks from time to time). What more could I wish for?
But I do wish that for Christmas others have the same joy, serenity and security that I enjoy. So I'll just repeat that old refrain in the hope that maybe one day it'll come true: Peace on Earth and goodwill amongst men.
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8 comments:
That was SO much fun to read!!!
Happy Christmas and a Joyous 2009 to you and yours.
Deb: A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and yours.
I was starting to get brain damage trying to figure out how you had eight reindeer (not counting Rudolph) without having Dancer and after actually having to get pen and paper to figure it out, I finally realized you listed Dasher twice. I can be very slow sometimes!
geewits: You're right... memory must be failing me... I stand corrected there is one Dasher and one Dancer.
6. I remember the telescope!! I loved when you let me look through it.
9. Non denomination nativities? yep, they're called Potato Heads under the tree.
15. OMG! I totally forgot about the pichoune pie. Where the hell does that name come from anyway?
19. I stand by Dopey, Sleepy, Doc, etc... ;-P
25. A&Z will remain adorable, but probably not angelic. Course you'll always say they are since they have you wrapped around their little fingers...
Have a great Xmas brother mine. And in the spirit of the season, let me go on record saying I luvsya dearly.
Jazz: Luvsa too... you done Ok kid.
I have really enjoyed reading everyone's answers as this mem floats around. That Christmas village is amazing.
This one has really made the rounds, but it is perfect for the season. Joyous 2009 to you and yours.
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