Christmas Traditions! (I've been Tagged)

1. What is your favorite Christmas song? Any song that's playing...ha ha I LOVE 'O Holy Night' and 'Grown up Christmas List,' 'Rejoice, Emmanuel' and I cry every time I hear "Arrise & Shine Forth from The Forgotten Carols' but I have a lot of fun with 'Santa Baby' and 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause' (can you tell I haven't narrowed it down to one yet?)
2. When was your most memorable Christmas? I have had SOOO many great Christmas' but the one that popped into my head first was my first year with Cody. He went all out (which if you knew Cody was a big deal for him). He made a huge wooden sign, painted, and had Christmas lights coming through holes spelling out "Merry Christmas Courtney" and he had a generator ontop of the airport hill in St. George keeping the lights lit, with hot chocolate, a blanket spread out with all our gifts etc. It was so unique I'll remember it forever. And when I was six Santa ripped his pants on our fireplace. When we woke up there was a big piece of red matterial. We were so excited and then really concerned. My mom kept assuring us that Mrs. Clause had already fixed it for him.
3. What is your favorite Christmas treat? I look forward to the chocolate covered mint oreos every year, but if it's a treat...you know I love anything =)
4. What do you dislike most about the Christmas season? Seeing anybody go without, or grumpy shoppers...come on guys....you're suppose to be having fun right? And probably not being able to buy everything I want for everybody, I'm not a big fan of the word "budget."
5. What do you like best about the Christmas season? Everything...seriously. I love the atmosphere. I love how people have a desire to give and make somebody else happy, or change their lives. I truly wish it was this way year round. I love to decorate my house, light cinnamon/gingerbread scented candles, see all the Christmas lights, read a Christmas story and sing a Christmas song every night (we really do that, Cody's still getting used to it =)) and this year Christmas is soooo much more exciting because we have Brinklee to make us smile with all the new things she's excited about (and getting into).
6. Who is the hardest person to shop for on your Christmas list? All the dads. Pretty much any guy really. They are impossible! They either have it already, don't want it, or it's too expensive and that's why they don't have it, and when you ask them for ANY idea, they say nothing. What's up with that!
7. If you could receive one gift without money being an issue, what would it be? a baby grand piano, but then where would I put it in our little shoe box, so then I'd need a new house with a special room for my piano...we're getting a little carried away now.
8. What is your idea of a perfect Christmas Eve? I'm excited just thinking about this! Activities all day long. Decorating gingerbread houses and then giving them away caroling, reading the nativity story and acting it out (it's been a tradition that I love), baking cookies for Santa, finger-food dinner (every year we have tons of fingerfoods on the counter, crackers and cheese, Christmas punch, little weenies, 7 layer dip, etc. etc. and we just munch all night long while doing our other traditions) drive around and look at Christmas lights while drinking hot chocolate, do a little secretive Christmas deed for somebody, and bundle up by the Christmas tree and fire and watch a Christmas movie til we're too tired and go to bed and wait for Santa!
9. Which do you like best, eggnog or hot chocolate? Definitely hot chocolate. The idea of drinking an egg grosses me out.
10. Do you prefer a fancy Christmas tree, or one decorated by the kids? I like a mix of the two. I want it to look pretty and match, but I also want it to be our special tree that is different from any family. Someday I'll copy my mom and have more than one tree, one that's totally homemade from pre-school ornaments and on, and fun silly ornaments, and one that's pretty to go in my front room.
11. What is your favorite family Christmas tradition? All the ones I listed before, and I also loved when we would make a day of it and cut our tree down in the snow and bring it home to decorate. We'd also spend time sledding while we were there. We had a lot of fun. And opening presents one at a time on Christmas morning. Too much time and prep goes into Christmas to rip everything open. Plus I like to have plenty of time to get a picture of their first reaction, and see what everybody got.
12. Do you like fruitcake? Not a big fan.
13. Do you prefer skiing or snowboarding? I've skiied more than snow boarded so I'm definitely better at that one, I was on my bum the whole time snowboarding but would like to be better at it. All around it's a sport that requires you to freeze the whole time and I'm not sure how into that I am.
14. Are you dreaming of a white christmas or do you say "Bah Humbug" to snow? I used to love the snow until I moved to Provo last year and got more of it than they ever have before. But for Christmas definitely a white Christmas, then hop a plane and head for the beach...ha ha
15. What was your favorite gift from Santa when you were a kid? Gosh, I keep thinking and the one thing that keeps coming back to me was a real lop- eared bunny named Freckles. Truly that BEST pet ever. He would let you hold him like a baby and be so calm...what bunny does that!
16. What is your favorite Christmas movie? All of them. Miracle on 34th Street ranks up there though.
17. Have you ever eaten snow? Of course. We used to collect it in big bowls and bring it in the house and add cool-aid to it....when I was little of course.
18. Who do you wish could be with you this Christmas? Copeland. I think of him daily, but especially during the holidays it's a little tougher for me.
19. When do you put up your Christmas lights and decorations? Earlier than most. I'm terrible! I seriously have an obsession with Christmas and one month isn't enough time for me to enjoy it. I had my stuff up two weeks before Thanksgiving this year. I really wanted them to go up the day after Halloween but stopped myself.
20. Real or artificial Christmas Tree? Pre-lit artificial. I love the real tree, the smell, the tradition, etc. But we are lucky to have pre-lit one given to us from my mom so we'll use that for awhile, til I can have two!

This was fun, now I tag Tiffanie, Tara, Amanda, Shanell, Jodi, and Amber