Sunday, December 6, 2009

Just for Funsies

[Edited to add: Yeoops. Comments were not turned on... sorry. (Thanks Swistle!)]

1. "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" or depends on the context?

2. Fake or real tree? Or no tree? More than one tree?

3. Tree topper: star? angle? homemade? antique/family heirloom? same every year?

4. Colored lights? White lights? Lights outside? Other outside decorations?

5. Christmas Cards: Card? Letter? Pictures? Picture/card combo? Picture/letter combo? Every year or just years that you "get around to it"?

5b. Cards received- do you display them? Where? All, or just the photo ones? Where do you put them if you don't display them?



My answers:

1. I usually say Merry Christmas. Our family is Christian, and the holiday we celebrate is called "Christmas", so this makes sense. However, in a card/letter I say something like "Cheers this holiday season", because I tend towards to being inclusive and to honor the magic of *all* the winter holidays that land in December.

2. We get one tree- a real one. It's usually a Frasier Fur, which drops needles but they are (usually) not sharp when stepped on. This year I'm thinking of bringing in a group of bare branches for the family room to decorate with a few ornaments.

3. We don't have a tree topper, per se. We have a couple of things that "work", but I always feel unsatisfied. And I've yet to find one that I just HAD to have.

4. We use white on the tree and string strands of white lights outside too. We also have a wreath for our front door. I actually like colored lights, so maybe I could do a strand on my "bare branch" tree?

5. The years we send out Christmas cards (average: about every-other year), it's usually something that I've created that has a combination of pictures/letter. We sometimes don't send out any, and we've sent out just a photocard (homemade) with no letter in the past as well. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do this year. **If you'd like a card from me this year- assuming I indeed make one- email your address! Lifeinatinytown@gmail.com

5b. I hang our cards on the french doors between the living room and dining room, so that I can admire them and sigh happy sighs every time I walk by. All cards and photos get hung. The letters go in basket. Where I pet them lovingly, every hour on the hour.

6 comments:

Sunny said...

Thanks, Hun...I loved this so much I totally stole it(and gave you credit for it with the link) for my own blog!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!

Swistle said...

I say Merry Christmas to people I know are celebrating Christmas, or to people who say Merry Christmas to me. I say/write Happy Holidays in general, whenever I don't know which winter holiday the other person celebrates.

We have a fake tree. It's short and small and I'd like to trade it in for a larger, more realistic, pre-lit one.

Tree-topper is a green sequined clip-on butterfly. Before that we had a little fairy we bought at a craft fair. Before that, we had a big bow.

Colored lights. Some years I put lights on the shrub outside; some years not. If we get a pre-lit tree it'll probably have white lights, in which case I'll switch to all white lights: I like all the lights to be the same. Wreath on door; no other outside decorations.

Christmas card with photo, every year.

Received cards get poster-puttied up around the archway between living room and kitchen. Photos go up too, and then get moved to the fridge or to my desk after Christmas. I leave the cards up lonnnnng after Christmas, because I love looking at them. I can see them from my favorite chair and I gaze and gaze.

Sarah said...

I switch back and forth in what I say for greetings. I always say Merry Christmas to people I know to be Christian, otherwise happy holidays.
Fake tree, six foot, VERY old- was my parent's. It still looks okay when draped in tons of white lights, gold ribbon, and various cute and/or hideously tacky ornaments.
Tree topper is an (also tacky) LED lit angel that changes colors. But the kids think it's am-AZING.
White. But I kinda want to switch.
We sometimes put up icicle lights and maybe some blue lights around the lampost in the yard. Nothing too elaborate- our landscape doesn't really lend itself to much creativity.
A picture every year, but not always a letter. Like, sometimes just a picture card type thing, but sometimes a full length letter with pictures throughout.
I keep the cards and letters in a Christmas basket.

Erin said...

1. I usually say Merry Christmas. I have no real allegiance to any one holiday greeting and could care less if everyone wished me Merry Solstice (actually, I'd like that).

2. REAL! We cut ours down.

3. Our tree topper is hard to explain. It's the lobster tail from an old stuffed animal from our puppy Leia. WHY? I have no idea. Eventually, I figure one of the kids will make something to go up there.

4. Colored.

5. Photo cards. I love newletters, though. But I've got a blog, so I have no news left by the end of the year. I hang the cards on our basement door, right in the middle of our kitchen.

Hey, I sent you my mailing address. Send me yours! We can start arranging Marin & Emmett's marriage ;-)

Lee said...

I've been seeing your name for years (yes?!) and stopped by once or twice but guess what? Today I SUBSCRIBED to you. Feed Reader, baby. Wooooo! (hello!)

I say Merry Christmas but only to people who won't be put off. I think I only have one couple to whom I send a card with "Happy holidays!" as the sign-off.

We've had our fake tree for about 6 years now. I love it, but I want a pre-lit one next time. If this one will ever wear itself out.

We have a star. I grew up with an angel, but I prefer the star.

I LOVE all-white lights, but we do colored on the tree and I always have. (We're scrooges about outside and don't put any lights up.)

I usually do a photo card but no letter. I haven't even begun to think of this year's photo. Ack. And I hang mine on the pantry door so I see them ("gaze") A LOT. :)

-R- said...

1. Merry Christmas if I know they celebrate Christmas. Otherwise, happy holidays.

2. Fake.

3. Star. For some reason, I don't care for angels at the top of the tree. My mom has a cool Santa topper.

4. We have white lights on our tree and none outside.

5. Last year was the first year we sent out cards - they were picture cards, and I added a letter for certain people. We'll do the same this year if I can ever find someone to take our picture.