The 12 Questions of Christmas Meme

Okay, okay, I'll play, too.

1. Christmas is a disquieting mix of joy and stress.

2. In memories, what was the best part of your Christmases past? My childhood: opening our stockings Christmas morning. Early years with Frank: (1) Back when my siblings and I were the kids and we all exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. LOOT! (2) The year Frank and Jerry got really creative putting all the bows and ribbons on the gifts. My kids' childhood: (1) It wasn't always so fun at the time, but that we never got to sleep past 3 a.m. because they were too excited to sleep. (2) Our Christmas in Destin, Florida, with lots of improvised decorations on the tree because we didn't bother to drag all of our Christmas supplies cross country. (3) The year Chiara was with us and Mezza and Snowball arrived. (4) The year after Chiara was with us and I found the little note she had tucked into the Christmas decorations the previous January, knowing we'd find it when she was back in Italy.

3. Was Santa ever good to you? Many, many times. The year I received my diamond earrings springs immediately to mind, since I rarely take them off.

4. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or both? A few Christmas Eve at my mom's with the extended family, and then the free-for-all Christmas morning at home with just the four of us.

5. Is there something you make each and every year? [craft or recipe] Make? Well, if you stretch the point a bit, I make a lot of joy in my kids' lives. That's always my top priority for the holiday.

6. What are your favorite five Christmas songs/hymns?

Christmas Wrapping, The Waitresses
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24, Trans-Siberian Orchestra
What Child Is This?
Carol of the Bells
Most of the fun and wacky songs on our beloved "Cool Yule" album, such as "Surfer's Christmas List" by the Surfaris, "Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto" by James Brown, and "Christmas in the Congo" by the Marquees.

7. Is there a new tradition for Christmas since your childhood days? Well, those 3 a.m. wakeups, I suppose, although I think we got to sleep until 5 or 6 last year, so that one is hopefully fading away. Umm, setting the angel at the top of our tree; she was picked out by my mom and a couple of wide-eyed toddlers several years back.

8. Describe one of your Christmas trips. [whether it's across town or across country] I'll save the first part of this for an upcoming Thursday 13 about my worst memories of childhood, but there was the year that my sister, Lynn, and I flew down to San Francisco on Christmas Day to be with my dad and Cherie (his second wife, now one of my most cherished friends). We got TWO stockings that year, since Santa came again on the 26th. That was pretty cool.

9. Do you have a special Christmas outfit to wear for the day? Pajamas, often all day long.

10. Have you or any of your family members sat on Santa's lap? Indeed. My favorite time was when Mr. Stokes, the cutest teacher at my high school, played Santa one year. Hubba hubba instead of Ho Ho Ho.

11. What is/or will be on your Christmas tree this year? Lights, the aforementioned angel, wonderful store-bought ornaments, possibly little rats, as much tinsel as I can sneak on when MJ isn't looking, and some handcrafted ornaments made by various people in our lives over the years. We have some of Rosie's quilted balls, awesome pull-string wooden puppets Marty and Rosie made together, a crocheted bell I cobbled together in my teens, a beaded bell that I think was made by my high-school sweetheart's grandmother, and, of course, adorable little odds and ends the girls made when they were younger.

12. Do you decorate or have you decorated your yard for Christmas? No. Too much work. I enjoy looking at the results of other people's efforts, though.

Bonus #13: The question that wasn't included in the meme but that I want to answer...

13. What's your favorite thing about the holiday now? Staying home on Christmas Day. It is really wonderful to settle in together, knowing we have all the time we want to play with our new stuff, be together, go back to bed, etc.