Keep rolling with the holidays.

So. More questions and more answers to questions. This was also stolen from Angi, but she stole it from Michelle, so really there's just a whole lot of thieving going down. It's okay, it's loving thieving. Pretty sure that's the Biblical kind. Don't quote me.

1. What makes Christmas such a special holiday for you and your family?

Togetherness, lovingness, happiness, givingness, baby Jesusness. That's like asking why I love polka dots or sleeping so much. The answers never end. Christmas is just that time of year where joy is so abundant and love is all around that it's infectious. I used to feel the same way about our church family camp until it got cancelled. I just love spending time with the people I love and showing them that through giving. I'm a giver.

2. Were you told the truth about Santa or did you find our another way?

We've been over this already. My still beating heart was ripped from my chest and thrown to the ground when I found out that the Easter Bunny wasn't real. Santa was just a casualty of war.

3. Real tree or fake tree?

Growing up we always had a real tree, but Karl and I do fake. I am forever changed. Real trees are gorgeous and smell amazing, but they're so much work. They're also really expensive. My three foot tall plastic beauty came with lights on it already (my LEAST favourite part of any tree is hanging lights) and is so easy maintenance. I throw a garbage bag over it when I put it on storage and then 10 1/2 months later I just take the bag off and BAM! Christmas. Plus, with a fake tree I don't have to worry about it dying on me. As a result, I got to put it up at the end of November for the first time this year. Glorious.

4. Do you open presents Christmas morning, Christmas Eve, or both?

As a kid I got to open a present Christmas Eve, mostly because I wanted to and all my friends did. Only child syndrome. Now we don't do that. I no longer get a million gifts. I'm an adult now and don't need an entire set of Gargoyle action figures (because I already have them) and only get a handful of presents. Well, from Karl. My dad still tries to shamelessly spoil us.

This year, though, Karl and I are going to give each other one gift on Christmas Eve to open at my dad's.  It's a new thing, but I think it makes sense. Christmas morning we'll open the rest with Mom, then in the afternoon open whatever his parents get us. It's basically a gift opening marathon.

5. What are your favourite Christmas movies and your favourite Christmas songs?

Well. I'm going to above and beyond answer this question. 

First, though, The Santa Clause is a long time favourite Christmas movie of mine. "Tinsel, not just for decoration." I also really like Love Actually but I don't think of it so much as a Christmas movie. Definitely The Santa Clause.

This year, though, I've been trying to watch all the Christmas movies I've never seen before. That includes Elf, White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, The Polar Express, and soon Miracle on 34th Street which I never made it all the way through as a kid.

Elf was pretty good but it was so weird. I think I will definitely hold onto the end of it, though, because it was so good. Yeah, you've got to sing to get Santa's sleigh off the ground. And Zooey Deschanel was in it.

White Christmas had its moments but I couldn't handle all the musical numbers from the show they were putting on. They just made it drag, I'm sorry to say. I didn't enjoy the beginning part for sure, though. I actually laughed. Until this year I didn't know old movies could be funny or even entertaining. Go ahead and judge me.

It's a Wonderful Life was my favourite by far of all the movies. I can see why it's such a classic. I actually loved it. I'll definitely watch it again. So maybe it can go on my favourite Christmas movie list now, too. Because I'm cultured and all that.

Finally, The Polar Express wasn't bad. It was better than I was expecting. For some reason I didn't have high hopes for animated Tom Hanks, but it was good. It was also pretty dark for a kids' movie, as the two kids we watched it with kept reminding us. It was their dad that put it on, so don't blame  us for freaking them out. I would have put on the The Santa Clause. Except I don't think I fully understood that movie until a couple years ago.

As for songs, I love "Last Christmas" just not the Wham version (Glee and Hawk Nelson are what's in my out of date iTunes). "Baby, Please Come Home" has also been in heavy rotation this year (U2, Anberlin, and Jars of Clay). Apparently I'm into holiday break up songs. I'm not sure why. "All I want for Christmas is You" is also a favourite of mine, but definitely not the Mariah Carey version. Maybe just the version from Love Actually.

And... "Drummer Boy" by Jars of Clay is always going to have a special place in my Christmas heart. I know this because apparently I have multiple versions of it on my Christmas playlist and never even notice that I've listened to it five times in a row.

"Love Came Down at Christmas" is another song I could listen to all year. Also by Jars of Clay. Go figure.

Other than that, I love so many of the traditional carols. I also love a lot of non-traditional songs, too. If you can, look up Number One Gun "Of Two Bearded Men." Because Jesus doesn't hate Santa Claus cause he knows Santa only does his job. Santa also prays. It's kind of the best ever.

I have officially stayed up far beyond my bedtime. It's 1 in the am, but I'm scheduling this post (because I can and never have before) so I guess you didn't need to know that. Except that I needed a bit of a caveat in there just in case I started talking about unicorns. You just never know.

Well, to all a good night.