"Holly Jolly Holidays" Tag - You're It!

 

Merry Christmas, err'body! I got tagged in a post by the lovely BeautyInfinitum for the Holly Jolly Holiday tag, so here is my Christmas post! 
1. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until last minute?    I start shopping early, around Black Friday, and keep shopping right up until the last minute. I tend not to plan my gifts, but rather shop serendipitously.   2. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?   Probably "Elf." Or "Black Christmas." I'm not one for super-sappy Christmas movies, so a horror movie feels right!
3. Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?    I like both! Christmas Eve means the anticipation of Christmas morning is around the corner. I still get that sense of excitement when I go to bed on Christmas Eve, and the feeling of Christmas morning is incredible!    4. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?   We don't put up a tree or decorations. The only holiday that gets pride of place in our house is Halloween. We do hang stockings and display our Christmas cards, however.
5. White lights or colored lights?   Colored lights! We decorated the unit at work, and everybody's favorites are the colored string lights around the census board. Night shift turns the hallway lights off, and the unit is lit by the flickering colored lights. It's amazing how much difference a few cheap lights can make. 6. Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like surprise?   Never. I want to be surprised.   7. Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or Santa's Workshop?   Gingerbread houses for the MFW. I would LOVE to live in a gingerbread house. The smell alone would be amazing.   8. Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions!   We don't really have any traditions, per se. We usually have a late-night hot chocolate and promise to get up early and open presents. When we're in California, with our families, we go to the in-laws' house for Christmas Eve dinner, and celebrate Christmas Day at my family's house.   9. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone, who would it be?   My husband, Snuggle Bunny.    10. What tops your tree?   No tree, so no tree topper. :(
Now, for a few Christmas traditions and memories that weren't mentioned: What was your favorite present?  

When I was 4, I got a Snuffles Bear (by Gund). He's since been re-christened "Mr. Bear," now known as "Mr. OG Bear," since he was the first, and he still sleeps with me every night. He's not white or fluffy anymore, his eyes are cracked, and he has a new nose, but he's the best thing Santa ever brought me. 33 years later, he's still OG Bear.