Eclectic Holiday...

MDMHVONPA has once again tagged me...I believe it is because he doesn't have enough to do, raising twins, chopping wood, working full time, and attending his Karate Kid classes. And being the good lemming I am, I will follow his lead over the cliff and to my death.

But seriously (if there is such a thing)...the dear man has "tagged" me with a meme about Christmas. That would be THE Christmas. The holiday believed to be celebrated by everyone around the world. And unfortunately, this belief is urban folklore as I am here to tell you, not everyone celebrates Christmas...and I am one of those "not everyone's".

Now, before I begin to receive any Christian hate mail (not from YOU regular readers, but some weirdo Google-ing anti-Christ or something! LOL), I will tell you I was raised in a household that celebrated Christmas. I believe in the SPIRIT of Christmas...just as I believe in the SPIRIT of Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Solstice, and Hanukkah. I believe the wintertime holidays all have a common thread that interconnects each of us to one another...and that thread is woven with light, goodness, giving, peace, birth, hope, and wisdom.

So, in answering the following meme questions, I will have to pull out memories and ideas from my childhood OR bore you to tears with my current spiritual practices. Yes, I thought you'd choose the childhood memories route! Here goes:

1. Do you put up a real tree or artificial? We always had a real tree in our house...probably because that was what we could afford.

2. When do you put up your tree? I don't recall an exact day, but I know it was sometime after Thanksgiving.

3. When do you take down the tree? Mother was always big on getting the fire hazard out of the house before the needles fell off!

4. Do you like eggnog? I've never had it.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? A Johnny West Chuckwagon set.

6. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Can't remember one

7. Favorite Christmas movie? The Grinch (Duh!)

8. Have you ever recycled a present? I can barely get my recycling out to the bin, let alone recycle a present.

9. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Anything that doesn't eat me first.

10. Favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

11. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Stupid people, but that's really ANY time of year.

12. What you love most about the holiday? For a brief window in time, the majority of the world becomes a bit kinder and softer.

13. How many reindeer did Santa have? Is that old fart still around?!?

14. Best Christmas memory? My mother's cinnamon tea roll.

15. If you could have one Christmas wish what would it be? World Peace...wait! I'm not in the Miss America pageant...