It is ONE WEEK until Christmas and the mood around here is a mix of mellow and excited. Yesterday was our open house and – although the basement looked like a Lego bomb went off and also like twenty-five children dropped crackers on the carpet and then stepped on them vigourously, which is probably exactly what happened – now I’m kind of in a weird state of not having much to do. One week before Christmas. It’s nice, do not get me wrong, I heard on the news that it was taking 45 minutes to exit the parking lot at the nearby shopping mall, and I’m very happy not to have to be around people who are so filled with the Christmas spirit that they may may murder you and run over their own grandma to get a parking spot.
The kids are also in school until THURSDAY. Their last day of school is THURSDAY. I cannot imagine that there will be much learning this week. I also cannot imagine how their teacher is a non-drinker, but that’s just me. We all cope differently, I suppose.
Personally, I am going to cope with Christmas excitement – my own – by watching Christmas Vacation on the CBC tonight. I am also now 90 years old, apparently, by using the words “on the CBC”. I really need to buy the video of this movie, as I watch it every year and every year I become slightly annoyed at the editing of the words “We’re going to have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny Fucking Kaye”. Ah, what a movie.
Without further adieu, I will time travel back to 2007 and do a meme! A Christmas meme! Feel free to answer these questions in the comments or, if you are a blogger, answer them on your blog and put a link to it in the comments. xoxo
Five Quick Christmas Questions:
1. What is your favourite Christmas beverage?
Wine is pretty much my favourite. Red wine – it’s festive! But on Christmas morning I do enjoy a cup of coffee with Bailey’s – the original Bailey’s. I know they have all sorts of new flavours of Bailey’s, but because I am 90 years old (see also: referring to it as “the CBC”) I like the original. I loathe even the idea of eggnog. Just looking at it makes me feel all squeamy. No amount of rum can fix that beverage.
2. What is your favourite Christmas song?
I love so many Christmas songs. In no particular order: Last Christmas by Wham!, Santa Baby by anyone at all, Baby It’s Cold Outside – because who doesn’t like a festive song about date rape (“No, no, my answer is no!” “But what’s the sense in hurting my pride?”), White Christmas by Bing Crosby (because I am 90) and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. On the more religious side, I love O Holy Night and the Hallelujah song from the Messiah. I like to sing it loudly, luckily for the people who I live with. I also love this song, although it continues to make me sob and turn into a blotchy, red faced sentimental idiot.
3. What is your favourite Christmas movie?
Elf, followed closely by Christmas Vacation (it’s on the CBC TONIGHT) and When Harry Met Sally, which I count as a Christmas movie because it involves Christmas, New Year’s, and my husband will only watch it with me during the holidays. He refuses to watch it more than that because I always get drunk and repeat all the dialogue. Anyone want to come over and watch with me? It’s super fun!
4. What is your favourite Christmas dessert?
My mom makes a chocolate Yule log with whipped cream. It is PRETTY yummy. I also really like to eat a lot of After Eights and call that dessert. I need a cleanse just thinking about this.
5. How long do you leave your Christmas decorations up?
Heh. I usually put the tree up EARLY – like before December 1st – and so by the afternoon of the 25th I want to tear everything down just so I can move through my living room without bumping into something. I try to wait until after Boxing Day, just to be not such a grinch, but it doesn’t always happen.
If you’d like to participate in this meme, let me know – it’s fun!
PS My gingerbread recipe is up at the cooking blog – nom nom nom.
My husband taught our four-year-old daughter to say, “Waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash, but I would love to partake of your pecan piiiiiie.” It’s hilarious!
Did you know you can buy the fabulous moose punch glasses from Christmas vacation? You can! They are horribly expensive but I’m thinking SO WORTH IT.
“Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere and leave you for dead?”
Thank God it was White Wine in the Sun – I was afraid it was going to be that accursed Christmas Shoes song.
I’m not going to tell you what I think of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Merry Christmas.
1. I love eggnog with cinnamon schnapps. Also coffee or cocoa with Baileys or Kaluha.
2 Religious type songs: O Holy Night and I Saw Three Ships. Nonreligious: Winter Wonderland (although the rest of my family loathes that song) and the Jack Johnson version of Rudolph – he includes an extra verse in which Rudolph basically tells the other reindeer they were assholes.
3. If we are including When Harry Met Sally that is by far my favorite. My husband also won’t watch it with me because I cannot help saying most of the lines.
4. I don’t have a standard Christmas dessert – so I guess I love them all.
5. We keep our decorations up until the weekend the boy scouts come and collect the tree. So probably the first week-end in January?
I will totally come over and repeat the entire dialogue to When Harry Met Sally With You. If we lived in the same town that would be our thing…repeating dialogue to movies and singing karaoke. Everyone would love us and invite us over to their parties.
Those are the two of my least favourite songs. I love Elf and watch Christmas Vacation for my husband’s sake each year.
LisaDay
I’m jealous that your kids still have school! Last Friday was our last day.
1. I’m all over the red wine, too. And since I’m clumsy, occasionally some of it also gets all over me.
2. I am completely incapable of stopping myself from singing along to The Date Rape Song. Part of me screams, “No! This is not festive music! Listen to the lyrics!” But really–it’s just so damned catchy. I also love O Holy Night and the Huron Carol, even though I am generally not the least bit religious. They’re just such beautiful songs.
3. I love Elf, and (I confess) I love It’s A Wonderful Life. My husband always says his favourite Christmas movie is Die Hard.
4. My mom makes the most awesome butter tarts, but only at Christmas time. I look forward to them every year.
5. Our decorations will probably be up till January 7 or 8…sometime around there.
1. Apple Cider
2. Karen Carpenter singing “Merry Christmas Darling.”
3. Little Women (the old version with June Allyson as Jo and Elizabeth Taylor as Amy.)
4. Date balls rolled in coconut
5. Once Jan. 1st rolls around, I’m okay with them coming down.
I am TOTALLY doing this meme on my blog. Just as soon as I’m done w/ my cavalcade of ornaments.
Yule LOG! LOG. CHOCOLATE LOG! HAHAHAHAHA.
Ahhhhh. Carry on.
Oh Clark.
I quote that movie all year round.
“Them little lights aren’t twinkling Clark”
My sister got me into Michael Buble for Christmas. He croons while I eat cardboard for breakfast because my gallbladder is a jerk.
Which means I can’t have coffee.
Which means no bailey’s.
And wine.
Which means I have to tolerrate my family sober this Christmas.
Pray for me.