12-Christmas-Things-About-Me-Hoopla

I was tagged by Pam (be sure and stop by and say hello!) to do this `hoopla`
Here are the rules:1. List 12 random things about yourself that has to do with Christmas 2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word 3. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere. 4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.
Okay...here are my 12 Christmas Things About Me:
1. My immediate family doesn't exchange gifts, we instead use the money to spend a weekend together and enjoy each other's company. More time together, less time in malls, a win/win situation.
2. My extended family on my dad's side also does not exchange gifts, we pool money together for a donation on a decided cause. Last year we raised enough money to provide a poor community with a well for clean drinking water, through MCC. Again, what could be better, less time consumed with the consumerism of the holidays and more concerned with blessing those less fortunate.
3. The same extended family also has a tradition that has been continued since as early as I can remember, the children (children of my parents generation) sing a song, play an instrument, recite a poem or part of a story and then each adults would give us anywhere from $1 to $5 each. Now that my generation is older we instead summarize how our year has been and watch our children, neices and nephews do the performing.
4. I have a weak spot for Christmas cookies. Christmas cookies are the best cookies ever; shortbread, gingerbread, jam jams, mennonite peppernut cookies, Portzelkje, the kind with marichino cherries.....yum yum. Usually my sisters, mom and I pool our efforts and have one big day for baking, that way we can get a much bigger variety of cookies with not much more work than if we did it by ourselves. This is the first year in awhile that we are not doing it because it's become more about spending time together than having all those temptations on our kitchen counters, we forfeited the fat and will just find another way to enjoy each other's company.
5. I don't put up any Christmas decorations because my cats would most likely destroy it all while we're not home. They are not even that well behaved when we're home, and they are worse when we're not home, so I just don't bother.
6. I do however collect Christmas ornaments for the one day when I hope to be able to have a house that allows me to keep my cats out of the room with the Christmas tree. I only collect homemade ornaments, and I am trying to make one for every year of our marriage although I think I fell behind at 2006, I need to start catching up again.
7. I try to make my own Christmas cards every year because a) most of the ones in the stores I can afford don't thrill me, and b) I love an excuse to make cards, even if it can get to be a lot of work. Here are a few of my past Christmas cards.


8. I still have no clue how to cook a turkey.
9. I sang one of the verses to Silent Night as a solo in a Christmas pagent in grade 2. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I sang in a pagent/production of some kind for every Christmas until I was 17.
10. Christmas is my very favorite holiday of the year. I love that everyone makes time to spend time with friends and family, a great opportunity to see those you may not see very often during the year. I love GIVING gifts. Although receiving is nice too, I prefer to see people's faces light up when they receive something from me because I know I've brought someone else some happiness. I love food, and especially all the family favorites that come out during the holidays. I love the pretty lights and decorated Christmas trees, even if I can't have it in my own home just yet. I love the movies that come on t.v., like A Christmas Carol, Wizard of Oz and Sound of Music (despite that some aren't really about Christmas, lol). I love singing Christmas carols (see #9) but the real carols, not ones about frosty or rudolf. I'd rather hear Carol of the Bells, Oh Holy Night, Handel's Messiah, or any of Boney M's or Amy Grant's. Most of all I love the celebration of the birth of our saviour.
11. Every year I struggle with what to get Sean, since he's got very few hobbies, one that costs next to no money and the other is Stephen King books, which don't come out often enough to give at every cause for a present. He's a picky dresser and doesn't really collect anything. The last few years I've barely managed with a leather jacket he knew he was getting because he had to pick it, and tools, which was fairly easy since he had none, so I just bought everything. Luckily the last two years there have been major concerts we've wanted to attend so we've just bought tickets for each other. It makes it easy for me, but I also don't get the wonderful presents Sean is so good at picking out. He always amazes me with the thoughtfulness of his gifts and that is something I've missed out on for the last two years.
12. Not one present I bought this year was from a mall (granted I only had to buy a few). My shopping locations this year were Toys R' Us, Staples Online, The Bomber Store, Starbucks, and the last one will either be from Princess Auto or The Fishing Hole. Yeah for avoiding malls!
And I can't really tag anyone because I honestly don't know anyone who reads my blog who has a blog, other than Pam, and I was tagged by her, so the hoopla ends with me.