Ashley and Neely's Sunday Social questions this week are all holiday themed- so much fun!
1. What are your favorite holiday movies/TV specials?
1. What are your favorite holiday movies/TV specials?
I wrote about my favorite Christmas movies and made-for-TV movies this week for the Christmas is in the Air link-up. This week, I'm going to try to DVR as many Christmas movies as possible from ABC Family. This year I watched and enjoyed the Carrie Underwood live version of The Sound of Music (I accepted it for what it was and didn't compare it to the Julie Andrews movie) and have the Kelly Clarkson "Christmas Music Cautionary Tale" on my DVR, and I'll be watching Michael Buble's special this Wednesday. I also like to watch the Rockefeller Center and White House Christmas Tree lightings.
2. Do you do any volunteering during the holidays if so what? If not what would you do?
We always do some sort of service project with our students during the holidays. This year we wrote letters to Santa for Macy's "Believe" project with the Make-a-Wish foundation. Since my students are teenagers, I asked them to think back to their childhood letters to Santa and think about what they wish for other people in our community and in the world. We're also collecting items for the local Humane Society. I miss being in high school and visiting the Elks National Home around Christmas time with the Student Council and National Honor Society to sing carols. I'd like to get back into doing something like that.
3. What is your favorite toy received as a child for the holidays?
A few I can remember being excited about are Cabbage Patch dolls, Glow worms, Teddy Ruxpin, Little Miss Makeup, my American Girl doll Samantha's Christmas outfit, Super Talk Barbie, a sticker making machine, Legos, and the Clue board game. But the one that gave my little self a near heart attack was my Fisher-Price kitchen set - I remember my dad "going out to the store to get cigarettes," and when he got back, Santa had left the huge box on the front porch!
4. What was your must have item in high school for the holidays?
My parents couldn't go wrong with getting me CDs in high school (Christina Aguilera, Matchbox Twenty, Lifehouse, White Stripes, Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, Garth Brooks, Dixie Chicks), videos (Pearl Harbor, Save the Last Dance, Notting Hill, Monsters Inc, Moulin Rouge) or clothes. I got my embroidered corduroy Delia's peacoat for Christmas in 10th grade and wore it on through college... if it still fit and hadn't fallen apart, I would still be wearing it to this day. My mom got around the "too old for toys" thing by getting me "collectible" ballet Barbies and Breyer horses.
5. What do you do on Christmas Eve?
My mom, Mr. Q and I spend Christmas Eve with his family at his parent's house with his dad's family. We watch A Christmas Story, eat a potluck meal (with all of my favorite Southern comfort foods like ham biscuits, little Smokies, grape jelly meatballs, mac and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, and deviled eggs), and exchange gifts. One of their family traditions is always opening gifts one at a time, from the youngest family member to the oldest, so cousin Angeline always starts and Paw Paw is always last - I'm sure this was helpful for picture-taking when all of the cousins were little kids, but now it's kind of funny because everyone is staring at each person in anticipation while they open their gifts. Usually Angeline also chooses which gift everyone opens - she's kind of our Master of Ceremonies.
That's how I prefer opening presents too. One at a time, so that way all the attention is on me when I open presents. Of course, my husband's family is more of a free-for-all, but maybe I can attempt to change that once we bring kids into the mix!
ReplyDeleteThe attention really freaked me out at first but I've gotten used to it over the years and I like that it encourages everyone to pay attention to the whole family's gifts, not just their own.
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