Christmas Hoopla

Karlene tagged me this week. Kinda like a snowball fight, but without the cold and wet. But you can still have a cup of cocoa, though. Oh and a Christmas cookie.

Here are the rules which I copied and pasted straight from Karlene's blog:
1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas

2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word (Josi doesn't even know what the m-word is but she's trying really hard to think of all the dirty words that start with M that she's ever heard. Tristi thinks the "m" word is Meme.)

3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. 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.

1. Hello, my name is Sandra and I am a Christmas Junkie. I love all things Christmas and always go way overboard.

2. My favorite part of Christmas growing up was trekking to find the perfect tree.

3. Actually, my favorite part was when Mom got out the decorations and we were reunited with all of my favorite decorations: the blue ball with the scene that I hung every year since I was 6, my metal santa with the green rubberband around him to hold him together because he broke, the ice cream cone ornaments, the multi-colored balls in all shapes and sizes, the felt stockings that my grandmother made. Oh, my favorite, the pine cone lights. I have never been any like them.

4. I love sugar cookies, but they taste the best at Christmas time when they are full of sprinkles and those little silver balls. I haven't been able to find them lately though. We always thought we were being naughty when we found out that the label said "Not for consumption, decorative purposes only" and we ate them anyway.

5. I hate flocked trees. Especially if they have only blue decorations. Pink isn't too far behind.

6. We always had scrambled eggs for breakfast on Christmas when I was growing up. Mom said it was because it was fast and easy so she could get to all the baking she did the rest of the day. One year I tried making something different for my family, it didn't seem like Christmas, so we went back to the scrambled eggs.

7. I cannot make paper snowflakes. In my entire 44 years on earth, I have never made one that looked like a snowflake, ever.

8. I love making Christmas candy. Divinity, penuche, fudge, dipped chocolates...

9. Everytime I see purple wrapping paper, I think of my mom. One year she purchased a HUGE roll of purple stripped wrapping paper. She got a really good deal on it. But that roll of paper lasted forever. If I remember it correctly, she bought it before I was 6 and it lasted until I was in high school. I don't use purple paper very often, this is why.

10. I love Christmas parties, the kind where everyone dresses up in fancy clothes and there is good music and even better munchies and we all mingle and enjoy each other's company.

11. I love Christmas parties where we come as we are and there is good music and good muchies and we all play games and enjoy each other.

12. I still believe in Santa. I know a lot of grownups don't, but I do. I love looking at the lights on Christmas eve, watching the movies that his elves have left at our house and then hanging my stocking. There is still the little flutter of excitement as I lay in bed and listen for sleigh bells and watch for red reindeer noses in the sky. And I am usually the first one up wondering when the kids are ever going to get up already!!

I tag Diane, Kymburlee, Elle