Christmas questions

I ws tagged by Ange :o)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrap. Always.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Colored & white outside. Only white inside.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No. Mistletoe isn't a scandinavian thing.

5. When do you put up your decorations?
Some go up on the first advent. Lights go up then (outside lights stay on until mid february to help with the infinite darkness). I add decorations every weekend. We bring the tree (always a live tree) a week before Christmas. It stays until Nuutti's Day which is closer to mid January.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Finnish sweet potato dish.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
My godfather worked as Santa and many a Christmas I'd join him on his route as an elf. It was fun peeking into other families holiday.

8. When and how did you learn that Santa isn't real?
Hmmm... see above.. :o) He's real in our hearts.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes. All of them. That's when Santa comes here.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
I have enough to decoarte three or four trees... so I alternate. One year red, one lots of color, one year silver... whatever I'm feeling.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it. As long as I don't have to shovel it all.

12. Can you ice skate?
Sure. I need new skates though, had to toss my old ones last year.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Not really... sad isn't it...

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Slowing down. Enjoying the smells and sounds and lights. Appreciating family.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Any cookies I've baked.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Visiting graves. It’s a Finnish tradition to visit graves to place candles on Christmas Eve. I can’t tell you how beautiful it is to have a huge cemetery lit with thousands of candles. It’s something I like to do by myself most years. Just to find that quiet time amidst all the “noise” of the day. If we are at home on Christmas Eve, I drive there after 8pm, after we’ve eaten Christmas dinner and Santa has brought gifts. Just me, candles and matches.

17. What tops your tree?
A star.

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving gifts?
Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Oh come all ye faithful

20. Candy Canes on the tree?
Not a one. However you'll find them in with my hot chocolate.

In a holiday mood, I'm not officially tagging anyone.
But if you feel like you'd like to answer these, go ahead.
Have a ball!
Glass ball...
ornament...
boxes of them...

...somebody stop me....

Blog tag...and I'm it.

I was tagged by both Jill and Suzanne. So here goes:

-5 things-

in my fridge
1. old leftovers (I sooo need to clean in there)
2. milk
3. coke (Mika's)
4. a bottle of sparkling wine
5. Karelian pies, the girls' favorite snack (just google it...)

in my closet

1. favorite shade of green
2. shoes
3. purses
4. a Fisher-Price little people school bus (yes, really)
5. a killer black dress

in my Marimekko purse

1. cute green wallet (wink, Suzanne)

2. bus pass
3. cell phone
4. nailfile and lipgloss
5. cute mirror my friend Pam made for me

in my car
1. booster seat
2. couple blankets in the trunk
3. kleenex
4. I had some shopping bags there just a few minutes ago..
5. not much else

on my TiVo- I have no TiVo... so instead on my watchlist
1. CSI (las Vegas, Miami, New York...I'm not picky)
2. ER
3. Cold Case
4. Battlestar Galactica (yes, I'm a total geek)
5. Amazing Race (I like watching Americans run around the world)

i tag . . .
All of you I think. Yes, that sounds good.
And I KNOW I'm getting traffic here, so just leave a note ;o)


Did some shopping today.
I had a H&M coupon I wanted to use. The girls got some summer gear.

Saara's pile

Niina's pile

Niina had to try on her new stuff right away

Then she saw the camera and ran away, LOL.
But I did get her to change her mind

Now I just need to talk Saara into some photos...

Tagged, tagged and tagged once more for good measure!

And just so you know I don't even know how come I didn't come back here all last week. We'll just blame it on the January blaah's, ok?

So I was tagged by Courtney, Robin and Jill. Guess I should get to it...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
Breakfast waiter at a fancy hotel
Salesperson at a gift store
Had my own flowershop for a bit
and my most challenging one: mom :o)

Four movies you would watch over and over:
Chocolat (be warned to have chocolat at hand!)
Any Wallace and Gromit flick (long or short)
Das Boot (the ultimate submarine movie)
...ummm.... need one more...
Oh yes... Silverado

Four places you have lived:
Helsinki, Finland
Olympia, WA
Espoo, Finland
Lake Orion, MI

Four TV shows you love to watch:
(right now)
Everwood
Desperate Housewives
CSI
Deadwood

Four places you have been on vacation:
Sailing on the Baltic Sea
caravaning in Norway
back in '99 we drove from MI to Florida to go to Disneyworld
England

Four websites I visit daily:
The TIPster message board
2 peas in a bucket
several blogs

Four of my favorite foods:
Pasta
love anything with parmesan and prosciutto
Tomato soup
bread, any shape or form

Four places I would rather be right now:
A week from today and have Niina's b-day party behind me LOL
Nosing around Jill's store :o)
Drinking a dacquiri someplace warm
Living next door to my Sis

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Laura
Sharyn (just cause I know you hate these.. hehehee)
Shelby
Tawny

*grin*

I need to run now, but I promise to come back tomorrow to tell you about the party plans.
Fluttering sparkling butterflies.
OY!