ABC's of Liz and Christmas Fun

A round of surveys for your viewing pleasure. I should print these suckers out and paste them into my journal for my posterity. It's a thought.....

Anyway. First up, the ABCs of me.

A- Attached or Single? Sin....oh no. That's not right. I'm very much attached. Yay!
B- Best Friend? Kara since the 4th grade. And Jen since our junior year at BYU. They are such complete opposites of each other but I love them both so much. And David, of course. But that's a given.
C- Cake or Pie? Cake. I love cake. I adore cake. A lot.
D- Day of Choice? You know, when you don't do anything, every day kinda feels the same. Fridays are good. I've always had a thing for Thursdays though. I don't know why.
E- Essential Item? Chaptstick. I cannot go anywhere without some Burt's Bees.
F- Favorite Color? Right now, I love purple. It was my wedding color, after all. But yellow and pink are way up there.
G- Gummy Bears or Worms? This is hard. I really really love chocolate covered cinnamon bears (or just plain cinnamon bears in general) but I think I'd have to pick gummy worms. They are much more fun to eat.
H- Hometown? Poway, California
I- Indulgence(s)? Anything chocolate. And new shoes.
J- January or July? Neither month have much personal meaning to me, but I have to pick July if only for the Fourth of July. And Pioneer Day.
K- Kids? No. No. And no. Though I expect that it will happen soon enough. By soon enough, I mean before I turn 40.
L- Life is incomplete without? Faith, hope, and David.
M- Marriage Date? June 6, 2008. It was the perfect day to get married. I have this really weird thing about odd numbers so I insisted that we get married on an even date. It worked out to be 06/06/2008. I didn't even realize it was D-Day when we picked the day.
N- Number of Siblings? 3 - One brother and two sisters. All older. I love being the baby.
O- Oranges or Apples? Apples. I love the fall when there are lots and lots of different kinds of apples available. I really love Cameos.
P- Phobias or Fears? I have a lot of random fears. For the longest time, I was afraid I'd find a spider in the toilet and it would bite me on the butt. I hate driving under overpasses, especially in heavy traffic, and driving next to big rig trucks because I always think they're going to smash me and my little car to bits. I might possibly even be a bit of a closet hypochondriac. I hate big social events and calling people I don't know on the phone. But I also try not to let my fears dictate how I live or prevent me from living my life. My biggest, most horrifying fear, though, is to loose either David or my mother. I don't think I will ever be prepared to live without them in my life.
Q- Quotes? I often hear quotes and love them for their poetry or truthfulness, but I never remember to write them down or commit them to memory, except for quotes from movies or songs. I love the quote from Yeats from which I drew the title of this blog. Or I could mention my favorite scripture in Alma 26:35-36: "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name. Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo." Or I could mention a few lines from "Blue Eyes" by Carey Brothers....one of my favorite songs because it reminds me of David and it was the first song we danced to at our wedding: "Cause blue eyes, you are all that I need....cause blue eyes, you’re the sweet to my mean....I just wanna sing a song with you, I just wanna be the one that's true....cause blue eyes, you’re the secret I keep.....But you can't point the way to your heart, so sublime, when the stars are aligned...But you don't know, you don't know the greatness you are."
R- Reason to Smile? Life. I forget to smile for that reason way too often.
S- Season? Fall
T- Tag 5 People? Umm....Kara, Abby....anyone else that reads this blog? No pressure though.
U- Unknown Fact? It's always so hard to think an answer to open-ended questions like this. But since I'm sitting here, in my living room, staring at my bookshelves full of all their tantalizing books, I'll say this: I'm a very fast reader. My mother instilled a love of books and reading in me at a very early age and somewhere along the way, I became a super speedy reader. (I wish that were a super power. I could be the Great Reader or Literary Girl or something like that.) I say this because the only contests that I have ever won have been the result of my reading abilities. In the fourth grade, my class had a reading contest and we had to log the number of pages that we read each night. I racked up the most pages and won.....a book. The summer between 4th and 5th grade, my mom signed me up for a summer school class that was all about reading and enrichment type activities for kids and we got tickets for every book we read. At the end of the summer, the teacher held an auction in which we used alll the tickets we had collected over the summer to buy stuff. I had the most. Several of my fellow classmates accused me of cheating. But I truly did read every single book. I don't, however, remember anything I bought at the auction. In the seventh grade, the middle school library had some electronic literary system rigged up. They had a long list of books to read, each worth a different amount of points (the hard ones were worth 5 points). After reading a book on the list, you took a short test on the computer about characters, plot, themes, etc.. If you passed, you earned the number of points the book was worth and you had 3 chances to pass the test for each book. The only test that I did not pass was for The Great Gatsby (worth 5 points which is why I chose to read it in the first place). It was a little too heavy and symbolic for my 13 year old mind to comprehend but it has since become one of my favorite American novels. At the end of the school, year I was the loser with no life who had amassed the most number of points and I won $100. Sometimes it totally pays to read. I wish I could get paid to read now.
V- Very Favorite Store? Target. Not that they have Targets in Hawaii, but I love that store.
W- Worst Habit? Futzing with my hair. I'm either pulling the ends through my fingernails or picking at split ends. It's an annoying habit that I've had forever and no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot stop it. It's almost like a security blanket for me. If I have my hair trimmed, then I can't pick at the split ends, but then it much more fun to play with because I like the blunt edges. I just can't win either way. The only time I did actually stop was when my hair was short, but I'm forbidden to cut my hair.
X- X-Ray or Ultrasound? I've never had an ultrasound done before but I've had plenty of X-rays. And even an MRI and CAT scan.
Y- Your Favorite Food? There are so many good choices for this. I love food in general. Pizza ranks really up there for its many variations and options, chocolate, won tons. It's too hard to pick.
Z- Zodiac? Aquarius.

And now, for a Christmas survey. I love Christmas and even though I think it's just a tad too early to be thinking about it already, I couldn't resist jotting down my answers.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Gift bags are often the easier route to go, and for some odd-shaped or bulky items, they are much easier, but I much prefer wrapping paper. I find wrapping presents to be rather cathartic and I love ripping open the paper to reveal what's underneath. Bags take some of the fun away from opening presents. But then again....it's much easier to peek inside a bag and I'm notoriously nosy and impatient about opening up gifts.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
I love real trees. I love the way they smell but the mess is often not very fun. I'd insist on getting a real tree but I think for our first Christmas together as husband and wife, David and I will invest in an artificial tree in case we can't find Christmas trees in Korea. At least then, no matter what, we'll have a Christmas tree. Because there's no way to have Christmas without a tree, whether it's fake or not.

3. When do you put the tree up?
Well, if we do get an artificial one, I'll probably put it up at the beginning of December, but normally, with a real tree, my family wouldn't get one until maybe the second week of December....sometimes later. I don't like jumping too quickly from holiday to holiday.

4. When do you take the tree down?
Sometime after New Year's. Or when it starts turning brown.

5. Do you like egg nog?
Not really. I've only had it a few times and I didn't think it was awful, but it's not something I would go out of my way to buy or drink during the holidays.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
You know, I can only remember the silly little things I received as a child.....and I can't really remember if I got them as Christmas gifts or birthday presents. I was very lucky to have parents who could afford to give us nice Christmas gifts but I can't remember anything that I begged and begged my parents for and then found it under the Christmas tree. My mother used to buy us new pajamas each year for Christmas and I liked that. And we always got new clothes. But oddly, it was the little presents I'd find in my stocking each year that I was always most eager for because they were always so random and unexpected.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
I do. I have several. They are one of my favorite Christmas decorations because they feature Christ. I have a small Fontanini set that I bought when I was studying abroad in Rome. Each piece (and I have 7-8) normally costs around $20 in the States, but I got them for about 5 euro each in Italy. I'd love to be back in Europe sometime around Christmas again so that I could add more pieces to my collection. They are plastic but they are hand painted and have a beautiful quality to them. I also have a small plastic set that I got out a Kinder egg set (anyone know what those are?) and I have a smaller all-white porcelain set that I got as a child but which I think is still buried somewhere in my parent's home. Someday, though, I'd love to own a beautiful porcelain set like my mother's complete Lladro set. Funny story about that. We went to Valencia during our family trip to Spain for the sole purpose of going to Lladro's factory store so that my mom could buy the entire Nativity set (and a few Christus statues) for half the cost. After purchasing the whole set, we had 4 massive boxes full of Lladro. We had to unload the car of all of our luggage, load in the Lladro and then my dad and brother drove off, leaving my sister, mom, and me, by the side of the road with all our belongings while they went off in search of a post office still open (it was right about siesta time). They finally found a place, and came back to get us. It cost as much to ship the Lladro home as it did to purchase it, but it still cost my parents half of what it would have to have bought it in the States. They are absolutely beautiful.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
My father. He's the type of man who likes expensive electronic gadgets but if he wants something, he just goes out and buys it for himself anyway. And then when you ask him what he wants, he always says "The pleasure of your company" which is sweet and all, but not an actual present that you can wrap up and put under the tree. And while I'm not promoting materialism, it's always nice to be able to buy something for someone else which you know that they will enjoy. Half the fun of buying gifts is seeing the look on someone's face when they open it. And no matter what you buy my father, he never looks happy or excited or pleased to have received it. It'll sit on the living room floor for a week after Christmas until my mom picks it up and puts it somewhere. Argh. Can you tell this is something I go through every year?

9. Easiest person to buy for?
I've always found shopping for my friend Kara to be relatively easy. I just buy something I would like and give it to her. We've always had similar tastes. David is also pretty easy to shop for. He's always happy with some standard gift like a tie or Legos but he's also the type to not spend a lot of money on things for himself. I pay attention to things he casually mentions or things I know he'd like and I hold onto it until Christmas or a birthday or anniversary so that I can buy it for him and surprise him.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Email is great for so many things but I love to receive real mail and I still think Christmas cards should be the real deal.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Lint rollers. No, seriously. It's become this thing now. I was in Costco with my sister Cassy three Christmases ago, discussing Christmas and gifts. I was remarking on how I think I'm such an easy person to shop for because I love to receive gifts and don't really need a lot to make me happy. (Ultimately, I'm a very practical person when it comes to gifts. I like things that are useful.) As I was saying this, I grabbed a four pack of lint rollers and waved them about and said, "Like a pack of lint rollers. I'd be happy with a lint roller because I use them all the time!" That Christmas, I got five lint rollers. One from every family member. I get at least one lint roller every Christmas now. It's my own fault I suppose. Sure, I use them and sure, now I don't ever have to worry about buying another lint roller ever again but seriously? Is it really still that funny?

My family sure seems to think so.

12 . Favorite Christmas movie?
I haven't really seen many of the classics. I've never seen "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story" or even a "Charlie Brown Christmas." I love "Elf" though.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
It depends. Sometimes I start really early because I know exactly what I want to get certain people, or I want to spread out the expenses. I've already picked out one of David's gifts this year but I haven't got a clue what to get anyone else in my family. And most likely I'll procrastinate a ton and not get them sent out in time.

14 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
I've given away some of my spare lint rollers but otherwise, no.

15. Any Christmas traditions?
My family has quite a number. There's a few I plan to continue with David, but I'm also looking forward to creating a few of our own, especially once we have children. My favorite family tradition is eating pizza on Christmas Eve. My mother had normally prepared a large and lavish Christmas Eve feast but one Christmas, when she was hugely pregnant with me, she just couldn't do it. She told my father that it was his responsibility to find dinner that night and so my father did the only thing he knew to do.....he ordered pizza. Ever since then, it's been a Hayman family tradition to eat pizza on Christmas Eve. We get pizzas from 2-3 different places, bring out the nice china and silver, and feast upon layers of oozing cheese and pepperoni. David has already promised me pizza this Christmas Eve.

16 . Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I really don't like colored lights. I only like clear lights. Colored lights are fun and festive, but clear lights are elegant and magical.

17. Favorite Christmas song?
"O Holy Night." It's so beautiful. I also really like Micheal McLean's "Forbidden Carols" CD. I listen to it every year.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
I always go home for Christmas, which requires some travel as I haven't lived at home for some time. I've never spent a Christmas away from my parents or other family members and I'm, quite honestly, having a hard time accepting the fact that I won't be going home for Christmas this year. I mean, what are David and I going to do for the whole day? Christmas is normally a busy, busy day of opening gifts at my parent's home, eating Swedish scones, and then going to my grandparent's house to open more presents. I knew that I wouldn't get to go home every year, especially once I got married, but well....what to do on Christmas if you aren't with family?

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
If I thought really hard about it. I know Rudolph.

21 . Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas morning. I'm much opposed to opening them on Christmas Eve. I'll make an exception for a pair of pajamas to wear to bed that night, like my mother sometimes used to do.

22. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner?
We never did anything big for dinner on Christmas (only the pizza on Christmas Eve), but there's always good bread. I love good bread. Oh, and dessert. That's my favorite part.