Looks like we have had a pretty serious week around here so far:
- balance during the holidays
- the true addiction in my past with binge eating (thank YOU for all the love!!)
- tips to keep strength training interesting and effective
That means it’s time for a post solely for fun! First up, I have to wish a special someone a very, very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Peter is 30 today. The big 3-0. I plan on ragging on him all day about it, then giving him a surprise I’ve been holding onto for MONTHS tonight. I know he’s going to be thrilled (I’ll fill you in tomorrow). And I’m sure you’re thrilled I’m sparing you the lovey dovey post. I’ll save it for him. 
Now for that light-hearted fun I was talking about. Lindsay shared this fun survey that she got from Alexandra and I had to hop in. I did shorten it up a bit though for easier reading. Check out their blogs for the full version!
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa presents are un-wrapped! It’s what makes them special. I remember having to wait to go into the living room Christmas morning as a kid and the excitement of seeing what Santa brought. And it’s just as fun to experience through the kids’ eyes now.
PS – Consignment sale shopping is where it’s AT for Santa gifts. 
Colored lights on tree/house or white? White outdoors and a mix of white and colored lights on the tree. Although I must admit we just decorated our tree…do you really think we have stuff outside? Not a chance.
Do you hang mistletoe? Nope. Peter steals enough kisses without it.
What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? If we’re talking Thanksgiving, it’s the sweet potato casserole. But for Christmas? Surprisingly enough…my aunt’s deviled eggs. Random, I know.
Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I loved that my brother, sister, and I all had to cram into the guest room at my grandparents’ house to sleep. We were always up way too early and had to wait to go into the living room. I remember spending the hour or two waiting period just laughing about things I can’t even remember. I just remember laughing a lot. And that is such a special memory to me.
Snow? Love it or dread it? Living in the south we get just a couple snows a year, so I love them because they feel special. And it felt incredible to have a fluke White Christmas last year!
Although I certainly didn’t care for the snow a few weeks later when my water broke mid ice storm.
Real tree or fake tree? Fake tree!!! That we got 90% off at Hobby Lobby after Christmas a few years ago.
What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you? Celebrating the birth of my Savior. He has given me SO much and I wish Christmas could be just about Him.
What is your favorite Holiday dessert? My special peppermint fudge…which I’m making this weekend. 
What is your favorite tradition? I would have to say my favorite tradition is Christmas Eve – going to church, having white bean chili and cornbread for dinner, then topping it off with a birthday party for Jesus with the kids and my family. After the kids go to bed, we usually have a game night with the adults which I LOVE. And my sister and I always own at Cranium…which never gets old. Have you seen our skillz?
What tops your tree? Nothing. Makenzie was actually VERY disappointed we have no angel.
What is your favorite Christmas Song? Baby It’s Cold Outside. And I haven’t heard it nearly enough!
What do you leave for Santa? Leftover dessert from the Jesus birthday party and milk. And I can’t wait to eat my second serving of dessert as Santa this year!
Do you have a Christmas morning tradition? Cinnamon rolls! I’m shooting to make ones from scratch this year. Wish me luck! And give me good recipes.
Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall? Neither. Target gives me everything I need.
Now you tell me: YOUR favorite Christmas tradition? Favorite Christmas food/drink/dessert?
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{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
I think my favorite tradition are our family white elephant games. They’re always so funny!
We also did a penguin plunge one year so that was interesting….
mmmmm, favorite tradition has to be waking up and eating a beautiful Christmas breakfast before opening presents. i still get all squirmy when people take too long to eat since i want to see if they like what i got them!
Living in the midwest, I actually could do without snow EVEN on Christmas (I know that probably seems very Scroogeish). I would love for it to be 70 degrees year round!
My family always has had the tradition that before Christmas eve services we have Chili or Oyster soup (only my brother and dad eat the oyster soup- hence the reason for the chili! lol), and then after Christmas eve services we go look at Christmas lights.
One of my favorite holiday traditions is bundling up the kids and driving around looking at the Christmas lights. They LOVE this and get so excited. I love to watch the excitement in their eyes. Nothing better!
I love your traditions! And if you need a good cinnamon roll recipe, I tried them for the first time this year and they were amazing. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls! http://www.veganfaith.com/p/recipage.html?recipe_id=6005847
Definitely do a lot of prep the day before though…they are time intensive!
My fave xmas dessert (other than cookies) is chocolate yule log..storebought included
Would you believe I have never had a yule log? Haha!
My dad makes amazing dark peppermint hot chocolate around Christmas time! Its my fave
Oh that does sound good!
Happy Birthday to the hubby! And I love this post. So much fun. I agree – in the South snow is so rare you sort of look forward to it. Of course you know it’ll be brief so it’s not nearly as big of an ordeal
My favorite thing to eat are those butter cookies you buy in the tins, I can’t stop eating them in Dec. We font really have any traditions, unless you count the one where I stay up till 2am wrapping presents :p
Baby it’s cold outside is my favorite too! Can you believe some people haven’t heard of it?? I told people once and they were like are you sure you aren’t talking about “let it snow”.
Happy birthday to Peter! That fudge sounds amazing. I make a bath (or 5) every year. I’ve already been up making some this morning, in fact!
Totally agree re: target! Love that place! And I also loved deviled eggs. Yum. Haha! Great idea for a post, maybe a fun one for me to do to at some point! Happy birthday Peter!!
Loved them all!! Especially the one about mistletoe!
If you want a good cinnamon roll recipe==go to pinterest & do a ‘cinnamon roll’ search. You will get a vast variety of recipes you can browse & then choose the one that looks best to you!
I would…if I wasn’t avoiding pinterest like the plague. I just know I’ll get TOO sucked in . Haha!
Hey Tina,
I have a really good recipe that is as close to Cinnabon’s. If you are interested, email me!
Lenore
i guess everyone is loving this survey – i’m seeing it all over, and i plan on doing a post with it too! i love surveys. they’re so fun. i love your last answer – target has everything you need. i’m right there with ya!
Happy Birthday to Pete! I gave my hubby such a hard time when he turned 30!
I love on Christmas morning when the kids come downstairs and see all the presents from Santa and their faces just light up!
Ack, Makenzie in those giant Elmo slippers is too precious. Cute post! I always love seeing other people’s holiday traditions.
My favorite holiday tradition is spending time with my family. Cheesy, I know. Now that I’m married, my family has grown a lot. Visiting everyone is quite stressful, but also so much fun.
As a kid, I really loved baking Christmas cookies with my mom.
Fav food: my aunt’s (mayo-free!) potato salad, fav drink: (home-made) mulled wine, fav dessert: cookies and lebkuchen.
This survey is fantastic!! I’m going to have to steal it!
My favorite tradition is Christmas Eve at my grandma’s. We eat an European soup called borscht and no one else I know eats it, so I feel like it’s special to my family!
Favourite food at Christmas….god that is a hard one…made a sweet potato and pecan gratin which was pretty heavenly and it wouldn’t be Christmas without mince pies! Favourite tradition is visiting my aunties on Christmas morning and meeting up with all my cousins (all 12 of them), aunts, uncles and grandparents, to exchange gifts. As the eldest grandchild I’ve always enjoyed watching all the kids Christmas morning, that’s what it’s all about.
I loved our White Christmas last year too – snow in Atlanta is always a bit of a miracle, but that was particularly special!
Loved the survey! Such a fun idea!!
Baby It’s Cold Outside is my fave too! Def haven’t heard it enough!!
Thanks for the reminder of the Happy Birthday Jesus party. I say every year that we are going to do that, then by the next year I’ve forgotten again. So, YAY!!! We are SOOO doing it this year!! Excited!
Just saw this on Julie’s blog, love it! Christmas morning breakfast has always been Pandoro (an Italian sweet, dessert-like bread.) It’s definitely my favorite thing about the entire Christmas holiday, hands down. It’s THAT good
I don’t know…those deviled eggs do look pretty darn fantastic!
The to wrap or not to wrap Santa gifts has been a point of contention with my husband and me. I grew up with unwrapped Santa gifts. He grew up with wrapped. He has won and I wrapped ours.
Try pioneer women’s cinnamon rolls, so easy & good. They also make good teacher & friend gifts.
I’ve heard her recipe is a winner before. I keep forgetting to check it out. Thanks!
This was so fun to read Tina!! I hope y’alls Christmas is absolutely perfect! I love this time of year. This survey is making it even more fun!! <3
HI LOVE! fun fun fun to read your survey. miss you, love you!
oh and where are my manners.. meant to say happy birthday to P!
that fudge sounds AMAZING!
happy happy birthday
I love this, Tina!! Nothing tops our tree atm either. I keep meaning to buy a star or an angel!
also, happy bday Peter!
happy beeeehhthday to petah!
I only speak in my british accent when I talk to men named peter. it just sounds so much better that way.
I always had our presents wrapped from Santa! I’ve never heard of not having them wrapped!
Now that Alex and I are finally getting into the Christmas spirit (I haven’t had a tree or anything for Christmas for years… having had my mom pass away around the holidays has made them tough) by getting our first tree (and consequently actually waiting till Christmas to open our gifts, we usually jump the gun by a week or two because we’re so excited, but this year since we have a tree I’m making us wrap and keep the gifts under there for once, lol!!), I’m excited to make Christmas traditions with him. So far we are thinking a new ornament for the tree every year, and since he works at an alcohol treatment center and has to work on Christmas day, we are going to open our gifts when he gets home (late) on Christmas Eve and then drive around and look at Christmas lights, maybe in Christmas PJs. I’m feeling so good about getting into this year and finally making the holiday our own in special ways.
Love those traditions! It’s so great when you start making your own. I love the holidays even more now.
REAL tree! And white lights
Ah, this definitely got me in the Christmas spirit just thinking about all the traditions. LOVE this time of year. We bought our first fake tree this year. Although I love the smell of a real tree, the ease and affordability of a fake one is nice. I have heard from my friend that consignment shopping is KEY with little kids. She finds the cutest used clothing for her daughter for like $.50 each.
What did the world do before Target? Seriously, it’s the “go-to” place for EVERYTHING.
Loved reading this, it made me feel all festive!!
That clip of you and your sis playing Cranium is AWESOME.
I think I might have to post my answers to these on my blog today, since I’m feeling super festive!
Oh, and PLEASE tell me you’ll share the peppermint fudge recipe??
I plan to!
I spent my first Christmas with my in-laws last year, and they have a tradition where they all play chimes to various Christmas songs. We sound awful, but it’s super fun and hilarious.
tomorrow, cinnamon roll on my blog. amazeballs.
My favorite Christmas tradition has become the things I’m building with my new little family, like building a gingerbread house, decorating a Christmas tree and making sugar cookies and decorating them all crazy for Santa. Family time is the best time!
y’all are still so young! enjoy it. <3
also you and your sibs are freaking adorable. love.
Yay for doing the survey!! And happy birthday to Peter..he’s so handsome! Peppermint fudge sounds absolutely amazing right now haha..I’m craving chocolate like crazy for some reason! I love that you have a birthday party for Jesus. We don’t always do it, but some Christmases we’ll make Jesus a birthday cake for our after dinner dessert!
I love your survey! I did a similar one a few posts ago in my blog, those things are so much fun at this time of the year especially reading everyone’s answers and the pics
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One of my favorite holiday foods is the macaroni and cheese my mom makes, along with her chocolate delight. And I love our tradition of family barbeques, along with my husband and I’s new tradition of eating chinese and watching A Christmas Story on Christmas Eve
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Totally agree with you on the present wrapping (or lack thereof) and the Xmas light situation. The tree needs to have colored AND clear!
I really want to do cinn. rolls from scratch this year, too! I’ve bee saying I’m going to do it Xmas morning for 3 years now…
In my family we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve (we are part Danish) and we are lucky enough to celebrate on Christmas Day as well!
My favourite part of the celebrations falls in the time in between though. After our family have all gone home and it’s just Mum, Dad, Jess and Trent and I. There is a stillness in the air, the stars never shine more brightly and there is a scent of magic in the air. That’s where I feel all the love and all the hope that Christmas is meant to be.
Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love this little survey too!
and for a great cinnamon roll recipe check out The Pioneer Woman’s. My mom has made it the last two years and they are delicious!
I love this survey!! So much fun
Our Christmas morning tradition is cinnamon rolls as well…I always make them from the can. I was thinking of making homemade this year, but I will definitely buy a back-up can just in case I screw them up 
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