Xmas Questionnaire...

I was tagged by Amy


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Well, I think I never had Egg Nog, but when I "wikipedia" it, I think I'd love it...

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

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
White

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope...never did in our family

5. When do you put your decorations up?
I have no special day or time when I start to put my decorations up. Something between end of November and Christmas :-)

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
In Germany the favorite Christmas dish is roast goose. I love that very much with red cabbage and dumplings but I also like roast duck which we had since a couple years because that bird is smaller than a goose and so you don't have to eat from it for weeks...

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child:
One Christmas my mom got very sick and could not decorate/cook the holiday dish/buy gifts. My sister and I got ill, too, and so we all spent the holidays in bed, candles were lit and my mom read a lot of stories for us. It was very special.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
In Germany nobody "believes" in Santa - we have the "Christkind" (which is litterally translated as "Christ-Child") or "Weihnachtsmann" (= "Christmas-Man", that guy equals Santa, I think). Thanks to God and my mom I learned the truth about Christ when I was very young, (and I never thought HE would bring the gifts although I knew it was because of Him that we were blessed with gifts).

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Here in Germany you always open all the gifts on Christmas Eve. Traditionally the whole family goes to Church in the afternoon on the 24th and when you come back around 4.30pm it is actually dark outside. The children are asked to sit and wait in a special room until they hear the gentle sound of a small silver bell. Then they would open the livingroom doors to see the illuminated & decorated christmas tree (which was just brought in that day) and the gifts underneath. Then they are asked to say a christmas poem or sing a christmas song for their parents/grandparents and after all they could open the gifts.

In my family we didn't go to church on 24th; my mom always baked a special cake and served it with coffee and tea around 3.30 pm. Then she read the christmas story for us. And we had to play the piano and sang songs altogether. Later on we could open all the gifts and play. For dinner we always had potato salad and wiener.
As we have 2 Christmas Holidays in Germany -25th and 26th- we went to see my grandparents on 25th and had the roast goose on 26th (or the other way around).

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
I don't have a christmas tree. But if I had one I would decorate it with dark red christmas balls etc.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
For Christmas, I love snow! Unfortunately we don't have snow very often in Wiesbaden. So this year I decided to go to Fischen and celebrate Christmas there with my mom.

12. Can you ice skate?
Well, I used to ice skate when I was younger and I didn't fall down. I never was a figure skater but I loved it. Since I have my hips and one knee replaced I don't dare to ice skate again.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
When I was twelve or something I got a boombox. It was not a big and fancy one but I remember sitting on an armchair all night long (it was very late when I finally had to go to bed) with that machine on my knees, listening to christmas music in the radio.

14. What is the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Being with my mom, especially since my sister, her husband and the kids moved to the U.S.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Vanilla ice cream served with hot raspberries

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
see number 9

17. What tops your tree?
What tree? (I think I would have a star)

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O du fröhliche (a german song which has a special meaning to me because of its origin)
O Holy Night

20. Candy Canes​!​ Yuck or Yum?
I think yum... (we don't have it here)

21. What do you want for Christmas?
I have no clue

22. Do you attend an annual Christmas Party?
we meet at Weihnachtsmarkt and go out for dinner with work.

23. Do you dress up on Christmas or wear PJs?
We used to dress up on Christmas when I was young.

24. Do you own a Santa hat?
No

25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?
my mom

I tag Mr. Jim and Anju.
Thanks, Anju!
Mr. Jim, I can't wait for next christmas ;-)

and this is for you, Amy :-)