SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

This or That - Christmas Style


Rules are simple.
I'll list two Christmas-ish things and you choose one, then post two of our own and so on ...

white or colored lights?

Coloured lights

Real Tree or Fake Tree?

Fake with lights attached (broke down a few yrs ago when hubby had had enough trying to string lights on the real ones)

decorate inside and out or only one?

Inside. I've never decorated outside!

A Christmas with snow or without?

No snow in Okinawa, but typically had snow back home in Virginia. I do love a White Christmas.

presents opened on Christmas Eve or Day?

Christmas morning in PJs.

A Charlie Brown Christmas or It's a Wonderful Life?

A Charlie Brown Christmas! Unless I'm with my SIL, who MUST watch IAWL throughout the month of Dec. :)

Original versions of Christmas songs or remakes by Rock or Pop artists?

Originals all the way!

Christmas cake or Christmas cookies?

Do I really have to choose??? My mouth is nuthin' but sweet teeth! I guess, if I had to choose, I'd pick a handful o'cookies first. :)

Fruit cake: food or door stop?

Door Stop! Don't like fruit cake!

Have Christmas at your place or go elsewhere?

LOL! Ditto!
While overseas - at my place; while in US - elsewhere(s)

Package Bows: handmade (with ribbon) or peel & stick (pre-made)?

Peel & stick! Definitely the simple method is best for me!

Opening presents: everyone dive in at once or take turns?

That depends on where we are celebrating at the time. With my family - they insist (and it's frustrated me for YEARS) on one person opening ALL their gifts, then move on to the next person and so on. There's so much frickin' pressure to have the right facial expression since everyone is staring at you. LOL! They go oldest to youngest, torturing the younger ones with hours of unwrapping, ohs and ahs before they can tackle theirs.

My grandparents - everyone has at it as soon as everyone is in the same room. It's chaos and I love it!

My in-laws - everyone takes turns; you open one, I'll open one, and around and around we go until done. Not my favorite, but better than my family. LOL!

Unwrapping: tear into it, then rubbish or neatly removed, then saved for .... reuse, whatever?

Um...can I choose "neatly removed" then "rubbish"? I'm kinda anal, so I always take it off nicely, but not anal enough to fold it up and reuse it. Now my mother-in-law's another story...

Hodgepodge of mismatched tree ornaments OR themed/color-coordinated ornaments?

Hodgepodge. I have a bunch from the different countries we've lived in/visited, some USMC ones mixed with Hallmark, handmade and others accumulated over the years.

Christmas Cards: mailed to family and friends OR just fam OR not at all?
Sorry, had to go with 3 options for this one.

Family and Friend

Chrismas Cards: Personalized (like picture cards) or store bought?

Either store bought or handmade. Not a lover of the self-portraits, don't wanna scare people at Christmas. LOL!

Christmas tree down the day after or whenever you have time to deal?

Definitely HOME! Hot toddy, popcorn, bathroom breaks without missing the action...and no worries about laughing out of sync with the rest of the theater!

And Christmas tree goes down soon, followed by Enormous housecleaning (O-soji=BIG cleaning), then time to put up the New Year decorations by 12/31...

Christmas Dinner: afternoon or evening?

New Year's is a bigger deal in Japan the Christmas, yah, Judithe? I thought I'd read something about it being like Valentine's Day to Americans. Similar in former Russian countries, NYE is the "you'd better have bought me somethin' sparkly, buster" day for all the women. :)

Dinner is usually late afternoon - early evening for us no matter where we celebrate.

I'm sneaking in a NYE question b/c I'm drawing a blank on Xmas ones at the moment.
New Year's Eve: Night out on the town or home watching re-runs & fireworks on TV?

Sneak them in, that's fun too!

Home (again!) Invite friends over on occasion, eat toshi-koshi soba (long noodles for a long life) at midnight, watch special on TV, and the ringing of temple bells at the new year! NO WHERE is open for a party night on the town!

And it's MUCH bigger than Christmas (and I'm finally getting my tree set up tonight!)


Gifts for far-away peeps: Mail a gift or send a gift certificate?

Sounds like a lot of fun!

We typically do a bit of both - a little something from whatever country we're living in and certificates to fill in the blanks.

Holiday decorations: On the tree only or all over the house?

Mostly on the tree, a few ornamenty things on shelves.

Gifts for everyone or just the kids?

Ditto.

Lots for keiki (Hawaiian for kids) and skoshi (Japanese for little) for adults. Might make a NY resolution to learn a FULL 2nd language. LOL! :D

Holiday Sales: Two for me, one for you or nothing for me, I'm shopping for others?

Definitely 2 for ME, ME, Me! Maybe 1 for You!

Surprise gifts from your partner or do you buy/tell them what to get?

Surprise...he never says what he wants, but can always find him something that brings mild to ecstatic smiles. My Christmas wish is that he'd return the favor...gc's for amazon or diamonds would hit the spot....


Finally...a non-foodie! Gifts under the tree as soon as they're wrapped, or surprisingly full tree on Christmas Eve/morning?


Shocker was to learn J-kids get their ONE and ONLY gift from Santa next to their pillow on Christmas morning....not in MY house! LOL!

LOL! I'm tellin' ya, JP Santa is sounding more and more like the tooth fairy!

Ditto on the hubby gifts! What's up with these men?

I would say under the tree as soon as they're wrapped, unless celebrating with tiny tikes, then it's a bit'o both.

Holiday Traffic: Finding a parking space or slow loading webspace?

I usually do both, though this year I forgot to go ubersleuthing on the net so mostly finding a parking space.

I've been through the crappy present from hubby stage - one year he forgot till CEve & couldn't find anything open - so crappy present from hardware - he never, never did that again I can tell you.

If you have pets do they join in & receive their own gifts or just the love of the season?

LOL! Shame on hubby!

Our cats always get a new toy for Christmas, even though they have a basket full already. We send the old, ratty ones "to the hospital", sometimes they make it out with a few stitches and sometimes not. LOL! They do frequently dig in their basket for a toy or two, so I never feel bad adding to the existing pile.

Christmas movies: Watch your faves on DVD or catch what you can on TV?

DVD all the way! (And online-just wrapped up kidlet #2's prezzies and used no gasoline, and no stress in parking wars!)

And actually, I might even be ecstatic with a hardware gift...not having gotten one in over a decade...only kids get visited by ole Santa toothy here! Somebody wanna come hit my louse spouse with a 2X4????? LOL

Outside decorations: You can see'em from space or a mouse couldn't find them?

Yay! on kidlet pressies and Boo! to hubby! Want me to give 'im a talkin' to? LOL!

A mouse couldn't find them. No way to decorate outside other than a wreath on the door.

Wishlists: long as your arm or barely there?

My hubby is so hard to buy for, mostly b/c he buys whatever he wants throughout the year leaving us/family nothing to get him come Xmas.

My hubby is so hard to buy for, mostly b/c he buys whatever he wants throughout the year leaving us/family nothing to get him come Xmas.

Sure you weren't describing my hubby there?

Judithe, the hardware present in question were cheap photoframe holders. About $1-50 worth, not a great yr but dining out, so to speak, on that experience still 20+ yrs later.

No wishlists here, only the odd hint or if out shopping I may say 'what about that for christmas'

Whilst growing up did you get lots of little presents or one big gift (from Santa/parents)

I've always gotten one big gift from my parents and then lots of smaller presents from the rest of my relatives (and mom - she loves to shop presents. Dad has no idea how much money she's spending on them! He'd have passed out...)

Would you rather get money in the hand or a gift card? (Is it even called gift cards? Hmm)

I love both but if given the choice I'd say cash so I could spend at any place I wanted. Most gift cards are limited to certain places.

Do you like to have your shopping done early through out the year or last minute?

I like and usually have my shopping done early, except for this year. But I've finished it today! Yay!

Does your workplace have a Christmas function and if so, do you go?

Just a quick YAY! for the ✔ by pressies! Don't work, so I'll leave that one for the next person to answer. :)


Does your workplace have a Christmas function and if so, do you go?

Yes & Yes. It's all politics.

Christmas Shopping (as of today 12/20/10): Done or Yet to be done?

Yet to be done! AUGH! :\

Hubby's gift (ordered 12/6 - shipped 12/7) STILL isn't here yet. Desperately seeking gift for my 16 year old nephew and all appendages crossed hoping when I find something that'll have super Santa delivery speed to make it to him on/before 12/25.

Other than that, I'm good. LOL!

Egg nog: Guzzle straight from the pitcher, no ladle necessary or who's bright idea was it to mix eggs and liquor?

Why muck about with good liquor? Never had egg nog, never even heard of anyone having it.

Steph good luck on the nephew & hubby front. Boys of 16 I just give money. LOL.

Do you do the same thing every Christmas ie same place to eat or same thing - like go to the movies OR do you alternate places and change things around

LOL! It's yucky, IMO, so you're not missin' out on anything.

Thanks! Got my nephew a San Antonio Spurs jersey, he's a BIG basketball player and fan of the team. But, still waitin' on my wee mailman to bring hubby's gift. At least nephew's was free shipping and guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery. YAY!

We mix it up. :)

If carolers came knockin' on your door, would you open the door and smile while they sang to you or be super quiet and hope they go onto the next house?

That's tricky cause we don't have carolers here in Aus. We do big open-air concert type carol singing. Communities put on their own and then we have big televised ones in the week before Christmas also.

So I'd be keeping quiet and hoping the karioke singers move on and annoy someone else.

If you get a present you really don't want do you re-gift it OR put it in a dim dark cupboard and forget about it?

Well, that's easy. I have two presents sitting on my table right now waiting for the (like Goodwill) Thrift shop to re-open. Just not my thing and don't like enough to even re-gift. But, Ames (I believe it was her) helped me realize (in another thread) that re-gifting is nothing to feel guilty about. :)

After Christmas Sales: lined up, waiting for the shoppes to open or scanning the internet in the comfort of your home?

Wait for the shops too open. It's too fun to scope out the bargains and find a treasure.

Do you make a New Year's Resolution or not?

Yes, and give "write you New Year's Resolution" homework, too!

Sales are from 1/1...so a week to go. AND Christmas is bagged and gone! (On 12/25 you could see the stores removing decorations, and all Christmasy stuff from the shelves...wait a minute!!!!!!!)


Countdown from the comfort of your living room or at a place with lots 'o folks?

Done the place with lots 'o folks, now I much prefer the comfort of my living room with just the hubby.

Do you watch the fireworks from around the globe, (particularly Sydney LOL) OR make your own 'fireworks'?

I'm archiving this one, but we have a general "This or That" here , if you're interested. Thanks to everyone for playing our Christmas Style version!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!