About Me: The Christmas edition

A Christmas questionnaire ...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Depends on how much time I have ... I'm not very good at the wrapping, so ...

2. Tree: Real or Artificial? Artificial ... The notion of a dried-out tree and the lights starting the thing on fire freaks me out.

3. When do you put Christmas tree up? Usually the first weekend of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? As soon as we can after the New Year. Sometime it takes a couple weeks for us to get to it.

5. Like egg nog? I don't think I've had a cup since a girlfriend introduced me to it in high school. Never really liked the stuff.

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep ...

7. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my very first Cabbage Patch doll, circa 1985 -- the family pictures of that moment and me jumping four feet in the air are legendary. The Nintendo game system was a pretty good one too ...

8. Hardest person to buy for? Kates ... She always does so well buying gifts for me that it amps up the pressure a bit.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My brother ... gift cards!

10. Worst Christmas gift? Um ... I think I'll just keep that one to myself.

11. Mail or e-mail Christmas Cards? For us, it was always mail ... Until this year, we made a decision to save postage and e-mail. Except we never got around to doing that ....

12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story ... Period.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Whenever the spirit moves me.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Oh yeah.

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? It's almost always ham.

16. Clear or colored tree lights? Definitely clear.

17. Favorite Christmas song? I'm a sucker for a good version of "O Holy Night," but I really love Manheim Steamroller's "Stille Nacht."

18. Travel during Christmas or stay home? ... As much as I would love to spend a Christmas at home, I couldn't imagine not traveling.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Ah, no.