~ Christmas Q&A ~
With Laura, Blabbering Books
What does
Christmas mean to you?
This is a question
that really made me think. I guess, Christmas to me means family, food and lots
of fun. I love the fact my parents have time off of work so are not so
stressed, that we can all sit around and eat lots of yummy food and watch TV
and play board games!
When does the
Christmas excitement usually begin in your household?
It tends to start
mid December! My mum really hates putting the tree up too early (she’s the
person who’s taking the tree down on the 27th!) so we only really
start to get excited once the tree is up!
In terms of
present shopping, do you like to begin early and stay organised, or are you a
fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type of shopper?
This Christmas
sucks cos I’m totally poor so I bought all my Christmas presents a little earlier
in the year so I didn’t run out of money! But even when I do have money I tend
to be very prepared!
What’s your
favourite part of a Christmas dinner?
The roast
potatoes!!!!
Least favourite
part?
This is going to
be unpopular but I’m not a huge fan of turkey. I don’t know why, but it just
doesn’t do it for me, so I tend to just have a small slice and then load my
plate with potatoes, sprouts and pigs in blankets!
Ultimate favourite
Christmas song?
Driving Home For
Christmas by Chris Rea. This has always been my favourite Christmas song and I
just couldn’t tell you why!
Favourite
Christmas movie?
Oh gosh umm, I
think it has to be either Christmas With The Kranks or The Holiday!
Is Christmas
usually a huge family affair for you, or a small gathering?
Well, my family is
really quite small anyway so we’ve never had huge Christmases. But Christmas
day tends to be my mum, dad, brother and me and my grandad and his partner come
over in the morning. Then Boxing Day is when we see the rest of the family.
Who does the
cooking?
Mum tends to do it
all – she has it all regimented and I always get told off for asking how long
lunch will be!
What sits atop
your Christmas tree?
In past years when
we’ve had a huge tree, it was an angel but now we have a smaller tree it tends
to be a pine cone or a little star.
Do you decorate
with precision or happy chaos?
Well, this is
mum’s territory again! She is so particular about the tree and it all being
symmetrical so I’m just the one who untangles the lights and passes baubles!
Most of the tree decorating and house decorating is done by mum. The little
tree I have in my room tends to be decorated a little less perfectly!
Who does the
washing up afterwards?
It’s a joint
effort between mum and dad as my brother and I set up the first board game!
Favourite gift
received?
I think the gift I
can remember being most excited about was the bike I got when I was about eight
or nine? We went to the train station car park near where I live and my brother
and I cycled round and round and round!
A Christmas
reading recommendation?
This year I’d
highly recommend Make A Christmas Wish by Julia Williams. It’s a really unique
take on a Christmas book and it made me really appreciative of all I have J.
If Santa could
grant you one wish this year, what would it be?
I guess this is a
self-indulgent wish but I would wish he could get me a job next year!!!
How early do you
wake up on Christmas morning?
When I was little
I would be up at the crack of dawn trying to open my stocking presents super
quietly so I wasn’t shouted at to go back to sleep because it was still the
middle of the night!! But now I’ve got older I do quite like a lie in! I
normally get up about half eight, if that counts as a lie in?!
Three favourite
Christmas smells?
Oooo Yankee
Candle’s Snow In Love candle – really reminds me of Christmas. I love the smell
of satsuma skin on an open fire and the smell of tinsel when it comes out of
the loft!
Have you ever
spent Christmas away from home? Did you enjoy it, or miss the familiar
surroundings?
I’ve never spent
the whole day away from home – but last Christmas I went to my partners after
Christmas lunch and stayed with him overnight. It was strange as I’ve never not
been at home in the evening on Christmas day, but it was really nice to spend
time with him on such a special day.
Do you pile
presents around the tree, or wait until Christmas Eve so they’re there on
Christmas morning?
I tend to put them
around the tree as I wrap them which is normally around the 16th!
Has anything ever happened to you, to make you wonder
if Christmas time really is magical?
Sadly, not really! Well, actually, yes. When I was younger mum and dad
would go all out for Christmas. They used to make us put out the mince pies and
would drink the milk we put out. But we have a fireplace and they would leave
presents in the fire place – as if Santa had dropped them on his way back up
the chimney! And they would leave sooty footprints to make us think Santa was
real! Awww that makes me want to be young again and believe in Santa!
If you could spend Christmas anywhere, where would you
spend it?
At home J I’d never want to be anywhere else. Although
I’d love it if my partner lived closer – we live about an hour away from each
other so we can’t just pop over for a few hours on Christmas day L. So I’d love to spend Christmas in a big house with both of our
families!
Cranberry sauce or
not?
Blurgh! Definitely
not!
Mince pie or Christmas pudding?
Again, blurgh! I’m awful for things with fruit in. I can’t stand things
with sultanas or raisins or anything candied! So I tend to have a massive pile
of profiteroles or cheesecake!
Any special
Christmas traditions?
We always see my
grandad on Christmas day which is a really lovely tradition. And he always brings
us a tub of Quality Streets!
How do you spend Boxing Day?
Boxing day morning is normally spent watching TV or playing board games.
And then Boxing Day evening we go to my nan’s house and have a ‘second’
Christmas with her, my grandad, my auntie and her boyfriend.
At what point do
the Christmas decorations come down?
Normally on the 27th!
Although it has been known for mum to start packing them away on boxing day!
What are you looking forward to most, this Christmas?
Ooo good question! I think just spending time with family and my
boyfriend and just generally enjoying their company. Also, I can’t wait to eat
ALL the food. Cos, well, food!
You can find Laura on Facebook | Twitter | blabberingaboutbooks.wordpress.com
You can find Laura on Facebook | Twitter | blabberingaboutbooks.wordpress.com
I hate to say out tree comes down on 31st for a big New Year's Eve party. Plus the cards earlier because it's our daughter's birthday on 30th.
ReplyDelete