Thanks to Sweetpea, for posting this meme on her blog. I love it, so here goes!

1. Favorite Christmas cartoon: “The Year Without a Santa Claus”. It used to be good ol’ Charlie Brown, but it’s recently been supplanted by “TYWASC”. Why? Because of the “Heat Miser” song, and the fact that my otherwise-buttoned-down husband loves to dance around the house singing it (and he also changes the words to suit the situation).

2. Favorite Christmas movie: “A Christmas Story.” Sarah, you’re welcome. My favorite line: “sons o’ bitches! Bumpeses!” I remember the first time I watched this movie – completely against my will. My parents and my aunt & uncle rented it for me, my sister, and cousisns (on Betamax!), as a way of babysitting us while the adults did something grown-up. I remember sayin, “I don’t want to watch this stupid movie! It’s going to be dumb! Can’t we watch cartoons?”. Little did I know…

3. Favorite Christmas song (traditional): “O Holy Night”, doesn’t matter who sings it. Even Cartman. I just love it.

4. Favorite Christmas song (pop/modern): I’m with Shannon: “Christmas Wrapping” by the Waittresses. It just isn’t Christmas without it.

4a. Contemporary Christmas song that I absolutely HATE: Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime”. I want to shoot myself when I hear it.

5. Favorite Christmas cookie (or other festive food): Russian Teacakes, that I make myself. Also, Cherry Poppyseed Twinks. I will post the recipes in a future post (today, I promise). They completely ROCK. I also am partial to Cheesy Artichoke Dip.

6. Favorite family tradition: We didn’t really have any traditions, per se, except for traveling to Albany on Christmas Day to visit my grandparents. I think this is why I will probably always live around here – so many good memories of getting here, being here, and it feeling like home, even though it wasn’t, until much later. My Mom tells me that I thought my grandparents’ house WAS Albany, and if you left it, you left Albany. Ah, to be a kid again.