If you’re out here in the Blogosphere all lonely, here’s something to read. Tomorrow I will be posting, and it’s actually a rather special post. I don’t expect you to take the time away from worship and family, but of course the post doesn’t go away at midnight, so it’ll still be there.

For today, here’s a Christmas meme that Carolyn (Ladybug) did a few weeks ago:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I prefer wrapping paper, but generally do gift bags for friends. You’re not supposed to wrap them before taking them through airport security, so I bum Christmas paper off my Mom instead of buying it here and traveling with it.

2. Real tree or artificial? Fake all the way. I think we had a real tree a couple of years when I was little, but there are too many allergies in our family. For myself, I don’t see that there is any extra beauty/joy from a real tree.

3. When do you put up the tree? Well, I just have a little one, and I put it up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving as that was the only time I had to do it. My roommate doesn’t really do Christmas, so we don’t put up a big one. She thanked me for that!

4. When do you take the tree down? Whenever I come home from visiting family and friends, usually the 2nd or 3rd of January.

5. Hot chocolate or apple cider? Hot chocolate. Have it all the time, especially while studying. (Guess I’ll be drinking a lot less now!)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? My favorite gift that I can remember is getting a desk for Christmas when I was 9. We had a lot of fun playing with them downstairs (my brother got one as well), and I put it to good use over the years as I would play secretary (yes, I did that a lot), design zoos, or write poetry.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, two. I bought one last year at Walmart that I really liked, and then this year my grandma gave me a ceramic one that she made back when I was little that was hers. Both my mom and my aunt have one like it, so it’s a special Christmas memory that I’m excited to have for my own.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad. If he wants anything, he buys it. My mom can be difficult too, but since we have similar tastes I can usually figure something out.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My brother’s girlfriend. We have a lot of similar interests, so she was the first one I figured out what to buy for!

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? One year when I was probably 11 or 12 my brother gave me a pack of paper. Plain, white paper. I did want paper to print stuff with, but fun paper, not plain paper. It just ended up going in the stack with my parents’ paper, since I was using theirs for free, anyway.

11. Mail or email Christmas card? Totally mail. It’s work, but so worth it. I love receiving cards in the mail!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? The new Grinch movie. I’m not a huge fan of Christmas movies, though I do have good memories of Rudolph and Frosty. We would watch one or two Christmas movies the night we decorated the tree growing up, and my brother and I finally convinced our parents to watch another movie when we were in high school.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? November, if not before. I try to know what I’m getting for everyone by Thanksgiving, even if I haven’t gotten it, yet. Online shopping is my friend.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so, but I have a birthday present.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Peanut clusters. My mom makes Christmas candy every year, and this is my favorite. I also love that my mom’s side of the family eats burritos for Christmas…they’re so much better than traditional holiday food!

16. Clear lights or colored? Clear, though I have colored on my small little tree.

17. Favorite Christmas song? “O Holy Night.” My favorite version is Collin Raye’s.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Well, you all know I travel. Since I’m single, it’d be awful lonely to stay home! For now at least, I’ll travel to my parents for Christmas, but that may change if/when I get married and have children.

19. Can you name Santa’s reindeer? Probably, sadly. I don’t even “do” Santa, but I’ve had enough of all that through the years.

20. Angel or star on top of the tree? Star. Though I have a bow on the top of my tree. My star needs to be polished or something, it’s looking pretty bad.

Merry Christmas!

Okay, more like: Happy April Fool’s Day!  I wrote this to publish on Christmas Eve, but didn’t publish it because I wanted to write about the will-I-ever-leave-Chicago drama.  I figured now is as good as time as any to post it.

Thank you for all the kind words on yesterday’s 600th post.  You guys had some great ideas for fun celebration posts, and it definitely gave me the idea that I will be using for my 3rd blogiversary coming up in mid-May.  In the mean time, some of your other great ideas will definitely have to come into play, so don’t be surprised if you see a post you inspired!