Winter Wonderland Blog Party Tag

What Christmas tree ornament holds the most sentimental value for you or the most memories?

An ornament with a painting of a plump little girl with wondering eyes and light brown curly hair. Sentimental value  because: 1) The picture itself is simply lovely and 2) She is cute and cuddly and looks exactly like a baby I would like to have some day.

Favorite Christmas colors-red and green, blue and white, or gold and silver?

Red and green, but white and blue can be so beautiful and sparkling together so they come in a very close second.

What are your top 3 favorite Christmas movies?

My two favorites are Love Comes Softly and The Nutcracker. Love Comes Softly is sweet and funny and altogether beautiful. And as for the Nutcracker: there is so much perfectly gorgeous music and beautiful dancing. The Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavaliers' pas de duex gives me delightful thrills every time I see it.

3 favorite Christmas carols and 3 favorite Christmas songs (Carols are songs you sing in church, songs any other Christmas song)?

Favorite carols: “We Three Kings”, “O Holy Night” and “Sussex Carol”. Favorite “songs”: “Fantasia on Greensleeves”, “Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier Pas de Deux”, and “This Holy Christmas Night” (a choral piece I sang in choir last year). My favorite sound for Christmas songs is the lilting, tinkly, achingly beautiful kind. Hence all of my favorites fall into that category, especially “The Pas de Deux” and “Fantasia on Greensleeves” (when played by an orchestra).

Sledding, ice-skating, skiing, snowball fights, or snowmobiling?

Sledding, but one of my favorite activities to do when it is still snowing is to take long rambling walks.

Your most memorable Christmas ever was.....

Each Christmas has been so lovely in its own way. But a favorite Christmastime memory is the live performance of “The Nutcracker” that we went to last year. It was sublime. All of the performers were wonderful, but the Sugarplum Fairy and Cavalier were dazzling and such fun to watch. They are actually still my favorite ballet couple I have seen.

Best Christmas gift ever?

Hmm, I have been blessed with many lovely gifts throughout the years, but the gift that made me literally shriek with excitement was when my parents gave me the “High Noon” DVD!

During a snowstorm would you rather read or watch a movie?

Probably watch a movie, though most of the time when it is snowing I generally walk around in a daze of delight.

Do you have a family Christmas tradition?

For the last two years we have been extending our celebration over the traditional twelve days of Christmas. It is so pleasant to be able to be able to spread out all of the joy and excitement over a longer amount of time instead of trying to cram it all into one day. 

What are your favorite colors to wear throughout winter?

Some of my favorite colors to wear are blues, browns, and greens. I think it would be fun to have some more colors of a “festive” nature, too!

What do you like better: baking Christmas cookies or wrapping Christmas presents?

Baking Christmas cookies. For some reason my gifts hardly ever like getting wrapped and usually end up wrapped very ill indeed. :)

Do you like winter? Why?

I love it! Next to fall, I think it is my favorite season. Both seasons put me in writing inspiration overdrive. And I love the whole energetic atmosphere they have.

How many Christmas trees do you put up in your house?

One. It is generally real fir, so it smells heavenly and with the twinkling color of the Christmas lights, it looks like something out of a fairytale.

What kinds of awesome decorations do you put on your tree(s)?

Colorful lights and an assortment of various ornaments we have collected through the years, each with a story attached.

 Francesca Battistelli's song "Heaven Everywhere" is so beautiful and talks (or would that be sings?) about how Christmas makes it seem as if Heaven were everywhere. Read this selection of some of the lyrics, and tell us how you would help people feel "Heaven Everywhere".

"...It's Christmastime, there's something in the air

There's a little bit of heaven everywhere..

It's funny how it takes a holiday

To show us how the world could truly change

If we all took the time to really care

There'd be a little more of heaven everywhere

It's the grace that we show to a world that needs hope

It's giving our lives knowing they're not our own

It's the joy that we feel and the love that we share

There's a little bit of heaven everywhere..."

This is a very challenging and thought provoking question. I think I would begin by simply treating everyone with whom I came in contact as important, smile at them and, Lord Willing, by my manner towards them show in some little way God's love.

Merry Christmas, everyone!