A couple weeks ago, some of the Blended Bloggers sent in their favourites to some Christmas themed questions.  Check out their answers below!

                Sheila                             Lisa                                  Deena                              Carrie
             Katie                                   Lana                           Shaunacey                        Christy



Favourite Christmas movie and songs:
Christy, Shaunacey, Deena and Katie say: Love Actually
Leslie says: It's a Wonderful Life tied with George C. Scott's version of A Christmas Carol
Lana says: Elf
Sheila says: The Year Without a Santa Clause
Carrie says: It's a Wonderful Life
Lisa loves all cheesy, romantic movies like A Christmas Kiss, 12 Men of Christmas and A Holiday in Handcuffs.
Christy says All I Want for Christmas is you
Leslie says Silent Night, she loves the part about "mother and child"
Shaunacey loves anything Michael Bublé
Lana loves Do You Hear What I Hear?
Sheila likes Good King Wenceslas
Katie likes a little known song...Christmas in New York by a New York Irish Band called Shilelagh Law.  They wrote it after 9-11.
Carrie likes O Holy Night
Lisa likes Breath of Heaven by Amy Grant, So This is Christmas by John Lennon and All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
Deena loves the Carol of the Bells, Home Alone version. But also Christmas Canon by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

You can listen to our fave songs here!



Favourite Christmas meals, treats and drinks:
Turkey Dinner (Christy and Shaunacey)
Whatever we are eating...generally ham AND turkey, and all the trimmings (Leslie)
Prime Rib and Twice Baked Potatoes (Lana)
Cinnamon rolls for Breakfast (Sheila)
Appetizers are more enjoyed than the meals, but if forced to pick a meal she picks ham (Katie)
Tortiere and Meatballs (Deena)
Traditional Norwegian (Carrie)
Lindt Chocolate Balls (Christy)
The cookies my daughters and I baked together over the years when they were growing up (Leslie)
ALL the treats.  Cookies, squares, more cookies. Yum. (Shaunacey)
Iced Sugar Cookies (Lana)
Sugar Cookies (Sheila)
All the cookies my sisters and I bake each year! (Katie)
Lefse, Kringla (Carrie)
Caramel Marshmallow balls (Deena)
Christy loves hot chocolate and Bailey's
Leslie loves her daughter Lauren's ex-boyfriend's Mexican cocoa with chili powder.
Shaunacey would like to know if red wine counts?
Lana loves Spiced Egg Nog
Sheila loves Mulled cider
Katie loves pomegranate martinis, which she isn't sure is a Christmas drink but whatever!
Deena loves coffee and baileys.


What's your tradition with Santa?

Santa brings the stockings and maybe one gift.  The big gifts come from Mom and Dad (Christy)

My parents always told a story about how upset my sister was when all of the Christmas presents we received as young children were from Santa. She cried asking why the people who were supposed to love her most of all didn't give her presents. From then on, my parents wrapped presents from them and Santa presents were unwrapped. I continued that tradition. Brennyn and Lauren would come get me in the morning. They would dump out everything in their stockings and inspect it all. Then they had to make their beds (yes, I know...mean mom) before they could inspect their Santa gifts. I think we would eat breakfast and then open the wrapped presents. (Leslie)

When the boys were little, we always tracked Santa on the computer on the NORAD website. Santa still visits our house, because we believe! (Lana)

Santa visits on Christmas Eve (Sheila)

Now that i am older and have no children of my own I guess I don't really have one! But I sure do get excited every year when Santa comes around (Katie)

Santa visits or drops off presents on Christmas Eve. Depending on where we are and who we're celebrating with. (Deena)




Do you remember your favourite gift growing up?

As a very young girl, I remember a year when my sister and I each got our own little cardboard houses. They were about 4'x4' with a ceiling high enough to allow us to stand up straight inside. When I was older, my parents gave me a rocking chair with the cutest little milking stool footstool and an alarm clock with an AM/FM radio. I remember pledging never to listen to FM radio because I was under the impression that only "druggies" listened to FM radio. (Leslie)

No. lol. I do remember we always opened a gift Christmas Eve and I found that so exciting. I also loved (and still love) opening our stockings Christmas morning. I don't know why, but they're my fav! (Shaunacey)

A Holly Hobby doll I got when I was in 2nd grade. I loved that doll. (Lana)

I remember the one I *didn't* get...does that count? Actually I remember two stuffed animals that I just loved. I was hoping to find a puppy in my stocking so these two were the substitute. (Sheila)

My very first cabbage Patch Kid...Humphrey Peter! Christmas 83/84...the first year they were super popular! (Katie)


Dolls and Barbies (Carrie)


A microscope and ice skating clothes. (There were these really popular and expensive practice leggings and zip-up jackets called Inga - and I was so excited to get them one year.) I always wanted a TV - but never seemed to get that gift. (Lisa)

A karaoke machine in the 80s....I wanted to be a rockstar. (Deena)



Favourite Holiday tradition:

Christy: Decorating the Christmas Tree

Leslie: As a child, my favorite tradition revolved around an annual box of assorted Whitman chocolates. Several days before Christmas, my mom would give my dad a large box of chocolates. Every evening after dinner, my dad would pass the box of candy around to each of us with much fanfare. We would be permitted to choose one chocolate each evening for days until the box was empty. To this day, I think of my daddy every time I see a box of assorted chocolates.

Shaunacey: As a young (or so I like to think) we're starting our own traditions. We have the Elf on the Shelf, which has been kinda fun (though we have a lazy elf who doesn't move a ton lol). We spend Christmas Eve at home, a special Christmas Eve gift for each child (pjs and something Christmas-y to do), and just lots of time eating yummy food and cuddling.
I also love, when the kids are in bed, enjoying a beverage (or 3) on the couch, in front of the fire and watching a Christmas movie with my hubby before Santa comes :)
Lana: On Christmas Eve, reading The Nativity and Twas The Night Before Christmas with the boys, and then moving baby Jesus to the Creche.

Sheila: Secret Santa. It's a secret. That's all.

Katie: Baking cookies with my sisters each year, our secret santa tradition and wearing pj's all day on Christmas, which is a relatively new one!!

Carrie: Christmas Eve night at my Grandparent's house

Lisa: Christmas Eve service. I have never missed a service, except for a few years ago when my husband ended up in the emergency room. Also, we always open our gifts on Christmas Eve, which we still continue today.

Deena: La messe de minuit (Midnight Mass) and la réveillon (means to wake up...you know, celebrate Jesus' birth and party!) We spent 25 years at my Grandma's house celebrating into the night. I can't wait to start doing this when the kids are older.



What's the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Christy: Being with family

Leslie: Remembering the birth of baby Jesus and honoring His life by trying to do good deeds, trying to be a blessing to others, trying to spoil my family just a little with gifts they might not buy for themselves.

Shaunacey: PRESENTS. Just kidding. Family and spending time with the people you love. That and now that I have children it's seeing it all through their eyes. It reminds me so much of the excitement and joy I felt as a child and there's nothing quite like the magic of it all.