Hodgepodge Wednesday

 

1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'?  It means to realize that our hope rests on the tiny baby whose birth we celebrate this time of year. Without Jesus, the holidays mean nothing.

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why?  Nothing this year.  I have a very elegant glass and gold tree topper, but it's too heavy for the new tree. So there is nothing there, and quite frankly, it looks great!

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back? When I scored a good drop shot while playing racquetball this afternoon.  Ye-es!!

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year? The five classic senses of taste, smell, hearing, sight, and touch? or are we being more figurative, such as sense of responsibility or sense of entitlement?  Okay, I'll be serious.  The most sensitive sense this time of year is definitely my nose. I smell the warm and wonderful holiday scents and I am instantly a child again!

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen? Dogs. There are now two dogs underfoot where there used to be none. Because when Hank was an only dog, the only time he got underfoot is when I was cooking chicken. Now the puppy, Charley, is underfoot because, well, he's a puppy. And Hank needs to see what Charley is doing. So there are two dogs tripping me up at any given moment.

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it? Christmas Eve -- we have snacks after evening church and we watch A Christmas Story with whomever among the family can come over. Christmas Day morning is brunch with extended family -- waffles and ice cream (and scrambled eggs for those of us who really do want to be at least a little bit healthy).  Christmas afternoon varies, depending on what year it is. This year I'm having a buffet for our own family and we'll exchange gifts with the kids and grandkids.

7. What is the best thing about winter? The Christmas holiday season. After that, it's all downhill for me (and I don't mean skiing!).

8. Insert your own random thought here. Randomly speaking, the way that dogs play together is sometimes very disturbing -- all the growling and chewing and barking and all . . .  

Thanks again, Joyce, for hosting the weekly meme. If you want to play along, answer the questions on your own blog and then link up at Joyce's blog (see the button at the top of this post for the link to Joyce).

- Catherine