HOLIDAY HODGEPODGE

I'm joining in with other bloggers who link up from over here, to participate in the Wednesday "hodgepodge" meme. 

1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'? 

To me, the "holiday spirit" is how we should be all year round, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Being a Christ follower, I believe in having an attitude of gratitude daily, and I actually list 3 things I'm grateful for as part of my bedtime routine/prayer time. It might seem silly but it works for me.  And I try to shine the Light of Jesus throughout the entire year by loving God with all of my heart, soul and mind, and loving my neighbor (anyone who is different from me) as I want to be loved. To me, that is hte holiday spirit summed up. Thanking God for the Son who came to save us, and being kind and compassionate towards others. I demonstrate that at Christmas by giving gifts to my loved ones (gifts is my primary love language so that's not a struggle for me). 

On a scale of 1-10 how is yours this year? (10=off the charts, 1=still looking for it)  I guess my "holiday spirit" (can you really rate this type of thing?? ) would be a 9. The house is decorated, the tree is up, the lights are out/on and some gifts are wrapped and I have 2 dozen cookies in the freezer for Christmas week. 

2. What's your favorite character from a (December) holiday-themed movie, book, or TV special? Tell us why. 

This is tough because we own and love all the holiday classics from the 1940s-1950s.  I think one of my fave characters is the little girl (Susan Walker played by Natalie Wood in the original version) from Miracle on 34th street. Her innocence and her perseverance and faith. Another fave character would be Betty Haynes. (please tell me you know who played her and in what movie musical!!).  If you don't know, leave a comment and I will tell you. I admire her loyalty and then her journey from being the over protective sister to embracing love and a life for herself. Plus her voice!! 

3. Do you like gingerbread? Are gingerbread houses part of your holiday tradition? 

Yes, I like gingerbread. I make gingerbread cookies. 

No we no longer make gingerbread houses.  We used to make them when the girls were little and we sometimes did it the day after Thanksgiving when we had the beach house and the girls could do it with my mother-in-law making for a special time with Grammy. 

As a special education PreK teacher, I made them just about every year with my students...that's a lot of gingerbread houses! Each child would make one in our fine motor group.  

4. Much of our vocabulary is determined by where we live or where we grew up. What say you-

sprinkles or jimmies?  Sprinkles (NYS), my husband grew up saying jimmies (MA) 

 lightning bugs or fireflies? we use both words actually here in NY; my parents though always said "lightning bugs". I would sometimes call them fairy bugs or twinkle bugs

soda or pop? soda in central NY where I'm from and here in the Capital Region but pop in western NY where I went to college. 

sneakers, trainers, or tennis shoes? Sneakers

sub, hoagie, grinder, or hero? sub in central NYS and here in the Capital Region but bomber in western NY 

freeway, highway, or motorway? I can tell the author of this meme isn't from the Capital Region of NYS or doesn't know about the Northeast highways.  Here we have the freeway called the Adirondack Northway that runs from Albany to Canada (north-south) and yet we all just say "the Northway"; going east to west we have the Thruway through NYS but then when it becomes the MassPike (still Interstate 90 though, which is not free....you need a transponder or you get a bill in the mail) and then you have various interstates that are major highways, and then the smaller roads are highways like Route 30 that goes through the Adirondack Mountains. 

frosting or icing?  Frosting for cakes, icing for cupcakes, cookies or brownies. 

sauce or gravy? Sauce for pasta dishes; gravy for meats 

5. Share a favorite holiday memory from your childhood. 

One of my fave holiday memories  from my childhood is opening up a package, usually brand new cozy jammies, on Christmas Eve and eating my mom's amazing chocolate walnut fudge. Also, everyone gathered in the living room watching a Charlie Brown Christmas. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.  

We had our first major snowfall yesterday...we got about 6 inches and I love it!! We finally have snow in December here in eastern New York. It's been a few years that we've had it this early!!  

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, EVERYONE!!