Hello and Happy Holidays, friends!

Even though I’m not participating in Blogmas (to all my friends who are, you have a level of commitment that I someday aspire to achieve!) I was tagged by the lovely and talented Allison from The Nutmeg Diaries to participate in this Holiday Tag. And we all know I’ll take advantage of any excuse to spread some holiday cheer and/or talk about myself.

Unlike me, however, Allison IS participating in Blogmas this year, so I highly recommend checking out her blog this month for Christmas gift guides, holiday cookie recipes and more!

A final note–I’ve altered the wording of a few of the questions to be as inclusive as possible for those who don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas. Now, let’s deck the halls and dive right in, shall we?

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1. What is your favourite holiday movie?

If we’re being truthful, the only holiday movie I watch consistently every single year is Die Hard. Yes, Die Hard IS a Christmas movie, and I will not be taking objections on this matter.

But I also love Elf, Home Alone, Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas and most recently, Happiest Season. I love me some queer representation… and I also love me some Kristen Stewart, if you know what I mean. *insert sexy smirk emoji here* In all seriousness, though, I’m not picky. I would probably watch any Christmas movie, aside from The Polar Express. If you know, you know.

2. What is the best way to spend a Saturday in December?

Warm PJ’s, fuzzy socks, a fluffy blanket, a good book, a hot drink, my cats and my partner. No question. As an added bonus: when it starts to get dark outside, and the glow from the Christmas tree lights makes the room even cozier!

3. What’s your favourite holiday song?

I’m not particularly a fan of holiday music, honestly. I think anyone who has ever worked retail over the holidays would understand. I’ll listen to it ON Christmas, or during explicitly “Christmassy” activities like tree decorating or cookie baking, but that’s about it. I think if I had to choose, my favourite would be Michael Bublé’s version of Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).

4. What do you typically eat for dinner during the holidays?

The usual Christmas fare, I suppose? Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, brown sugar glazed carrots, turnips, bread rolls & pie. My Mom has Christmas dinner on LOCK. Seriously. She never misses! One year I tried to help with prepping the turkey and it grossed me out so much that I didn’t eat meat again for two years. No, I’m not kidding. I have since been exempted from that horrific duty–these days I stick to doing the dishes and cleaning up afterward.

5. What is your favourite Christmas Cookie or holiday treat?

I love making (and eating) sugar cookies and gingerbread people/houses during the holidays. Both are timeless classics. But every year my Mom makes these Skor squares that are to DIE for. It’s a perfect blend of sweet and salty. I’m not even 100% sure how she makes them, but I gain at least 5 pounds annually from munching down on those alone.

6. What fictional character would you want to spend the holidays with?

I’m going to steal Allison’s exact answer for this, because she was absolutely right–there is no other correct answer to this question.

Let me set the scene: the year is 1977. A soft blanket of snow has fallen over Hogwarts. You wake up and go down to the common room, where there is a glowing fire roaring in the hearth. James and Lily are already awake and are smushed into one of the armchairs together under a fluffy blanket, listening to a Christmas record and getting a head start on the holiday reading list. You’re soon joined by Sirius, Remus, Marlene, Dorcas and Mary, and you head down to the common room together for breakfast.

The great hall is decorated with massive towering Christmas trees strung with thick ropes of garland and silvery tinsel, and there are fairy lights strung throughout the room that look suspiciously like real fairies. Large, fluffy snowflakes drift down from the enchanted ceiling. Most students have gone home, so everyone sits together at one long table. Breakfast smells and tastes delicious, obviously. The house elves have prepared everyone’s favourite foods since there are so few people. Dumbledore makes everyone open Christmas crackers, then the post arrives and everyone opens their gifts together. After that, you all head down to the Quidditch pitch to watch James, Sirius and Marlene run drills… but before they can get any real practice in, the whole situation devolves into a massive snowball fight.

Okay, okay, I’m done. And that was your daily dose of escapism. You’re welcome. Apologies to all the non-Potterheads who had to sit through that.

7. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph. Boom, crushed it!

8. Where would you like to visit during the holiday season?

I’ve always wanted to visit NYC during the holidays. Apparently I’ve seen Elf one too many times. In reality it’s probably not nearly as romantic and whimsical as it seems, so I’ll likely just continue living in my fantasy world forever instead of actually going.

9. Do you like giving gifts or receiving gifts better? (Be honest!)

I’ve always preferred giving over receiving. This is probably related to some kind of trauma I haven’t even begun to process yet, but I always feel super awkward when people give me gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely appreciate them and it makes me happy to know that people think of me and care for me enough to give me a gift. But I always get this nagging feeling of “do I really deserve this?” And I feel a lot of anxiety and worry over not seeming grateful enough. Plus, my partner and I aren’t exactly rolling in cash… so we can’t always afford to return the favour, and that’s never a good feeling.

That said, I LOVE giving gifts. And not because I expect things in return–when I give a gift, it never comes with fine print. I just love the feeling of making other people feel happy and appreciated.

10. What is the best gift you’ve ever received?

When it comes to gifts, I’ve always preferred the gift of experiences over “stuff.” We have enough of that, you know? No one needs more meaningless stuff, and for me personally, that kind of thing has never been a priority. I’ve never wanted a big house filled with extravagant furniture, high-tech appliances and expensive art–if you’re going to gift me with a painting, paint something meaningful yourself and I’ll be all the more happy to hang it on my wall.

I’ve had many awesome gifts over the years but one that really sticks out for me is when my sister got us a spa day at Nordik Spa-Nature and we got to spend the day together. It was the only time in my life I’ve ever been to a spa, and we had a great time bonding and catching up in the thermal pools!

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Here is my tag list for anyone who would like to participate. It can be done through either your blog (if you have one) or social media channels! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s answers to these adorable holiday questions. Be sure to tag me in your responses so I can read them all!

• Amber from The Winter of My Discontent
• Alice Almeida
• Jessica Lasa
• Bee from Mind Beauty Simplicity
• Frank Middleton
• Emily Hoffmann from Restless, I Roam
• Biren Panchal from Biren’s Instinct
• Hollay Ghadery
• Katie from Dating Bitch
• Riyah Speaks
• Lynn Mumbing Mejia
• Debora from Headphones Thoughts
• Caroline from Enviroline Blog
• Natalie from Examine This Moment
• Eric/RichFaceMcgee from Odds & Ends
• Helen from Crispy Confessions

© Victoria St. Michael 2021

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See Also: Ho Ho Nope: The Polar Express & the Uncanny Valley