Christmas Hoopla

I have been tagged by my most excellent friend Leeann (dang it!)to do this Christmas Hoopla. As she writes: Ok, this is specifically not a meme. It's a HOOPLA. Got it? Here are the rules: 1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word 3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere. 4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.

SO here ya go!

1. We always cut down our own Christmas tree each year.
2. I think people who get an artificial tree because "real trees are just too messy" are wusses. If you are allergic or something, I forgive you. :)
3. We always have a spiral ham with homemade mac and cheese for dinner on Christmas Eve. even though the kids pretty much hate ham and if it's not Easy -Mac, they want no part of it. So basically I am trying to foster this tradition for them, that they hate. Figures, right?
4. I have two Christmas tree's and one is fake. haha
5. I hate to go to church on Christmas. It is always so crowded. You can never get a seat and if you do get a seat(because we went 2 hours early) you are packed in there like sardines.
6. I like burnt christmas cookies. Actually, I prefer burnt ones. Thanks mom!
7. I hide a pickle on my tree.
8. My kids each have an Advent calendar each year. When they were little they were Playmobil. Now the older two have Starbucks ones and my youngest has a legos one.
9. Christmas is my favorite holiday. And not just because I get presents. Nope, that has nothing at all to do with it. ;)
10. We get our cats and dog presents and we wrap them up, and we laugh our asses off watching them unwrap them. We make sure there is lots of tape. We are mean that way.
11. One year we got snowed in on Christmas day and all we had to eat was a small piece of ham. The next month we bought a Suburban so that we would never get snowed in again!
12. My husband and I do not have stockings. The kids do but they are just not that big a deal at our house. However, we always put an orange in the toe, just like our parents did.

OK, so now I am tagging Subservient No More , Undomestic Diva, and Crystal. I chose them because they are funny as hell and you will hate yourself if you don't start reading their blogs.