Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
It's the most wonderful time of year...
...With it finally being October, that has put Christmas on my mind. I love love Christmas time and am so excited for my first Christmas in my own house with my husband!! When I was little, I always helped my grandma decorate her Christmas Tree and wrap presents (except for mine 
) Because of this, I have grown up with a love for Christmas...I actually have 6 Christmas trees ranging from 2' - 6' that I put up in my house and my office at work. So I wanted to start a fun poll:
When do you start putting up decorations?
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them?
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards?
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family?
Favorite holiday food or drink?
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
Re: It's the most wonderful time of year...
When do you start putting up decorations?
As soon as my husband will let me
Usually beginning of November but has been as early as mid October...definitely by Thanksgiving weekend (this year we are going out of town that weekend as a celebration of his completing the CPA so maybe that will be my excuse to decorate earlier)...I see it as their is no use in putting in all that work to only enjoy it one month...
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them?
Normally going to, but now that I have my own house, I hope to be hosting them
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards?
Sometimes, I have thought about doing photo cards this year since we just got married...we are doing a trash the dress/more pictures shoot and I thought about using one of those that are not as formal of a wedding picture
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family?
We lucked out and my family gets together Christmas Eve and his family Christmas Day...although Thanksgiving we have to eat at one and dessert at another which is interesting because we always miss our family's food if we are eating at the others family, you always have your family traditional food and other families just are not the same.
Favorite holiday food or drink?
Fudge...yum...
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
My friends and I have an annual party that we dress up for and we have had some great memories from those. This year will be our 6th year...crazy to think...we are getting old!!
My Bio
Update 5.24.10
When do you start putting up decorations?
Well, we're moving in late December, so no decorations this year. I don't think I'll have the urge to decorate until we have a more permanent home.
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them?
We don't really have any holiday plans right now. Finals are not conducive to celebrating the holidays.
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards?
We will be sending out cards this year. I think I'll do postcards to use up our RSVP stamps from the wedding. We are going to the Colts/Cowboys game in Indy in early December and plan to take a picture at the game wearing opposing jerseys. (I'm a Colts fan, DH is a Cowboys fan)
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family?
We'll be bouncers for a few years. Our families live near each other, so we don't have to drive a lot, just balance schedules. When we have a house and kids, any family that wants to spend the holidays with us will have to come to our house.
Favorite holiday food or drink?
My mom makes homemade hot cocoa on Christmas morning. I just like baking in general around the holidays.
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
When I was young we would always spend Christmas eve with my grandparents. It was so much fun to have the family together and open presents from my grandparents. Christmas morning excitement was at it's peak for me, so it was just fun all around.
When do you start putting up decorations? Usually right after Thanksgiving, I put up DH's Christmas tree for him the last few years (apparently b4 that he hadn't bothered to put it up for a while) so this is the first time that I will be AROUND all holiday season to decorate
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them? Mostly going to parties, our house isn't really big enough to host much of anything!
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards?
We sent out cards last year with one of our engagement pics, I plan on doing cards again this year to use one of our awesome wedding pics. I'm also contemplating our "christmas card letter" this year as it's been a pretty big year for me - college graduation, wedding, new job!
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family? We alternate who gets which holiday however like this year DH's family gets Christmas, and my family is contemplating doing Christmas a different weekend so then we'll end up doing both!
Favorite holiday food or drink? Christmas cookies - specifically chocolate crinkles YUMMY!
What is your favorite Holiday memory? The day after Thanksgiving my Mom always had off work so we would bake Christmas cookies all day so that was basically the only time she had to make cookies for the whole season! (My mom is not a fan of baking cookies because it's "putzy" but she has learned to multi-task her christmas cookie baking)
Favorite holiday food or drink? I don't think I have a specific favorite. I love anything with chocolate
What is your favorite Holiday memory? My grandparents, that now reside in Portugal, used to make it a tradition that every Christmas Eve all family would have to go to their house to celebrate. I wish my Dad's side of the family still followed the tradition, but they since my gparents have moved my aunts and uncles have gone their separate ways with other family members
When do you start putting up decorations? I don't even own any!! I might buy some tinsel for the front window. At home I have a potted tree I decorate every year. My Dad gave it to me.
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them? So far we have one Work Christmas party on our calander, but we aren't hosting any.
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards? I love to send out cards, especially to family and friends overseas. I send normal Christmas cards.
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family? With family in three different countrys, Christmas has taken on a new meaning. This year my Mum is coming over to see me, last year DH and I were holidaying in Japan. Who knows what will happen next year!
Favorite holiday food or drink?
Trifle. Christmas is summer here, but I like how when I was little Mum made sure we had the 'traditional' roast lunch. Here in Australia they just do BBQ's. I don't like that much.
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
At my Grandmothers house when I was about 14. Laughing hysterically with my cousin over something stupid. She remembers it too.
When do you start putting up decorations?
We decorate our tree on Thanksgiving morning before heading to family get-togethers. Last year, DH and I left our phones in our bedroom and were having so much fun decorating and watching the Macy's Parade, until we got a knock on the door. It was my dad checking up on us because he had been trying to get in touch with us for hours and couldn't!
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them?
We've never been ones to really go to or host Xmas parties. We have lots of activities around town, but generally, we don't do parties. I have one special friend that usually has a New Year's Party and we never miss it!
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards?
We always send cards! I think picture cards are cute, but they totally aren't worth the price. I get vintage card templates online and print those off.
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family?
We live no where near our families. We live a few miles from my parents and my sister is in college, but the rest of our family is in North and South Carolina and New Jersey. We don't get the time off to be able to make that trip that often.
Favorite holiday food or drink?
I love cinnamon and spice ANYTHING! And I love Mom's hashbrown casserole and of course, the atypical Chex Party Mix that you make yourself!
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
My birthday is a few days before Christmas and FI proposed to me last year underneath all the Christmas lights
When I was little, I remember making cookies with my mom and sister and Dad read us The Night Before Christmas. Our parents would take us outside to drop carrots on the back patio for the reindeer to munch on. We'd leave our freshly baked cookies and milk for Santa and head to bed. I couldn't ever get to sleep on Christmas Eve because I was so excited about Santa! I loved waking up in the morning and our parents would take us outside to show us that the reindeer had eaten some of the carrots (I think they let the dog have nibbles of it) and that Santa ate part of his cookie!
Do the creep.
When do you start putting up decorations? We don't usually decorate. December is a rough time for me with school (exams, committee meeting, research symposium), and then we head North to my parents' for Christmas. Plus our cat and decorations do. not. mix.
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them? We host a big ChristNakkah party for our friends sometime before we head up North- we make latkes, rugelach, a huge brisket with tons of veggies, kugel, and another big dessert.
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards? I'm with my parents on this theory- if we sent out cards to all family, friends, etc it would be like over 200 cards. So we don't. Instead, we do something special for the people that really matter in our lives (like have a big dinner or exchange presents) instead of wasting money on a card that people will look at for like 10 seconds.
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family? Thanksgiving is at the In Laws, Christmas Eve is at my Uncle's, Christmas is at my parents', and New Years is at our house. Bouncing around is stressful and impossible because our families are 1200 miles apart in the winter.
Favorite holiday food or drink? Food: we always have filet mignon for Christmas dinner. Drink: I make a kickass mulled cider from scratch.
What is your favorite Holiday memory?2001 was the last Christmas that we celebrated with my grandmother. She was sick and in a nursing home but we were able to take her to my parents' house and had a great dinner and a great day overall. It even snowed a little, which NEVER happens on Christmas.When do you start putting up decorations?The weekend after thankgiving at the earliest. Although we'll proabably put the lights on the ouside sometime in Oct. when the weather is nice.
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them? We go to a few, but we also usually have a party for my birthday in early December.
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards? Sometimes we've done picture cards (and awesome ones---our last one was a picture of us on a rollercoaster.) I'm guessing we'll do a wedding picture this year.
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family? My family is 2500 miles away, so we either pick one or sometimes divide and conquer (I get time off at Christmas, and DH does not, so I sometimes fly to WI solo)
Favorite holiday food or drink? Cookies dunked in coffee for breakfast.
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
When do you start putting up decorations?
Although I love Christmas time, I refuse to put up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. However, that does not mean that I don't buy them and stash them away long before Thanksgiving. My family always decorated the tree together the day after Thanksgiving (usually after shopping), and DH and I will probably continue this tradition, as this is also what his family does.
Is your holiday calendar full of going to parties or hosting them?
A little of both. I have a feeling that this year we'll be hosting more just because we own our house now.
Do you send out cards? If so, do you have just normal cards or do picture cards?
We will be doing a picture card this year of us and our puppy all decked out in our Packer gear. We plan to take those pictures sometime this month when the leaves are changing colors.
Do you bounce from family to family trying to see everyone or just alternate holidays with each family?
We bounce around trying to see everybody for each holiday. Sometimes it doesn't work, but it usually does since our families live in the same town.
Favorite holiday food or drink?
Grandma's mashed potatoes, hands down! My grandma, who passed away when I was in 7th grade, made these AMAZING sour cream and chive mashed potatoes by hand. Now, the women in the family take turns making them for each holiday, and grandma's potatoes are always the best thing there! I also love Brandy Slushes to drink. Mmmm!
What is your favorite Holiday memory?
Every Thanksgiving, on my dad's side of the family, we have a Thanksgiving Football Game. We have recently started passing around a trophy to the victorious side each year. So much fun!