Maine Nesties
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
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.
Christmas Survey!
Just for fun. 
1. Favorite Christmas song?
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
4. Real or fake tree?
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
6. Best present you received as a child?
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
8. When do you take your tree down?
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
10. Clear lights or colored?
Re: Christmas Survey!
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Willie Nelson - Pretty Paper or a Dustin Kensrue one...not sure I could pick just one.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Oh boy. Charlie Brown. Or Rudolph. Last year they showed a new Yes, Virginia There Really is a Santa Claus. That was super cute.
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
STAY HOME!
4. Real or fake tree?
Real every year. Always and forever
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
Being a kid and decorating the tree with my mother. She always made peanut butter fudge and popcorn. I miss her a lot during the holidays.
6. Best present you received as a child?
A boombox.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Egg nog, homemade candy, gingerbread cookies, I could go on and on
8. When do you take your tree down?
The day after Xmas
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Listen to Christmas music and make candy. I don't think I can do that this year!
10. Clear lights or colored?
Clear. Definitely. Unless it is the old school big colored bulbs...those are nice.
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Sleigh ride. I used to play the piccolo in band and that piece has an awesome piccolo part.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Rudolph. And I'm a big fan of Shrek the Halls
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Home.
4. Real or fake tree?
Well, I grew up always having a charlie brown real tree. But when we were getting out of debt, my FIL gave us their fake one (which is so convincing it looks real). We put it up just to save money...every little bit counted. I want to sell it...next year we're definitely going to have a real tree. There's a cut your own tree farm a mile from our house.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
How special my mom made the whole month! Projects, giving, baking, preparing. She gave us a pair of jammies each year on christmas eve. I still have the same pair from when I was 14 (she died when i was 15)...and they just ripped out last month. I couldn't bear to throw them away, so I used the fabric to make an advent calendar. Little mittens and stockings out of felt and the numbers are cut out of the jammies. I hung them with clothes pins from ribbon. Next year, we'll put goodies in them for each day up until Christmas for Adrian.
6. Best present you received as a child?
This is embarrassing. NKOTB sleeping bag. But the LLBean sleeping bag that my dad gave me is a favorite that I still use as an adult.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Sweets, sweets and more sweets. I skip drinking so I can have extra dessert.
8. When do you take your tree down?
No rhyme or reason. When I get around to it. DH definitely does not like to help with that part.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Eat. I hate shopping, so definitely not shopping.
10. Clear lights or colored?
Clear.
1. Favorite Christmas song?
hmmm... the Barenaked Ladies do a mean rendition of some of the classics that I love.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
stay home!
4. Real or fake tree?
right now we have fake because we don't have room for real... but soon, soon we will have real!
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
Spending Christmas at my Gram's house with my aunt and cousin, and also waking up super early, waking up my brother and scoping out and shaking all our gifts... and then pretending we slept all night long and have no idea which gifts are ours the next morning (my parents never put out ANY gifts until Christmas eve after my Mum got home from the evening shift at the hospital, so we were always in bed when the presents came out for the first time and didn't see them until Christmas morning)
6. Best present you received as a child?
My grandmother bought me silver combat boots that I wore everyday for the entirety of high school.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Dad makes seafood chowder and Gram's needhams
8. When do you take your tree down?
probably the day after Christmas this year, the boys and cats are having a rough time leaving it alone and not trying to destroy it!
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
drive around and look at the lights
10. Clear lights or colored?
We have clear lights shining outside and colored lights inside, but only because our tree came with colored... it was supposed to be clear but FIL grabbed the wrong box... I think eventually we will go to clear, but for now I like the colored...
1. Favorite Christmas song?- Deck the Halls, Jewel's version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, silent night...i really love them all.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special? Rudolph or Frosty.
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home? we stay in Maine but are always gone.
4. Real or fake tree? 100% real. We cut our own this year. I had never done that before.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories? Making homemade peanut butter balls with my Nana. When we were really little we'd go to her house on Christmas Eve. We always cooked, and opened presents from her. When they moved to Florida we flew down and spent Christmas there when I was in HS. We did the same things, cooked, sang lots of christmas music and danced.
6. Best present you received as a child? My sister. I literally asked Santa Claus for a baby sister in December 1985. She was born in June. That is probably why I believed in Santa until I was like 13.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays? everything. I love homemade candies, desserts, pies, stuffing...
8. When do you take your tree down? depends on how it's doing. I like to have it up until New Years.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays? spend time with family. make yummy treats.
10. Clear lights or colored? clear
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Anything by Bing Crosby but particularly Mele Kalikimaka or Christmas in Killarney. Also love love love Feliz Navidad.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
The Grinch (original version)
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Would love to stay home, but always end up running around trying to see every branch of my family and H's within about 2 or 3 days. They're all within a 2-3 hour radius at least so it's not a TON of travelling, but I'd give a lot to just stay in my own house and get people to come to me.
4. Real or fake tree?
Haven't bothered to get a Christmas tree since H and I have been together. Our families both get real trees though.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
Christmas Eve with all my dad's extended family was always awesome, I was so close with all those cousins and we had a ball together. Christmas Day with my mom's extended family was always a blast too, going sledding or snowmobiling and just getting to spend time at Claybrook Mountain Lodge in Highland Plantation which my aunt and uncle own and operate. It's hard to pick just one favorite memory.
6. Best present you received as a child?
Probably bunk beds when I was around 10.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Egg nog, wine, hot toddys, gourmet cocoa, my aunts incredible sausage and cheese balls, my dad's oyster stew, scallops wrapped in bacon, my aunts homemade anadama bread, H's grandmother's thumbprint cookies... this could be a very very long list.
8. When do you take your tree down?
My mom always kept our tree up until her birthday on January 6th.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Spend time with family that I don't get to see very often... sleigh rides, caroling.
10. Clear lights or colored?
Colored!
Just for fun.
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Anything upbeat. Loving the Glee Christmas album right now. Although I do love Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong album too.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Too hard to choose one! I like them all and can't wait for Eli to get into them too.
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Stay home! We do Christmas Eve with DH's family (5 min from our house) and then stay home on Christmas. My parents come over in the late morning.
4. Real or fake tree?
Real! Growing up my dad and I use to cut it down in the woods behind our house, but they trees were all SO tall so we would guess which one seemed to have the nicest top and go for it. Always ended up with a lopsided Charlie Brown tree.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
Opening my stocking with my dad before my mom woke up every Christmas.
6. Best present you received as a child?
Can't think of one right now!
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Sweets!!
8. When do you take your tree down?
Usually the day after Christmas because we put it up early.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Hang out at home on a cozy snowy day
10. Clear lights or colored?
We have colored on our tree. We used to have white outside, but one string wouldn't work and we had extra colored ones, so this year we have colored outside.
Fun poll!!
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Sleigh Ride by Boston Pops & Dominic the Donkey
)
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Miracle on 34th Street
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Stay home!! We decided that once we had kids, we would never travel on Christmas...as my mom puts it, a kid should wake up with their head on their own pillow on such a special day
)
4. Real or fake tree?
Real (another thing we changed once we had kids!)
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
My uncle secretly dressed up as Santa after we had fallen asleep, and then my parents woke us up later that night all excited and said that if we were really quiet we could spy on Santa. We crept down the stairs and saw him stuffing our stockings - I never knew the real story until I was like 14 haha.
6. Best present you received as a child?
Cabbage Patch Kid
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Cookies, especially spritz, gingerbread and butter cookies w/ buttercream frosting
8. When do you take your tree down?
Within a week after Christmas
(
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Driving or walking around downtown and checking out all the Christmas lights - even at 30, they're still magical to me
10. Clear lights or colored?
Mixed! We do both on our tree.
Jake blowing out the candle at Katie's coming home party
Katie Belle
Kristen, Chad, Jake, Katie & Sadie the Wonderdog, est. 6/17/06
1. Favorite Christmas song?
This is Christmas, by John Lennon. I've always said it's not Christmas until I hear it randomly on the radio
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Charlie Brown
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home? HOME. You guys know the story :-)
4. Real or fake tree? Real
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories? This is hard! Either my memory is shot or I've blocked it all out :-) I do remember sitting at the top of the stairs with my brothers so anxious to run into the living room with all the presents. My mom wouldn't let us come down until she had her camera ready. I think she just wanted to see our faces. We would trample over each other to get to the tree and then just stand there like, "wow!". My mom went overboard and still does.
6. Best present you received as a child?
Getting a coveted Alf for Christmas one year.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays? All of it! The sweets, my Aunts Needhams.
8. When do you take your tree down? New Years day
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays? Shop! I love finding and giving meaningful gifts. Although it's getting harder because people want gift cards :-(
10. Clear lights or colored? clear
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Adam Sandler's Hanukkah song
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
I loved the claymation movies growing up... now I love the cheesy lifetime movies around Christmas
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
We go to the ILs (so that involves a few hours in the car); growing up we were at Sugarloaf every Christmas and then when we moved, we went to my cousins for a while and then started having a Jew Day for a few years with a bunch of our friends/
4. Real or fake tree?
Real
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
Most recent memory was probably my first Christmas with DH when we were dating
6. Best present you received as a child?
??? honestly can't remember- a lot of our Hanukkah presents were family presents (Nintendo, vacations, etc)
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
latkes... I don't think there is anything during Christmas that I like foodwise...
8. When do you take your tree down?
I've only had one a few years ago so I have no idea...
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Avoid the malls.
10. Clear lights or colored?
Clear
1. Favorite Christmas song? Hm, I love the whole Roger Whitaker Christmas album, but especially Darcy the Dragon. It isn't the best song, but it reminds me of Christmas as a kid.
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special? Oh man, that's impossible to answer. Classic: A Christmas Story, New: Elf, TV: Charlie Brown
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home? I usually play bells on Christmas Eve, so we are always local for the night and next morning. We then drive 100 milkes to my parents' for Xmas day. We flew home from FL for our first Christmas down there, and we vowed we'd never fly for the holidays again!
4. Real or fake tree? Real, but that's because DH cares. I'd be just as happy with a fake, which is what I grew up with.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories? I have 2. One year my Dad took his cowboy boots and dipped them in soot and marked up some newspaper in front of the fireplace from Santa. I thought is was SO COOL that Santa left prints. Another year I swear to Rudolph that I heard sleighbells outside while I was in bed. My parents still deny it. Maybe it was a neighbor? Maybe it was my imagination? Or maybe...? Some day I want ot conspire with a neighbor to do the same for my kid(s).
6. Best present you received as a child? Hm, I always loved my big Lego sets. I got a fun build your own marble track set one year, but I don't know if that was Xmas of b-day.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays? Egg nog, cookies, cheeses, fancy seafood like shrimp cocktail and crab legs.. who am I kidding, there's nothing I don't like to eat!
8. When do you take your tree down? Usually around New Years. We don't have a specific timeline.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays? I love shopping for, wrapping, giving, and getting gifts; researching the good prices, thinking about what would be best for everyone, and then thoughtfully wrapping each one uniquely makes me so happy. And I love ringing bells this time of year since people just love it and it makes me feel connected to God. I like watching Charlie Brown for the kids' dancing, Lucy's bossiness, and Linus' reading of the biblical story. I love unwrapping the ornaments and the nostalgia each one brings as they are unwrapped! Oh, and all the eating!!! I love everything about this time of year.
10. Clear lights or colored? We're also not too set in our ways, but currently we like classy white lights outside and festive colored inside- they make that rose glow everywhere you can see the tree indoors!
1. Favorite Christmas song? Not sure...I know just one line of so many!
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special? Rudolph!
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Stay home
4. Real or fake tree? Real!
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories? When we lived in CA, my uncle also lived in CA, about an or two south. We used to drive there, or them to our house and have christmas with my cousins. There are 3 of us, and 4 of them...always TONS under the tree
6. Best present you received as a child? I'm too old to remember, lol
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays? Chinese....we order takeout on Christmas day instead of the usual ham, etc.
8. When do you take your tree down? Usually on my birthday but this year, since it is going up so late, it will probably go down a week later as well.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays? Go shopping. Can't wait until we can start some other traditions with Miss Taylor
10. Clear lights or colored? Both. I like them clear, Chris likes them colored. We usually alternate, although this year we have RED
1. Favorite Christmas song?
I love them all but my all time favorite is "The war is over" by John Lennon and Yoko Ono
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Rudolph and Elf
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Travel around Town to different family
4. Real or fake tree?
My husband insists on real, fake would be easier but I like having a real tree.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
My Memere reading "The Night Before Christmas." I want her to do it this year with Evelyn.
6. Best present you received as a child?
I don't remember many gifts but my favorite gift of all time was from my DH (then boyfriend). He got me a spot for the Richard Petty Driving Experience at Loudon. It was AMAZING!
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Meat Pie, finger
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
When ever we have time after Christmas. I usually do it during school vacation week.
10. Clear lights or colored?
Always white, not a fan of colored.
1. Favorite Christmas song?
Jingle Bell Rock and River Meets the Sea
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas (River Meets the Sea is from that movie)
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Stay home...we've never traveled for Christmas
4. Real or fake tree?
Real. But this year we're not doing a tree. Too much work since we're having a baby soon.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
I loved marking every day in December with the Advent calendar my great-grandmother made. It was part of our Christmas tradition every year and my sister and I loved it.
6. Best present you received as a child?
The one I remember being most excited about was my blue 10-speed bike.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Hmm...I have favorites for Thanksgiving (everything), but no real Christmas favs. Growing up we usually did a traditional Polish Christmas dinner so (home made sauerkraut or farmers cheese) pierogies are a Christmas food for me.
8. When do you take your tree down?
My rule has always been that the tree comes down before New Year's Eve.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
Watch all the Christmas specials and listen to my "Sing Along with Mitch Miller" Christmas album (but not at the same time).
10. Clear lights or colored?
I'm partial to clear lights...and really dislike the all blue ones. Multicolored lights fall somewhere in the middle.
1. Favorite Christmas song?
It's so hard to decide, but I love Silent Night and Away in a Manger
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
A Christmas Story
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
Stay home. We do DH's family the Sunday before, and my family Christmas Eve. Then it is pajama day on Christmas Day.
4. Real or fake tree?
I love real, but because of the wood stove it gets to dry in my house, so we have fake.
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
We had gone to my grandmothers in Rockport for Christmas, and I was worried Santa wouldn't know I was there. Somehow my family had the noises of something on the roof along with bells. It was amazing.
6. Best present you received as a child?
Even though I had a 24 hour bug that Christmas, hands down it was my cabbage patch. I will never forget how excited I was.
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
Besides everything under the sun, Peanut butter balls & Egg Nog.
8. When do you take your tree down?
I try to get it down the day after Christmas.
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
I really look forward to Christmas Eve with my family. It is always a tradition and my step mom always makes a yummy Fish Chowder. I can't wait!
10. Clear lights or colored?
Clear lights.
1. Favorite Christmas song?
all i want for christmas is you
2. Favorite Christmas movie/special?
elf
3. Travel for Christmas or stay home?
stay home
4. Real or fake tree?
i like the smell of a real tree but the look of a fake one
5. One of your favorite Christmas memories?
i love all my christmas memories! my love, family and friends... what more could i ask for on christmas?
6. Best present you received as a child?
a barbie play house
7. Favorite things to eat and drink during the holidays?
hot cocoa
8. When do you take your tree down?
a few days after chirstmas
9. What is one of your favorite things to do during the holidays?
spend time with the ones i love
10. Clear lights or colored?
clear!!! i HATE colored lights!