Ten on Tuesday (55)

First, a bit of housekeeping. As always, thanks for your question submissions, they are appreciated. You can always email me your questions (chelsea (at) rootsandrings (dot) com) or leave a question or two in the comments. I save them and compile them into lists as needed.

It’s fun to see a bunch of new participants. You are welcome to use my Ten on Tuesday button as a graphic on your blog. I know many of you like to make your own graphics, and that’s fine too, but know that it’s there for you to use if you want it. Just save the jpg and link back.

My only request is that if you participate, you put a link to my blog on your post. Not because I want the hits (who even clicks the links anyways?!) but because I made this up. And it feels sort of like you’re stealing my blog content when I stumble on a blog that uses my questions but fails to mention me at all. Maybe that doesn’t make sense to many of you, but it sort of feels like I planned a party that I wasn’t invited to. (And I’m not trying to call anyone out, I honestly can’t think of a blogger that does this off the top of my head. I just know I see them around.)

With that said, I’m shocked that ToT is still going strong. It’s been 55 weeks of random questions! Thanks for participating, friends!

**Oops. I forgot to mention that these questions are from Autumn. (<- link!)

1. What are your plans for the holidays? Do you travel at Thanksgiving? If you celebrate Christmas, do you travel then, too?
This Thanksgiving is at our house with Stephen’s parents and siblings (and their other halves). We travel when the family travels but thankfully, this Thanksgiving is at Hurst Castle which makes things so much easier with Jansen.

2. How do you make the plans for the holiday? If you have a significant other, how do you decide which family to visit?
We switch. One holiday with my family, one with Stephen’s. Unfortunately my family also switches- one holiday with my mom’s side and one with my dad’s. So if you figure it all out, we’d be missing holidays with one side of my family 100% of the time. We’ve been able to switch things up here and there to make sure we see everyone. Sometimes it sucks and you feel like you’re missing out and also pissing off family, but it’s part of life. This year Stephen and I decided that since we have Jansen, we are our own family and we will make the decisions necessary for us.

3. Do you have your Thanksgiving meal at lunch or later in the day?
We normally have it around 2:00. This year it’ll be around 6:00.

4. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
Eating is my favorite Thanksgiving tradition.

5. After a big meal do you lounge around or get up and take a walk?
I lounge and moan and sleep and read newspaper ads.

6. Do you shop on “Black Friday” or do you avoid it?
I don’t shop on Black Friday unless we spend Thanksgiving in Austin, then all the women go to Salado, Texas on Friday. But I don’t consider that Black Friday shopping. My dad has done his fair share of BF shopping and has gotten some pretty great deals because of it.

7. When do you usually finish your Christmas shopping?
I usually have one or two items I still need to get the week before Christmas, but I usually finish the bulk of it in early December. I’m on top of things this year. I only have about 4 or 5 more people to shop as of today.

8. Do you and your significant other exchange gifts? Is there a budget?
Yes we do. Our budget is “we are poor so don’t go overboard.”

9. When do you decorate for the holidays?
After Thanksgiving. I’m hoping that’s on the agenda for this 4-day weekend.

10. Do you go “all out” with the decor or do you keep it simple?
In the middle. We usually have two trees, lights on the house, and random decor around the house. Stephen has decided that since he now has a child, he should no longer get on a ladder… ever again. So our house won’t be as pretty but he’s agreed to put lights in the lamp post and bushes, and porch.

Link up!