BJ’s This or That Challenge: Christmas Edition
The Sturg’s response to Brett Jenae Tomlin’s fun game
1 Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? I’m going with Christmas Day on this answer because the anticipation of the next day as a child was way too much for me or my siblings to bear. I still enjoy Christmas Day more because I’m not obligated to go to a mass at church on Christmas Day. As a Catholic growing up, I attended Midnight Mass and I think that I still associate that with Christmas Eve which is why Christmas Day always gets the edge.
2. Santa or No Santa? No Santa. I think that we should be telling children young that Santa was just a story made up to have a cute tale about why we got presents every year. In theory, this sounds fine. In practice, children can sometimes be disappointed if their family isn’t one that can afford to give them nice gifts. Then they’ll think that some sort of fake commercial icon is the reason why they didn’t get it. Kids are much more equipped at handling and telling the truth than adults are. Santa is just too much extra in the middle of an otherwise joyful holiday season. I do like Krampus, though. The Germans really know how to motivate children to be good.
3. Naughty or Nice? Nice. I can pretend and say that I’ve been naughty this year. I’ve just been through way too much and overcome so much adversity to even be in the position I’m in right now about to potentially be homeless before the holiday season. I do my best, I’m nice to people I meet when they are deserving of that respect. I don’t break many rules and I’m kind and generous with everyone that I meet. I have some naughty tendencies but not enough to overtake my nice qualities this year.
4. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate. My partner would probably say egg nog but these are my answers. I love plenty of milk, marshmallows, and hot chocolate stirring around in a warm mug to keep my belly warm through the cold and snow of where I live. Hot chocolate is a great thing to drink when the weather turns cold. Egg nog has never quite done it for me and most of the time I need to add brandy or whiskey to it to make it taste more digestible. Something about the texture of the egg nog going into my belly by way of my throat is somewhat displeasing to me.
5. Velvet or Fur? Velvet. All the way. Fur feels weird on me and plus I love animals so I don’t like fur anyway. Velvet is smooth, it’s elegant, and it feels good on my skin. I’m thinking of those lyrics to that 1989 song “Black Velvet” and just feeling all of the good feelings not only from the song but also from the material. I just don’t get the appeal of fur. It’s scratchy, made from animals, and clunky. Velvet is the opposite and feels nice any time of the year.
6. Red or White? Red. Yeah, I’ve made a quick decision on this one. I love red. It pops in front of my eye and is one of the main colors of Christmas along with green. It’s on all of the Christmas iconographies. Red cars are also more visually appealing than white ones. I could remember seeing one red car versus a hundred plain white ones. Also, my partner’s beard is like a two-foot-long red one so it was obvious that my answer was going in this direction.
7. Peppermint or Cinnamon? Cinnamon. Don’t eat too much of either though. I know you’ve all seen the cinnamon challenge. That doesn’t look pleasant at all. It is still one of my favorite flavors all year long, not even just around the Christmas holiday season. Cinnamon goes great with a bunch of different foods much more than peppermint does. I can only think of a few things that peppermint can even complement. Cinnamon blows peppermint out of the water.
8. Frosty or Rudolph? Rudolph, all the way. He led Santa and his reindeer through the foggy air to get kids presents in that cute little song. Honestly, if I saw Frosty come to life in real life, I’d grab a shovel or a blow torch and try to obliterate him out of existence. I already deal with feet of snow all year. I don’t need talking snow with a weird carrot nose and a big top hat. This sounds more like a horror movie than a fun kid’s adventure.
9. Mistletoe or Mommy Kissing Santa Claus? Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. At that point, we either know that Daddy is Santa Claus or Mom is having a fun affair with a weird fetish. Mistletoe is a pesky weed. I know that the tradition is to kiss under the mistletoe but I’m only kissing my man under any circumstances unless, of course, that man is Benedict Cumberbatch, then all bets are off…
10. Real or Fake? Fake. I’d rather have a fake Christmas tree every year that I can put up and put away when the time is right. I don’t normally do Christmas trees but I’d definitely do a fake one. My mom has a fake one but she also did the real ones when we were growing up. The fake ones were so much easier to manage than the real ones. There’s a benefit to both but those real trees are trees that could’ve just stayed trees in the ground and unchopped. Using one for a holiday once a year seems pretty needless for the planet.
11. Wrapped or Bagged? Bagged. I don’t want to have to go through the effort of wrapping a gift for anyone. I also don’t expect the same. If you’ve bagged it in a cute gift bag, I will appreciate it just as much as a wrapped gift that could’ve taken longer than just stuffing it into a holiday gift bag. Plus, wrapping paper is a waste of paper.
12. Home for the Holidays or Christmas Abroad? Home for the holidays. Always. I will always prefer to be home rather than somewhere else for the holidays. I know that some people have to spend their Christmas abroad and I really feel for those who have to due for a number of reasons. That’s why they have that song, “Home for the Holidays”. It’s just a warm, Christmas mood.
13. Prancer or Dancer? I’m going with Prancer. Prancer’s name sounds more fun and it has more letters. What is Dancer’s motive exactly? Is Dancer in fact a burlesque dancer? Well, I won’t judge there. Prancer is also pretty free so they are both questionable there. I do like the name Prancer much more for a reindeer though. Can reindeer even dance?
14. Let It Snow or Mele Kalikimaka? Le Tits Now. Hey SNL Sean Connery. Stop getting into my head. I’m going with Let It Snow. I love the snow and I get plenty of it near where I live. Also, “Let It Snow” is a great Christmas song.
15. Baubles or Garland? I feel like garland is the only right answer here. Garland is pretty much the foundation of any great holiday decoration. Baubles are always just the extra topping on any Christmas decoration and I can do without them a lot of times. A simple yet elegant decoration with garland definitely satisfies my holiday spirit.
16. Gas or Wood-Burning? Wood-burning. There is definitely more charm in a wood-burning fireplace than in anything gas-powered. I feel like the gas-powered ones don’t feel like real fireplaces to me. Going out in the snow and finding wood to burn in your fireplace is much more fun than just starting a gas ignition.
17. City or Rural? I’m a city boy through and through. I was born in the sixth largest city in California. I’ve lived in two other cities since then and I’d never want to leave the city for the completely rural. I would have to compromise with my partner at some point as he is completely a rural guy but then again this is my questionnaire and not his. The convenience of a city any day, especially a world-class one like Chicago or San Francisco.
18. Turkey or Roast Beast? Turkey. I’m actually one of those people who loves turkey all year long. I used to just eat it at Christmas and Thanksgiving, and sometimes Easter, but turkey is so much healthier than many of the other meats out there so I try to get my hands on it as often as possible. Turkey goes with almost everything that I can think of. Turkey, avocado, and bacon sandwich, anyone?
19. Elf or The Grinch? The Grinch, for sure. He didn’t hate Christmas. He hated people and what they had turned Christmas into. I respect his game and his attitude about that. In a time of year when people should be more compassionate and giving, I feel like many people are faking it and I think that the Grinch would probably feel the same way I do towards people celebrating the holidays in such a fake way.
20. Cookies or Fudge? Cookies. I’m not a huge fudge or chocolate person. I love oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies and cookies are a huge part of any joyous celebration. Fudge is too rich for my taste and definitely is something I can only enjoy very rarely, especially with my diabetes. I know that cookies aren’t great for that, either, but at Christmas, calories, and sugar don’t count and I enjoy them regardless. So, there. Cookies should definitely be more hyped than fudge and it’s not even close.
I had seen this challenge when I read Adrienne Beaumont’s response this year. I read that she had won this challenge last time. That’s pretty amazing. This was such a fun challenge to be a part of. I will go ahead and tag a few people to join in.
Ann Christine Tabaka, JF Danskin, Mary Louisa Cappelli, MFA, JD, PhD, Sandra Jasionowska, Sieran Lane, Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages, Anne Bonfert, Darren Weir, Debra Groves Harman, MEd
Here is Brett Jenae Tomlin’s challenge for those of you who want to read and participate in this holiday fun. And there is going to be a winner of this challenge.
More time!? Yep. You have until the 19th of December to submit your answers to win. Just like last time, I’ll be giving a Christmas Cuppa to the person who has the most answers in common with me AND another for my favorite article that I will deem “Best in Show”. This winner will wow me or cuddle me with the warmth of their answers. If I feel like I know you better at the end of it, you’ve got a good shot.
