Christmas Meme

Again, Randy Seaver has a wonderful meme for this week.  It's an oldie but a goodie. Here are the questions and my answers.  Merry Christmas everyone!

THE 2012 CHRISTMAS GENEAMEME

1.       Do you have any special Xmas traditions in your family?  I wrap so each person gets their own color wrapping paper.  No labels, no bows. I put one wrapped present in their stocking so they know which color is theirs each year. Also, I think it’s unique that we all manage to get-together, normally on Christmas Day – over 20 people make the effort.

2.       Is church attendance an important part of your Christmas celebrations and do you go the evening before or on Xmas Day?  Yes, went to church as children and still do.  This year we are attending our daughter’s church, they have a live nativity scene.

3.       Did/do you or your children/grandchildren believe in Santa? We did and our kids did.  A 5^th grade teacher told my daughter, I was furious.

4.       Do you go carolling in your neighbourhood?  My daughters were part of a father daughter group and later a father son group.  They sang at nursing homes.

5.       What’s your favourite Christmas music?  I’m happy with any songs.

6.       What’s your favourite Christmas carol?  Does Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” count?  It’s my current favorite.

7.       Do you have a special Xmas movie/book you like to watch/read?  I LOVE the movie, “Love Actually. “ (Yes my favorite “carol” is in it!)

8.       Does your family do individual gifts, gifts for littlies only, Secret Santa (aka Kris Kringle)? At Thanksgiving we draw names, so each person buys for only one other person. We also are given lists of things they want, but we can buy something not on the list. Very organized. There are over 20 of us, so it takes a very long time to open.

9.       Is your main Christmas meal indoors or outdoors, at home or away? Always inside – it’s very cold here in Chicago.

10.  What do you eat as your main course for the Christmas meal? If at my house, it’s ham, at my mom’s or sister’s it’s roast beef.

11.  Do you have a special recipe you use for Xmas? Cookies, cookies cookies.

12.  Does Christmas pudding feature on the Xmas menu? Is it your recipe or one you inherited? Nope

13.  Do you have any other special Christmas foods? What are they?  Lots of munchies while opening presents, a big dinner and my mom makes a delicious rum pudding with raspberry sauce we eat with my Christmas cookies.

14.  Do you give home-made food/craft for gifts at Christmas? Cookies

15.  Do you return to your family for Xmas or vice versa? Yes, over 20 of us. My mom and my brother and sister and all our families.Now,  I especially enjoy celebrating with grandkids.  We make time for a second get-together for our 12.

16.  Is your Christmas celebrated differently from your childhood ones? If yes, how does it differ? Still the same.

17.  How do you celebrate Xmas with your friends? Lunch? Pre-Xmas outings? Drop-ins? A variety of get-togethers, dinners, lunches, parties.

18.  Do you decorate your house with lights? A little or a lot?  My husband decorates with thousands of lights outside.  It’s the brightest house on the block.

19.  Is your neighbourhood a “Xmas lights” tour venue? No, but the associations rents a horse and wagon for rides around the subdivision one night to see the lights.

20.  Does your family attend Carols by Candlelight singalongs/concerts? Where? Our Christmas church always ends with a candlelight carol.

21.  Have any of your Christmases been spent camping (unlikely for our northern-hemisphere friends)? Nope – I’m in the northern hemisphere.

22.  Is Christmas spent at your home, with family or at a holiday venue? Until a couple of years ago, it was always at my mom’s.  Now my sister and I split.  This year her place, next year ours.

23.  Do you have snow for Christmas where you live? Yes, lots.  When we spent Christmas with my husband’s family in Buffalo, we could get 3-5 feet!

24.  Do you have a Christmas tree every year? Yes

25.  Is your Christmas tree a live tree (potted/harvested) or an imitation?  When the kids lived at home we always chopped down a tree with friends, saw Mrs. Santa Claus and went out to dinner, the day after Thanksgiving. Once they went to college, we got an imitation and decorated it while they were home for Thanksgiving, which we do with the grandkids.  Our tree has many ornaments on the bottom branches and pretty bare up above, because all of our decorators are under 5.  But I love it and wouldn’t change a thing.

26.  Do you have special Xmas tree decorations?  Yes, we have vintage ornaments from my in-laws, and my husband and I have been buying each other ornaments that represent something that happened that year.  Many times it’s a vacation theme. We did the same for the kids, but gave them theirs the year they got married.

27.  Which is more important to your family, Christmas or Thanksgiving? Pretty even but probably Christmas.

70 Question Genealogy Meme

Randy Seaver (of Genea-musings) is one of my favorite bloggers.  Each Saturday night, he gives a fun genealogy project.  This week he gave a 70 question genealogy meme.  You might want to try it too!  You'll find it here:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/11/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-expanded.html

His questions and my answers are below.  I was very surprised to have 40 yesses. Thanks Randy!

1.             Can name my 16 great-great grandparents.  Yes 

2.             Can name my 32 great great great grandparents No-29  

3.             Can name over 50 direct ancestors Yes 

4.             Have photos or portraits of my 8 great grandparents  Yes

5.             Have an ancestor who was married more than three times No 

6.             Have an ancestor who was a bigamist Yes-later he got a divorce from wife #1 and remarried wife #2

7.             Met all four of my grandparents  Yes

8.             Met one or more of my great grandparents  Yes-2

9.             Bear an ancestor’s given name/s No  

10.          Named a child after an ancestor Yes-all of my children, first & middle names 

11.          Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland  Yes 

12.          Have an ancestor from Asia No

13.          Have an ancestor from continental Europe Yes  

14.          Have an ancestor from Africa  No

15.          Have an ancestor who was an agricultural laborer Yes  

16.          Have an ancestor who had large land holdings  Yes  

17.          Have an ancestor who was a holy man – minister, priest, rabbi No -Catholic priest yes but not a direct ancestor!

18.          Have an ancestor who was a midwife No 

19.          Have an ancestor who was an author No   

20.          Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng No    

21.          Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones Yes  

22.          Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X  No

23.          Have an ancestor with a forename beginning with Z No 

24.          Have an ancestor born on 25th December Yes 

25.          Have an ancestor born on New Year’s Day No   

26.          Have an ancestor who shares your day and month of birth No  

27.          Have blue blood in your family lines  No 

28.          Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth Yes – Dad    

29.          Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth Yes 

30.          Can trace a direct family line back to the 18th century Yes 

31.          Can trace a direct family line back to the 17th century Yes

32.          Can trace a direct family line back to the 16th century No 

33.          Have seen signatures of some of my great grandparents Yes  

34.          Have ancestors who signed with an X (or other mark) Yes

35.          Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university No  

36.          Have an ancestor convicted of a criminal offense Yes   

37.          Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime Yes 

38.          Have shared an ancestor’s story online or in a magazine/periodical  Yes

39.          Have published a family history online or in print Yes

40.          Have visited an ancestor’s home from the 19th or earlier centuries Yes  

41.          Have a family Bible from the 19th century No 

42.          Have a family Bible from the 18th century or earlier No 

43.          Have an ancestor who was part of a multiple birth (twins, etc.)  Yes 

44.          Have a family member who closely resembles an ancestor Yes  

45.          Have an ancestor who owned their own business  Yes 

46.          Have an ancestor who belonged to a trade guild  Yes

47.          Have an ancestor who moved more than 100 miles away from his/her birth home, EXCLUDING emigration to another country  Yes

48.          Have an ancestor who gave birth to twelve or more children  No-10 

49.          Have an ancestor with a rare/unusual/uncommon forename Yes-Jamima 

50.          Have an ancestral family who changed their surname  Yes 

51.          Have a passenger list or travel manifest for an ancestor Yes  

52.          Have an ancestor who was adopted No

53.          Have an ancestor who adopted a child No   

54.          Have a naturalization record for an ancestor Yes  

55.          Have an ancestor who received a military pension Maybe

56.          Have a school record or school census for an ancestor Yes

57.          Have an ancestor with a gravestone still in existence from the 18th century No

58.          Have an ancestor with a gravestone still in existence from the 17th century or earlier  No

59.          Have an ancestor who had only one child who survived to adulthood Yes 

60.          Are descended twice from one couple No 

61.          Are descended three times or more from one couple No 

62.          Are descended from an American president or other political figure No  

63.          Are descended from a person famous in history, other than in politics  No

64.          Have an ancestor with a rare/unusual/unique surname  Yes-Knudde

65.          Have an ancestor who you have found mentioned in a pre-1870 newspaper  Yes

66.          Can name the ship on which at least one ancestor emigrated  Yes 

67.          Have a female ancestor who worked outside the home pre-World War II Yes 

68.          Know of at least one ancestor who returned to the ancestral home after emigration  Yes

69.          Know of at least one ancestor who permanently returned to the ancestral home after emigration No  

70.          Have an ancestor who was survived by 50 or more grandchildren -No -44 is the most