Our Christmas Letter, 2015

SATURDAY 9

19 December 2015

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (1979)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) According to a marketing research firm, this song is both one of the most played and most hated songs of the season. Do you like it?
I've always liked it, ever since I first heard it.  I have a weird sense of humor that it seemed to speak to.  Never thought it would become the big hit that it has, though!  My least favorite Christmas song is "Feliz Navidad."

2) In this song, Grandma's troubles start when she drinks too much eggnog. Do you like eggnog?
I like it.  I used to love it, but somehow it never tastes as good as I remember. I should make my own.

3) In the song, Grandpa recovers from losing Grandma by drinking beer and playing cards with Cousin Mel. Will you be celebrating the holidays with cousins?
Sad question, since my best-friend-cousin just died.  But no, I never did spend holidays with any of my 32 cousins.

4) When did you most recently drink a beer? Was it in a bottle, a can or a glass?
I'm not a big beer drinker (or drinker at all), but I think I did have some beer on our cruise.  It would have been in a glass, though, since a bottle is far too much for me to drink.  I only like it ice cold and a bottle gets too room temperature too fast.

5) The lyrics refer to "pudding of fig." In "We Wish You a Merry Christmas," the carolers demand figgy pudding. Yet despite its popularity in holiday songs, Sam has never tasted fig pudding. Have you?
I think I made one, many, many years ago.  It reminded me of fruitcake and, as I recall, the best part was the hard sauce that went with it.  "Hard sauce" is described very accurately by the Pioneer Woman as "a soft, spoonable topping meant to be plopped onto the top of warm (and the “warm” part is important) desserts like pies, pudding, cobblers, and crisps. It has a butter base, so when it hits the warm dessert, it takes its own sweet time melting and running down the sides of whatever the dessert happens to be. It’s absolutely out of this world."

6) Thinking of holiday sweets, would you prefer a gingerbread cookie or slice of pumpkin pie?
Definitely a slice (or two) of pumpkin pie.

7) This song was recorded by a duo named Elmo & Patsy. It occurs to Sam that she has never met anyone named Elmo. How about you? Any Elmos in your life?
Other than the Muppet?  I have not met an Elmo, but I did know an Elmer a million years ago (he was the first husband of one of my cousins and used to babysit my sister and me)

8) Do you need snow to get "into the spirit?"
Since I grew up in California, I have never known a white Christmas, so...no.

9) Random question: Are you going to get/have you gotten a flu shot this year?
I got one the first week they were available at Kaiser.