12 Christmas Questions for a Friendly Debate with Family and Friends

There is so much to do and get ready for the Christmas holiday. The what, when, and where can differ from one family or person to the next. Regardless of your preference or family tradition people tend to have strong opinions on which way things should be done for the holidays. Below are 13 fun and important Christmas questions to answer with your spouse, with family, or a small group of friends. Warning, a debate may ensue. Just remember to keep it fun and respectful, and you may learn some interesting things about each other, maybe even hear some entertaining stories.

How soon is it okay to start playing Christmas Music?

1. After Halloween,
2. After Thanksgiving
3. Only in December
4. Year-round please

Nothing says it’s Christmas time like round the clock Christmas music, and the sooner the better, right? Well, depends on who you ask. Some people can hardly wait to start playing Christmas music and love to hear it for as many days as they possibly can. Others, though they enjoy Christmas music, the idea of hearing it non-stop for one to two months straight can sound like torture. What’s your preference?

When do you start decorating for Christmas?

1. After Halloween
2. After Thanksgiving
3. Beginning of December
4. Never took last year’s down

For many, decorating for Christmas goes hand in hand with playing Christmas music. In fact, there’s nothing quite like decorating while listening to Christmas music to get me in the Christmas spirit. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, makes me think of fond Christmas memories of family and loved ones, and makes me look forward to the new memories in the making.

Christmas tree this year, artificial or real?

Okay, okay, let the debate begin on this question! Many have fond memories of cutting down or picking out a real Christmas tree together as a family. Others prefer both the simplicity of an artificial tree they know will look great year after year, and may also be conscious of the environmental impact of how many trees are cut down in the US each year and thrown away after the holiday. In case you’re wondering how many…22 million. Woe Nelly, that’s a lot of trees! Most of these, however, come from tree farms, whereas many trees are planted each year as the number being cut down.

The best tree topper… star or an angel?

For some, this is a matter of family tradition, what they grew up doing. Others, it’s a matter of personal expression of the Christmas spirit. The star tree topper, for some, represents the star of David that shown in the night sky above the birthplace of the baby Jesus. For others, the angel represents the angels rejoicing and celebrating the birth of Christ. Which do you prefer, and why?

What do you call this spoof gift exchange game? Yankee Swap, or White Elephant?

Hmm, interesting question. I had never even heard this game referred to as “Yankee Swap”. I had always known of it as White Elephant. I’m guessing which you call it has a direct correlation to where in the country you may be from. If you happen not to be familiar the Yankee Swap/White Elephant game is one where a group of people, (family get together, or great for work Christmas parties,) all buy a gift at a set max value, (e.g. $25.) The gift can be a gag gift or a serious gift. The gift is not intended for a specific person, but everyone takes turns picking a wrapped gift from the combined pool of gifts, unwrapping for all to see. When playing, you then have a choice, 1) keep the gift, or 2) take an already unwrapped gift from another participant you like better. If you do the later, the person who just lost the gift they had then unwrapped another gift. Humorously you typically have one or two presents that two or more people end up continuously taking from each other, in hopes that by the end of the game they are the lucky one to retain the gift.

How do you feel about family Christmas letters, sweet, or tacky?

Personally, I still love to get these because it's sadly one of the only ways I hear detail about some family or friends who I have not stayed in regular communication with. Even with Facebook and other social media, it can be nice to hear a fun summary of family or friend’s year. That said, I know some feel this is too impersonal and even tacky. Personally, I like to try and remember everyone’s walk in life is different, their challenges, their successes, their heartaches, their blessing, and even the time they have to do certain things.

Do Adults Get Gifts from Santa, or Just the kids?

Say what? Is this really a question…Of course! No way! Adults shouldn’t get gifts from Santa, they’re adults. Gifts from Santa are for the kids. Which camp do you fall in?

Are colorful lights, or white lights better? And what about size, big or small lights?

Have you ever seen the movie Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase? A classic, for sure. Some people go all out with Christmas lights, the bigger, the more colorful, the brighter, the better. Others are more subtle and prefer the “less is more” approach to decorating with Christmas lights. I personally don’t go all out with my Christmas light decorations, though I do enjoy doing some. My personal favorite is to include our outdoor nativity scene, of course. Which to me completes any Christmas display, regardless of the number of lights. I do enjoy some amazing Christmas light displays, though. I always love going by the house that not only goes all out with their lights, but that also has their lights flash and flicker in concert with background music transmitted via an FM transmitter that you can tune into on your car radio. So fun!

When do you open Christmas presents?

1. Christmas Eve
2. Christmas morning
3. Christmas night
4. Open gifts here and there

There are a lot of fun family traditions around the much-anticipated opening of Christmas presents. One of my friends told me they grew up getting to open one present Christmas Eve, and one they choose, but the rest have to wait until Christmas morning. This could be the cause of much trepidation to a young child. “Do I pick the present I think is the one I really really want? Which if it is, could make opening gifts tomorrow less fun, because the grand finally already happened. Or do I pick a gift that will likely keep the excitement more alive Christmas morning?” Oh, such a difficult choice.

Does the family open presents all at one time, or one person at a time?

In talking with friends about this question, I find that it largely depends on what they grew up doing. Although I had a friend who told me it was a bit of a challenge for him and his wife after they got married, because their families did it differently growing up. Come their first Christmas together, and with each other's extended family a new and different experience arrived. He told me, “I was used to everyone taking turns opening a gift, which both gave the person opening and the gift giver adequate focus to more fully enjoy the excitement of the gift. My wife thought this was too long of a process, and that everyone gets bored too quickly. Well, she grew up with everyone getting a gift from under the tree, then all opening together. To her this was more exciting because of the energy and commotion of everyone unwrapping at the same time, shouting their excitement and saying thank you along the way.” Both ways are meaningful in different ways. When does your family open presents?

When do you take Christmas decorations down?

1. The day after Christmas
2. Leave them up for a few more weeks?
3. What, take them down...why would I do that?

Christmas is such a special time of year, it’s hard for some to take their decorations down because it’s like giving up the special feelings that come with Christmas time. For others, they have had their fill of Christmas decorations and really really need a change of scenery. Again, both are just a personal preference thing. But whatever your preference, we hope you’ll remember to keep the Christmas spirit going year-round. We would love to hear your answers to any or all of the above questions! Be sure to share your favorite questions on Facebook or Twitter page, and include #mynativity in your post.