Monday Madness

It's time now for Monday Madness! I love the holiday themed questions lately... :)

1) Which holiday do you celebrate this time of year? I celebrate Christmas, in a secular way.
2) Do you begin shopping for gifts earlier than Thanksgiving, looking for the perfect gift? If not, when do you begin? Yes and no. If anyone is getting a gift, I get it when I see it, if it's before Thanksgiving, then great. I try to stay away from shops and retail stores after Thanksgiving.
3) Do you only purchase gifts that you know are perfect for the recipient and if you don't find that gift, do you just get anything? I would never just get anything, that's a waste and a bit of an insult, IMO. It's now a tradition in my family NOT to get gifts and get all caught up in the consumerism that Christmas has turned into. Buy a gift at a random time of year, and really surprise them -- that's more thoughtful.
4) Did you receive or give any "obligatory" gifts this year? Only for the Santa Exchange we had for the teachers at school. And it's a gift I can't use. :(
5) Do you decorate your tree as evenly as possible or do you skip the areas that are not visible? We don't have a tree this year, since we are living in Bangkok and are trying not to buy too much stuff since we're moving back to CA next year. Next year, I will try to decorate the tree evenly! :)
6) Do you like multi-colors on your tree or do you prefer monochrome? Multicolor. I love colors.
7) Did you bake "traditional" cookies, frost them and decorate them? or did you cheat and buy the ready to bake kind? I would never cheat. I love the traditional homemade kind. My mother even did cookie exchanges when I was a girl and we had so many different kinds. I'd love to do that when I move back. Russian teacakes are my favorite Christmas cookie.
8) Are you the host of a holiday gathering? which one? family, work, friends? Not yet. And when I move back, I don't know that I will be living in an apartment with not the most amount of space. So, I HOPE I can host a holiday, just don't know yet.
9) With whom do you spend the holiday? Husband, friends and when we move back, my family.
10) How did the holiday turn out? Perfectly? funny mishaps? miss anyone? It turned out to be great fun. Scroll down for pictures and a description of all the fun we had with my co-workers. I did miss my family, though, but I did get to talk to them that night.