It’s the most wonderful time of the year over here at the TQS World Headquarters! The hap-hap-happiest season of all. We’ve had parties for hosting, marshmallows for roasting*, and caroling out in the snow.** There were scary ghost stories*** and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.****

You may be thinking to yourself, “Wow, they sure were busy – did they have time to answer a highly anonymous survey regarding their favorite things about the holidays?!” Luckily for you, we sure did.

* We haven’t actually done that. On a semi-related note, Dawn did bring in some cookies the other day.
** We haven’t actually done that, either.
*** Nope, didn’t do that.
**** We sort of did that? But not really.

Q1. What is your name?

Chris: Bill

Steve: Steve

Tyler: T-Money

Emily: Emily

Dawn: Dawn – Some call me Dawna, Madawna and Dawnzo to name a few.

Q2. What is your favorite TQS holiday decoration?

Chris: The paper snow flakes. All of them. It’s hard to pick a favorite, since each of them is special in its own way.

Steve: The string of lights that connects the front of the office with the back of the office. We had a name for it, but it slips my mind at the moment. My second choice, unsolicited, is the holiday inflatable penguin. He’s both welcoming and buoyant, which make for great qualities in a holiday inflatable penguin.

Tyler: Rocket Santa for sure.

Emily: The inflatable penguin. His arms are so tiny, yet he seems totally unaffected by it. He holds them outstretched, ready to spread holiday cheer in the form of a hug even though there’s no way his arms are long enough to wrap around anyone. He is a symbol of strength in overcoming adversity.

Dawn: The scary wooden squirrel on the tree. At least I think it’s a squirrel. That would make sense.

Q3. Tell me about a Christmas gift you received once.

Chris: Hmmm… tough to choose. I’ve never met a gift I didn’t like… especially if it’s a horse. Though I’ve never actually received a horse as a gift. Now that I’m thinking about it, a horse might be a gift I wouldn’t want… seems like it would be a lot of work.

Steve: The Aladdin video game for Sega Genesis. I received it only once, which was the only quality designated for this question/response. Aside from that, it was an invigorating game. The graphics and soundtrack are second to none. Except Sonic the Hedgehog.

Tyler: I used to get deodorant, toothpaste, and gum in bulk every year. (Editor’s note: Very bold of Tyler to answer this question, which asked about a Christmas gift he received once, with a Christmas gift he received every year. Very bold, indeed.)

Emily: I once received a Norman Cherner pretzel chair, which continues to add a lovely balance of both sculpture and function to my living room. It was very exciting.

Dawn: I would have to say my engagement ring, since I waited 12 years for it! Hahaha! We take our time with things in our household. Why rush?

Q4. Does your family partake in any unusual holiday traditions (past or present)?

Chris: Nope. We have no unusual traditions…. which might be unusual. Or, it might not. So, we’re probably just boring.

Steve: We have, in the past, decorated holiday cookies while listening to rap music. Like, legit rap music, with swear words and everything — the kind of swear words you likely wouldn’t say in front of your mother. It was nice.

Tyler: Growing up, gifts from Santa were never wrapped. I woke up and walked into a wall of toys and games. My parents claimed this was because Santa was too busy to wrap them. This didn’t align with everyone else’s Santa and one year I requested that Santa wrap the gifts. About 1/4 of them were wrapped with a note from Santa saying he got tired. (Editor’s note: Very bold of Tyler to answer this question, which asked about a holiday tradition, with something that happened only once. Very bold, indeed.)

Emily: My mom used to have this festive centerpiece that had a decorative trumpet in it. Every year, my uncles would pass the centerpiece around before eating dinner in a competition of who could make the trumpet sound. I think it got moldy from all the spit trapped inside and my mom eventually threw it out.

Dawn: My brother and I always compete on who gets my parents the best gifts. We are looking for laughter, screaming, shouting and tears of joy.

Q5. What is the best Christmas cookie?

Chris: The one with the sprinkles.

Steve: Peanut blossoms. My grandmother, may she rest in peace, had another name for them NSFW.

Tyler: Anything with white chocolate and peppermint.

Emily: My sister-in-law makes the best Christmas cookies. My favorites have to be her pecan tassies because they’re like tiny pecan pies, or her creme de menthe bars because they’re like giant Andes mints. I like the rest of her cookies, too, but they’re all regular sized things and I guess my criteria is “not the size they were intended to be.”

Dawn: Ricotta – which is pronounced (ri-kot-uh).

Q6. Is Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney a good song?

Chris: Undecided

Steve: Yes

Tyler: Yes

Emily: Undecided

Dawn: Undecided

And with that, a very Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.