Come play along with us at Joyce’s blog, From This Side of the Pond.

1. Share your traditions surrounding the Christmas stocking.

Always an orange and always gold foil chocolate coins. ALWAYS. When I was a kid, it’d include toys, but as I got older and as an adult (my parents still did my stocking until my Mom passed away) it would include toiletries and perfume. I still have my stocking from when I was a child…a bit frayed around the edges, but perfectly usable!

2. How many hours of sleep do you average at night? Is it enough?

Oh man! Used to be I got a full 8 hours. Then I met Dave. Who gets up at 430 AM, Monday-Friday. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t normally hear the alarm (he lets it go three times), but I asked him to say bye to me when he leaves (usually around 5 or so) and that wakes me up. Sometimes, I’ll go back to sleep if I’m lucky Usually, I just get up, feed the dog, make some coffee and watch the tv show that was recorded the night before or is viewable On Demand (that would include Dexter, Homeland, Boardwalk Empire, Nurse Jackie, Shameless, True Blood, Treme, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family & The Big Band Theory.)

3. If you had to give up one thing for the remainder of this year what would it be?

Oh, OVEREATING! Would that I COULD give this up!!! Please, please, Lord, help me be strong.

4. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (or Wills and Kate as I like to call them) have announced they’re expecting a baby. Do you follow news of the Royals?

LOL, it’s hard not to, since it’s a topic on the morning news (which I generally turn on for 15 minutes just to make sure all is mostly well in the world).

5. For me, the sound of childhood is waves crashing on the beach, seagulls squawking, people talking, radios playing.

6. Fruit cake-yay or boo? What’s your favorite dessert made with fruit?

Fruitcake’s ok…I prefer my family’s plum pudding, which is pretty similar to fruitcake. But my fav dessert made with fruit is a toss up between apple crisp and pineapple upside-down cake and coconut cake (is coconut a fruit or a nut?). YUM! See #3.

7. What is one thing you want to accomplish before 2012 comes to an end?

Cleaning out the storage unit and getting rid of that monthly expense.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m hoping I can get tickets to the Boston Pops Holiday concert at a discount. Crossing my fingers! Also, this isn’t really true about me, but it cracks me up nonetheless!