Do you enjoy the cold weather and snow for the holidays?
Yes, I like bundling up in scarves and sweaters. I don’t like so much that my apartment is unheatable. Also where I live it does not ever snow, or even freeze, so I miss that. Growing up in Seattle, I remember no white xmases — it usually snowed in January and February if it did at all.

What is your ideal holiday celebration? How, where, with whom would you celebrate to make things perfect?
Well, there is no such thing as perfection, but for me a “perfect” holiday exists in the future, when I own a house, when I’m married, when I have little kids to buy presents for, and when my whole family can be there, all together. That would be great. We could have hot chocolate and waffles!

Do you do have any holiday traditions?
Not anymore, but when I was a kid, the tradition was to open one present on xmas eve before bed, then in the morning open gifts from under the tree, then around midday drive over to Aunt Linda’s house for football on TV and dinner and more present opening. We would then finish up the night with board games. Sigh. This varied a few times (once we went to Baker, OR for Christmas), but mostly I remember going to Linda’s or to Linda’s parents’ house in Queen Anne.

Do you do anything to help the needy?
Mostly through donation of goods and clothes. Last summer I donated about six or seven bags of clothes to Goodwill. I don’t know if this counts, but I have also volunteered my time to help sick cats at the animal shelter. And next Monday a bunch of us from work are volunteering to sort toys for homeless kids at a shelter on 6th street.

What one gift would you like for yourself?
Fantasy gift: a new car! (Hybrid Honda Civic.)
Realistic gift: a full set of extremely good cookware, or a nice new food processor.
More realistic gift: TiVo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!