O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree.....

Your branches are in danger....

We have always tried to put our Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving, mostly because I can't wait another day to have Christmas in the house. But this year we didn't get it quite done on Friday, so Saturday night found Caleb and me working on assembling the little tree I bought last season.

Little did we know what a complete waste of time it would turn out to be! It's been years since I had kittens at Christmas. Poppy, our family cat, has long since become too, er, robust to even think about hoisting herself into a tree. Our ornaments have hung unmolested for years. Until now.


Actually, I didn't even bother to put the ornaments on. After a few days, I didn't even bother to put the branches back on. Clearly I would have to try a different approach. Phase one was to buy a tiny tree from the thrift store, one with branches already attached to the "trunk". That became our living room tree, one that will be decorated minutes before my annual ornament exchange party, then consigned to its fate after the event.

Phase two was to move up a room switch planned for after the holidays. Once I was in my (bigger) new room, I'd be able to put the family tree up and shut the door. Little by little, I got the room painted and ready; I was able to pick up a very nice used tree for $20 , and this weekend, I finally got it finished--not without repeated assaults by felines delighted at this evidence of belated wisdom on my part.

Why had their human never thought to provide them an indoor tree before? Hobbes especially thought it the cat's meow, because he doesn't much like the outdoors. Too much.....NATURE! But nice tame indoor trees? He approves. So much so, that as I sit in my room, gazing at my tree, the door safely shut, I often see a little cream-tipped paw raking underneath, trying to claw its way in.

Not that he's the only tree hugger in the group. Lazarus Boopsie likes to play king of the mountain, and Tinkerbell launches constant surprise assaults on the ornaments. None of them have been allowed in since the whole tree got decorated, but Hobbes did sneak in once. He managed to knock several pieces off before we snagged his indignant body from the tree and carried him out complaining like an Occupy Wall Street protester.


Occupy the Christmas tree!