Tree Cat

What is it about cats and Christmas trees?

Within seconds of setting up the tree in our family room, our cat Basil had firmly planted himself underneath it. And there he sits most of the day.

I don't know what he's doing. Waiting for Santa Claus? Maybe he thinks he's in the great outdoors and is just enjoying the fresh air and nature. Apparently he hasn't figured out that our tree is a fake one.

When Basil was a kitten, we would set up a real tree each Christmas and he would chew on the branches. His litterbox was always very interesting that time of year, with bits of green needles and silver tinsel mixed together in his waste.

The kids think he's cute, sitting there under the tree and stubbornly refusing to come out for anything but his own basic needs. I suspect that he believes the tree is a present for him, one big pine-scented cat toy that we've placed in the house solely for his amusement.

Let There Be Lights

For the first time ever, I got my Christmas lights up before Thanksgiving. I took advantage of a windless, sunny day, with the temperature near 50, to climb around on the roof.

First, though, I had to go to the store for new lights. Grrrr. 3 out of 5 of last year's lights wouldn't work when I pulled them out of the Christmas boxes. Why do I even bother storing them? At $5 or $6, I could just toss them each January and buy all new ones the next holiday for less than $50.

I'm supposed to be encouraging my kids to recycle and re-use. We live in such a throwaway society that it pains me to buy products that aren't designed to last more than a couple of months.

What do I do, not put up lights? It just wouldn't be Christmas if I couldn't be the Clark W. Griswold of my neighborhood. I love the festive aspect of the holidays, as nature hibernates and our surroundings turn gray. A little bit of color gets me through the winter months a little easier.

Besides, my house likes to party in December. It demands to be lit up, all twinkly with blues, greens, and reds, fake icicles and snowflakes dangling from the eaves. It wants the inflatable snowman out front. Well, actually, I think it really wants the inflatable Santa on a Harley, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.