November 24th, 2025

Well, the tree is up, yahoo!    Obviously, it's an artificial tree which is one of those good/bad things.  Good because it's so easy to put up, comparatively, and because it's only paid for once, not every year.  Also no pine sprills everywhere. Oh!  And it does not need to be watered.  All good things.  The bad?  Well, it certainly doesn't smell as nice.  On the other hand, it costs less. A LOT less.  Real trees are crazy expensive, at least around here.  They real trees also don't last very long hereabouts. I think they are trucked down from Georgia and by the time somebody buys one, it's already deceased and starting the slow road to decomposition. If there are still any pine needles on it on Christmas day, it's a big win.  Probably the biggest negative is that it looks fake.  Come on, they do. Even the nicest most expensive fake tree in the world, still looks fake.  And believe me, this is not the  most expensive by a long shot.

But as I say, it's up.  Tim rearranged the family room, before hauling the box-0-tree out of the utility room.  He assembled it and then together we had to hunt up the box that holds the ornaments. Every year I swear I'm going to label the bins and then every year I don't.   Wyatt helped by staying out of the way; he does not trust change easily and we knew he would only gradually accept the furniture rearrangement and introduction of something new (the tree).  It took him an hour or so of sniffing and prowling and investigating to relax.   Brysco, on the other hand, jumped directly into the fray.  He stood in the bin, sniffing things and gently pawing around looking for........ well I actually don't know what he was looking for but he didn't hurt anything and perhaps was only curious.  As it was, he watched every single ornament go on the tree, sometimes from various different perspectives on the floor, other times from chairs or windowsills, but he carefully watched.

I ran out of enthusiasm and energy before all of the ornaments in the bin were on the tree but boldly, when I got too tired, I declared it decorated and then realized that I had no idea where the tree skirt was. Last year I very carefully folded it and put it away somewhere, safely.  I wonder where? Dang.  I truly was not up for another scavenger hunt through bins so at the last minute decided to use one of the quilts that Joy made for me (the Winter Quilt as a matter of fact!) instead of an official tree skirt and actually, I like it. I like it a lot!  Perhaps this is my new official "tree skirt".  

I know tree skirts are not essential to the process, but if there is one thing that makes a fake tree look more fake than anything, it's the stand so that baby needs to be covered so we can secure the illusion.  The kittyboys strongly approve of the quilt and have spent a great deal of time already nestled into the quilt, snoozing.  Last night Brysco managed to get under the quilt creating a little kitty-sized bump under the tree.  Wyatt, of course, had to investigate the bump and a wrestling match of mythic proportions ensued.  But the tree did not fall down, nobody got hurt and all is well.  

The cats have been pretty good so far regarding ornaments. The first night they managed to remove 4 ornaments, unbreakable ones, which I cleverly put down low specifically for them to have fun tormenting.  But that's it.  When we got up this morning, nothing at all had been disturbed.  Wow!  Impressive. Especially when compared to their first Christmas.  That was wild.

I did manage to put the wreath on the front door but that's as far as decorating has come along.  Eventually, perhaps, I will explore more bins and, if I get into a hollyjolly frame of mind, there could be little signs of Christmas throughout the house, sometimes in the most unexpected places.  OR this could be it. OR something in between.  Who knows?  

I think it might be a good idea to do it little by little, partly to assuage poor Wyatt, who for all his amazing hunting instincts and acumen, is terrified by pretty much everything and everyone except us.  He has trust issues.  Another part might be to ease us into the holiday, little by little, conserve energy. Which sounds like a good idea.    The last, and most important part, is to see just how disciplined Brysco (and Wyatt once he stops being scared) are about leaving things alone, particularly breakable things.  If I introduced something that they simply cannot resist attempting to play with/destoy, then that one thing can go right back into it's bin and I will replace it with something else. Frankly we have more Christmas Stuff than we have room to display stuff at this point so there's no issue with a rotation system I reckon

We did what we always do after the tree is up.  Once it's dark, we turn off house lights and turn on the tree lights and just  kind of sit mesmerized staring at it.  The kittyboys sat right there with us, also starring, hypnotized by the lights and the magic Christmassy festivity of it all. Well Wyatt was wowed by it.  I suspect that Brysco was sizing it up and plotting.

I believe this is the 3rd or maybe even 4th time since we moved to Florida that I've put up the tree before the beginning of December.  I couldn't tell you why I'm doing it this way these days, but it feels right.  I used to be very strict about dealing with One Holiday At A Dang Time, Please!  I would have thought I lost my mind if the tree went up before Thanksgiving!  But I'm a lot less rigid now that I'm retired.  These days I adhere to that '2 rules' survival technique.  You know the one, Rule #1, don't sweat the small stuff and Rule #2, it's all small stuff.

Christmas is a specific time of year, true, but the spirit of Christmas, that should be a 24/7-365 deal.  I'm invoking the Spirit of Christmas if you need a reason as to why we've put up the tree this early once again.  But I suppose, in actual fact, the real and true reason as to the why of it, is just coz I felt like it.   Just Because.  And as my Mother used to say, 'Just Because is the best reason in the world".

Anyway, I wish you all a Terrific Start to your Holiday Seasons, regardless of when yours gets underway - if you celebrate at all.

​Hugs all 'round