Christmas Countdown!

[BlueBard]

Okay, let's lighten things up!

As of today it is twelve days until Christmas.  How are you spending your Christmas Countdown time?

Right now I'm listening to continuous streaming Christmas music on my laptop as I work.  (Eartha Kitt singing 'Santa Baby', to be exact)

Last night I put the lights on the tree.  My little one really likes watching it... it's his 2nd Christmas and the first one he has an awareness of what's going on.

Speaking of the tree, our cat has been trying to chew on the artificial tree.  We're afraid she'll start chewing on the lights.  Anyone have any ideas how to discourage that?  Aside from electrocution, that is.

[captainspud]

I'm finishing up my Secret Santa present, as should everybody else be. ;)

[Raptor]

We got our tree and decorations set up a little over a week ago.  Our little one is due to say hello to the world in February, so I can't help to imagine the baby's future Christmases. 

Other than a couple of incidents with psycho-kitty (aptly named Lucifer), the animals have behaved fairly well with regards to the tree.  He doesn't so much chew on the tree as CLIMB it.  The other day I noticed the tree shaking slightly and upon closer inspection found him inside the tree 2 feet off the ground and getting comfortable on the branches!

At least that's better than last year when, soon after putting the tree itself up, he decided he MUST be in the center of it and lept 3 feet off the floor and grabbed onto the branches halfway up the tree.  Well, as you can imagine, the tree didn't like being manhandled (kittyhandled?) in this manner and decided to teach yon kitty a lesson by falling on him.  Luckily we hadn't put any ornaments on it yet so we just stood it back up and proceeded to decorate it. 

[Uncle Yuan]

In addition to TRYING to crank out some gifts, I have been TRYING to get going on the baking.  I pick up the Yuanling tonight, so the tree will go up this weekend, as well as some concerted shopping.  I'm hoping we can institute a "nothing new" Christmas policy this year.  There is already too much -stuff- flying around the world, we'd like to try and do our part to reduce the crazy consumption that always flares around this time of year.  Plus, my sister is an avid thrift and consignment store shopper and she always finds fabulous gifts for everybody.  We'll have to see how it goes.

Minneapolis has had pretty stinkin' cold weather the last couple of weeks - single digits above/below every night for the last two plus weeks.  Which means the 8 inches of snow we got around Thanksgiving is still very much intact.  We're planning on taking the exchange-Yuanling sledding this week end, something he's never done.

[stumpy]

Uh oh. Twelve days means that I am actually going to have to think about some presents if I want the option of ordering them online. Yikes!  :ph34r:

BTW, I've never tried this on a tree, but cats hate stuff that sticks to their paws. I trained a cat not to jump on the counters by keeping them covered in upside-down contact paper for a week or two. Seems like if you could do streamers made of tape on the tree or something similar for a few days, maybe kitty would get the idea...  :unsure:

[BlueBard]

Uh oh. Twelve days means that I am actually going to have to think about some presents if I want the option of ordering them online. Yikes!  :ph34r:

BTW, I've never tried this on a tree, but cats hate stuff that sticks to their paws. I trained a cat not to jump on the counters by keeping them covered in upside-down contact paper for a week or two. Seems like if you could do streamers made of tape on the tree or something similar for a few days, maybe kitty would get the idea...  :unsure:

Hate to break it to you, Stumpy, but as of today it is Eleven days.  You're probably already too late for standard shipping options.  Now it starts to really cost you.  :shock2:

As for the tape, since the problem is that she's chewing on the tree more than jumping on it I'd be afraid to try it.  She might eat the tape and that's a whole 'nother problem.

We were hoping to get out to see the county Lightfest tonight, but I got no sleep last night and I'd be afraid to try driving it.  On the plus side, I had hot savory soup with fresh bread for lunch today.  If not exactly a Christmasy-type meal, it's darned appropriate for our Michigan wintery weather and likely a few other places too.  My coffee this morning was flavored with vanilla spiced rum creamer... does that count as Christmasy?

[Alaric]

BTW, I've never tried this on a tree, but cats hate stuff that sticks to their paws. I trained a cat not to jump on the counters by keeping them covered in upside-down contact paper for a week or two. Seems like if you could do streamers made of tape on the tree or something similar for a few days, maybe kitty would get the idea...  :unsure:

As for the tape, since the problem is that she's chewing on the tree more than jumping on it I'd be afraid to try it.  She might eat the tape and that's a whole 'nother problem.

I had a cat who liked to climb the Christmas tree... I used to put the vacuum cleaner attachments around the tree in a circle. She was afraid of the vacuum cleaner, and would leave the tree alone if she had to get near even a piece of the vacuum cleaner to get to it. Of course, it looked a little strange. Also, while most cats are afraid of vacuum cleaners while they're actually turned on, very few are worried, as this cat was, by inert pieces of vacuum cleaner.

[El Condor]

Extracting a ferret from the tree is even bigger fun.  ;)

[Uncle Yuan]

Extracting a ferret from the tree is even bigger fun.  ;)

LOL - a ferret's natural habitat!

[Cardmaster]

My family lost my uncle's pet chameleon in our Christmas Tree once...

We, uh, never actually found it...


....

[DMenacer]

I heard a new Christmas song the other day thats sung to the tune of "I love Rock and Roll"

I love Santa Claus,
he comes over every Christmas Eve.
I love Santa Claus,
he brings me all my toys for free.