This past Sunday, we made the decision to get our Christmas tree. We like to get a real tree from the farmer’s market. We have been getting our tree there for the last several years; they are just the nicest trees we have found anywhere.
We have a small space to put the tree, so it has to be just the right size. This year we found a beautiful Frazier Fir. The place that we always put our Christmas tree has been occupied since July by two large cat towers that I bought for our three kittens.
The kitties enjoy being in the house when we are home, so those carpet covered towers are a must to keep them off of the furniture; I had to get a second one when they got so big that they wouldn’t all fit on the first one anymore.
Since the tree sits in the corner, I had to put the cat towers pretty close on either side of it. There really isn’t a good place to put them. Especially for that reason, we decided that we would wait a week before we put any decorations on the tree.
When we brought the tree into the house, the kitties were curious but really didn’t seem too impressed that there was a tree in their corner. I figured that wouldn’t last very long. Later that evening, I decided to work on getting our yard art ready to put out.
We have some Christmas trees made completely from strings of lights. Two trees are 5 feet tall and one is 6 feet tall; they are different colors and they all twinkle. These trees seemed to interest the cats more than the real tree, even before I plugged them in!
The kitties lack of interest in the real tree made me decide to put the lights on the tree on Monday evening; they found that to be much more interesting than just a plain ole fir tree. They lounged in their towers watching me, and taking occasional swipes at me as I walked around the tree stringing the lights.
They got pretty excited and started wrestling with each other. I was sure there was going to be a show, but all in all, they were only slightly more curious about the tree. Apparently, the most fascinating thing for them was me putting water in the base. All three of them find running water irresistible.
Tuesday afternoon I put the three outside trees in the front yard. That interested the kittens very much. They seem to be smarter than I expect 9 month old kittens to be. They rarely ever climb the pine trees in our yard; they prefer the pecan trees. I’m guessing the sap of the pine trees is unpleasant for them. These twinkling lights, though, were totally new for them.
Feeling confident, I decided we should put the decorations on our tree. Most of the ornaments that I have collected over the years are glass or special in some way so I bought some plastic ones this year.
As my husband and I started putting ornaments on the tree, the 3 kittens took up their places on the cat towers to watch. Christmas music was playing in the background and the shiny things going onto the tree were almost too much to for them to take. Anything that had bells on it was irresistible.
They got scolded a few times, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised at how well behaved they were. I had more problems with Malibu when she was a kitten than I’ve had so far with these three.
Having said that, though, I am waiting until next week before I put the nativity out in the front yard. It’s a really pretty set that is made of cloth stretched over a wire frame, and is lighted. It is slightly delicate, and has trouble standing against strong winds.
The first year I put it out, we only had our new pound puppies for 6 months. I was so pleased with how beautiful it looks (almost like it was alive). When I got home from work the next day, I found it knocked over and Mary had obviously been chewed on, and baby Jesus’ head had to be fastened back on. Needless to say, I was not happy. Both dogs got a severe scolding. It was not touched since then.
I have a bad feeling about the kittens wanting to climb this nativity. I hope I am wrong. I’ll be sure to let you know what happens.
Psalms 127:3 Children are a gift from the lord; they are a reward from him.
