Ahhh, Christmas, my favorite time of the year. Not really but I do try to get into the Christmas spirit. I’ve done pretty well this year with getting the decorations up. I have a system for the outside lights that don’t require a ladder, so I can do all of it myself. (I just need to remember that the newer lights are not compatible with the older ones and will blow a fuse as soon as they are plugged in together.)  I’ve done 100% of my Christmas shopping on Amazon so far this year. Easy and cash back!

I decided to get a jump on my Christmas decorations this year. Usually, it is well into December before I get my Christmas tree up. When my older kids were little, my daughter’s December 10th birthday was the time we put up the tree.  I don’t think the holiday season started as early then as it does now. I don’t remember seeing Christmas trees in the stores in October. Or maybe it’s just me and I’m a procrastinator.

I hauled my pre-lit tree (the only way I’ll ever have a tree) up from the basement and much to my delight, when I plugged it in, all the lights lit up. This tree is about five years old, so I’m thinking anytime the lights will go out. I like to really decorate my tree. I have Santa Clause ornaments and sentimental ornaments and flowers and ribbons and garland. But I learned last year with my smaller fur kids that putting anything on the tree was a risk. So I settled for putting my nicer ornaments on the top two-thirds of the tree and just some less breakable ornaments on the bottom. Occasionally, I hear one hit the floor and being chased around the house. The Great Hunter’s contribution to decorating is to carry the totes up and down the stairs.

I turned the tree on this morning when I got up and the lights worked fine. About ten minutes later though, all the lights were out. Oh no! And, of course, under the tree was Baby Kitty, looking all cute and innocent.

Lord knows I love my animals but sometimes they are a pain in the you-know-what. Last year the cats managed to bend down many of the lower branches of the tree while climbing it. As I was down on the floor trying to figure out why the tree was no longer lit, I decided I’d tie up some of the drooping limbs. In our house, you don’t get on the floor except for one reason: playing with Millie. So as I’m lying on the floor trying to reach under the tree to the drooping limb with a length of cord, all 100 pounds of Millie is trying to lay on me and get me to acknowledge her. Of course, Baby Kitty thinks the cord is for her to play with and starts tugging on it. Sigh. God grant me patience to endure my blessings.

Luckily, the unlit tree was a minor fix. Somehow the extension cord beneath the tree skirt had come unplugged. I won’t tell you who I think was responsible for that.