Every year, when we put up the tree, we make sure that any ornaments put on the bottom branches are the type that can handle being batted wildly, yanked off the tree, carried around in toothy mouths, or chewed on; in other words, any ornaments hung within paw reach have to be able to stand up to cats. The working theory behind this is that if the cats can easily get to the stuff that is soft, nonbreakable, and, most important of all, have minimal sentimental value. And every year, considering that the only ornaments that ‘escape’ the tree (with feline help) or get a little shredded, fit this category nicely.

This morning, as I walked past the tree, I discovered the first casualty of this holiday season. One of the ornaments we hung on the tree this year was a little teddy bear, made of pom poms and soft fuzzy stuff. Not only had it been removed from the tree and played with, it had been shredded almost beyond recognition. Naturally, once I stopped laughing, I had to show Richard the fluffy pom pom carnage, before I scooped up the mess and threw it away. Some cat (and I strongly suspect a certain portly tortie known for her skills in shredding) had one heck of a lot of fun last night.

This afternoon I packed up my knitting and headed off to Vacaville for one of my monthly knitting groups. There was a smaller crowd of this this month, I suspect due to the fact that the bulk of the group is probably spending all weekend doing frantic last minute Christmas preparations. I started and ripped out two separate projects several times before finally settling on a cute little lace snowflake, which I was able to whip up by the time the gathering was done. Then it was off to a friend’s house to ooh and aah over all the gorgeous work she’s been doing on her house since I last saw it, and then off to Davis, to meet up with my parents for dinner and the swapping of presents. Richard spent pretty much all day on his computer, grumbling at a work thing, but luckily he finished in time to join us for dinner. We sat around the table and ate Mexican food and chatted and caught up on absent family members, and then presents were exchanged and opened. One of the things I wanted, now that we’ve got a shiny new kitchen, was a wok, so my parents got one for me, along with the necessary utensils. I’m looking forward to trying it out (although likely that won’t happen until after Christmas, when things calm down and we can make the necessary grocery run to stock up on ingredients.

Back home, we finally got the annual Christmas letter finished and printed, and then Richard and I sat in the living room and folded and signed and stuffed the first batch of Christmas cards. I realize, of course, that the chances of any of these cards actually arriving *before* Christmas are pretty much nil, but if we can at least get them postmarked before Christmas, I’ll consider it a win.

Tis the season for Holidailies!