Last Friday was our annual “Tree Day”. We went out to lunch and then to pick out our Christmas tree. We found it rather quickly when this beauty presented itself.
It was unanimous that this was “the one”.
The rest of the day went as it usually does on Tree Day -
-Jeff put the tree in the stand.
-We rearranged the furniture slightly so that the tree would fit.
-Jeff started on the lights while I started preparing Tree Day Snacks in the kitchen – cheese ball & crackers, ranch oyster crackers, Chex Mix, Chex Buddies, and Christmas tree cookies.
-We ate said snacks while watching a short Christmas movie.
-By this time, Robert (22) had arrived to help trim the tree, so we did so.
-When it was all beautifull (and I do mean full!), we drank hot chocolate and enjoyed the tree, before getting the littles and middles off to bed.
-End of story, right?
Wrong!!!
The next morning, I was in another room, when I heard THE CRASH . . . followed by a blur running past me. Upon inspection, the Christmas tree was found laying flat on the ground, quite forlorn, in a pile of broken glass and ornaments. Jeff quickly stood it back up, but not before a bit of water and sap soaked the carpet (as well as one of the only two presents I had gotten wrapped the night before, which needed emergency rewrapping!)
Now who was responsible for this fiasco? In case you haven’t already guessed, here’s a clue:
Yes, none other than Macey – Sarah’s frisky, mischievious kitten, who had been trying to climb up the tree from the inside, causing it to topple and fall. Don’t let that innocent little face fool you! Inside beats the heart of a wild hunter cat!
We got busy cleaning up the mess and assessing the damage. The tree was fine, but quite a few ornaments didn’t survive. Thankfully, we didn’t lose any of the children’s baby ornaments, although we did lose a couple of glass balls that we bought the year before we were married (25 yrs. ago), my “It’s a Wonderful Life” ball, and my “Short Sugars” (restaurant) ball from my grandmother’s hometown.
The children were excited because, now, they would get to decorate all over again! After straightening the tree, and putting a concrete block on the back to weigh it down, we gave them the go-ahead to start trimming the tree again (minus the cheese ball and snacks!).
David was especially fond of the step stool and would scream whenever someone else tried to use it! He is also somewhat of a challenge with the tree, as he thinks the balls are like ordinary balls and can be tossed around!
So far the tree is holding – in spite of a few more attacks by “the wild one”. Hopefully, it will survive the rest of the season. I’m not so sure about the packages, though, with all of those enticing ribbons! It’s more temptation than one little kitty can handle!
Blessings,
Nancy
December 4, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Oh my goodness! Your kitten looks just like mine. They must be about the same age. We have a small fake Christmas tree and I told everyone that it was just like having a baby so no glass ornaments went up. She hasn’t brought it down yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
You should take a look at my picture of our “wild one” kitten
http://realworldmartha.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/wild-thing-i-think-i-love-you/
December 4, 2007 at 6:38 pm
This is so funny. A few years ago, our tree fell the day after on top of me and we don’t have a wild little kitty to run up the trunk. The kids were so excited to be able to redecorate after we anchored it to the wall. And sadly I lost a few ornaments that were my favorite, but they are just things. So I can relate to this. Good luck with keeping it up and the packages wrapped.
December 5, 2007 at 11:33 am
This has happened to us once or forty times … LOL!! We now tie our tree up with fishing line.
)
December 7, 2007 at 10:03 am
What fun! I’m sure we’ll have lots of the same, if I ever get around to decorating. I’ve enjoyed reading about your life, my sister-in-law shared your blog address when she heard I was starting my own. If you so desire, let me know what you think. Maybe the years of Precepts and my sedentary lifestyle have finally come together for some good – God willing.
considerjesus.wordpress.com I love you, Nancy! In Him, Michelle:)
December 8, 2007 at 1:38 am
Michelle!! – I’m so glad to hear from you! I only had time to briefly check out your site today, but it looks great! I could see your teacher’s heart all over it. I look forward to spending more time reading in the days to come -ah, those wonderful Precept lessons! Say hello to your family for us!
Love,
Nancy