Holiday gift procurement is nearing completion. My kids’ Santa list is pretty much done. The Mister’s gift has been ordered and on-time delivery promised. I still have to finish a couple of handmade presents, and ship a few items to my ‘rents, but for the most part, I’m done, or at least see the twinkling lights at the end of the tunnel.
What we don’t have is decorations. No tree, no holiday knick-knacks, no Advent calendar or candles. There is an inflatable, glowing Rudolph in the front yard, but he is a little lonely and a smidge pathetic.
It’s not that we are lacking holiday spirit. It’s not that we are lacking anything. What we have is an overabundance of Tannenbaum terrorists.
Last year, we had only one cat, Issy. She stayed in the boughs of our Christmas tree from the moment we put it up, until we took it down. Every morning there were ornaments strewn over the living room floor where she batted the shiny baubles off limbs then played with them like captured prey.
This season, we have three cats. Three cats who have already proved their prowess at climbing, and knocking anything and everything off shelves, counters, bookcases, tops of appliances (think: refrigerator) and fireplace mantle.
It’s exhausting to think about how destructive they would be with a fully laden Christmas tree.
I suggested to the Mister that we buy a live tree to set up outside, decorated with weather-resistant ornaments. He compromised with the blow-up reindeer. I guess I take what I can get.
If I were a braver woman, I would put those furry Grinches in holiday sweaters and make them be my living Christmas decorations.
“When my cats aren’t happy, I’m not happy. Not because I care about their mood but because I know they’re just sitting there thinking up ways to get even.” ~ Percy Bysshe Shelley
This week’s word is:
Cat
What to do:
Using “cat” for inspiration, write 100 Words – 100 exactly – no more, no less. You can either use the word – or any form of the word – as one of your 100, or it can be implied. Include a link in your post back here, and add your story to the Mister Linky list. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your submission in the comment section, or as a Facebook status post. Remember to keep spreading the love with supportive comments for your fellow Wordsters.
Thin spiral notebook 
Here’s one I’ve put on my webpage with a link back here (if you check it out there you can see a photo of my cat, sort of!):
I am the underground cat.
I slink along the tube. My eyes, flashing in Stygian dark, startle drivers.
I seek comfort from travellers’ ankles. In rush-hour, they barely notice; but at night they perceive flashes of topaz in the tunnel black, then feel sleekness spiral their legs and shiver.
I am not really here. I am as insubstantial as the suck and rush of air, the squeal and moan along the tracks.
Munching on ghostly rats, I’ve been lost down here a hundred years, looking for the way above the ground, where my spirit can finally dissolve into starlight.
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Here’s one I prepared earlier, for International Cat Day, about my cat Abby. She’s getting on a bit now, which is all the more reason to celebrate her.
Nine Lives
She is a seashell, a tabby nautilus.
She is a tiger prowling the Cheshire plain for prey.
She is a hot-water bottle smack in the middle of the bed.
She is a rescue cat who worries when we fetch the suitcases.
She is a kitten chasing spots of light, dust motes and her own tail.
She is a cottage loaf baking herself on a sun-warmed flagstone.
She is a sphinx, omniscient behind green sequin slits.
She is a destroyer of curtain-bottoms and sofa-backs.
She is a lap-weight opposed to all movement.
She is always herself.
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This was lovely! Your cat sounds a lot like mine. Aren’t Rescues the best pets?
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They are! We got Abby when she was about 8 and she’s 17 now. I’ve written a cat rather like her into my NaNoWriMo this year…
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What I really think is……. Cat’s truly are the best! 😉
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My life wouldn’t be the same without my furkinder, even the tyrannical ones.
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I know exactly what you mean. They really are special little creatures. It’s why I just had to write about my two for your 100 word challenge 🙂
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I can totally relate. The outside of my house has a whole bunch of lights and is pretty…. the inside has nothing because I have Tannenbaum terrorists too (love that phrase, btw). My seven year old cats might steal an ornament or three, but the 15-week-old kittens I brought home on Halloween would obliterate any hint of Christmas. They’re lucky they’re cute and sweet 🙂
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Our terror trio are 6, 2 and six months. They are lucky they are cute too.
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My foster dog had a great fondness for nudging the Christmas tree where she thought it should be. She was not intentionally knocking it down as I first supposed. She liked to move things, like her dog bed, my shoes, my Christmas tree. She got better as the weeks wore on but now she has a forever home. I doubt if her single young dude who adopted her has a tree, which is a good thing. Keep on writing. Great post today.
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Fortunately, our two dogs are uninterested in holiday decorations. The cats, however, love their shiny toys.
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