Christmas Redux

We finally got the tree up Friday night. Well, I should be honest and say that my husband got the tree up. He decorated it all by himself. This was the first year in forever I didn't touch a tree. I was rrrrrreally tired (can I blame the brewing baby for my laziness? well, I'll try...) I had a hard time keeping my eyes open but - by golly - we had a tree!! Yay!!!

I did take a few photos and videos :




Practically, the very moment Lucky saw the tree - he was IN the tree and eating it:




Later in the evening (while I was asleep on the couch), Mike took this video of Lucky hanging out with the (few) decorations we dared put on the tree.



Ally is not quite the ferocious tree killer that Lucky is and I just thought this video was cute. I guess because I love the "people" in it.



MORE TO COME...

Christmas...

"Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays" and "Happy Hannukah" and "Happy Everything" to everyone who celebrates something. I'm just glad for time with family and good food and fun and festivities. And don't forget gifts! I love gifts!

My only kitty pic to offer is from last year. When the kitties "helped" us wrap gifts.


(So, sister - "No. You didn't get anything from BananaRamaDingDongPostleOutfitters." I walked in there and walked out. The music reminds me of a techno club. And their crap is overpriced and sized for small monkeys. OK, enough of that. I think it must be official - I'm a curmudgeon!)

We haven't wrapped this year's gifts yet. I just finished all my shopping yesterday. And came home to find that my hubband had got the ol' tree ready for decorating. I was soooo happy!! I know it's late to start this, but it just doesn't feel like Christmas without it. And he knew that and he's the one that does all the work of putting the thing up and lugging in the boxes of decorations and he still wanted me to have it.

It's just that this is what usually happens:

**Lucky! Look what you've done to my tree!!!

So the beautiful tree turns into a constant source of irritation while kitties climb up it and try to eat it and bat ornaments off it...

Actually, now that I think of it - it's ONLY ONE kitty of the five that causes so much trouble and he is, of course, pictured above.

BUT, we're gonna have a tree!! And I'm gonna play Christmas music and we'll decorate it and then maybe watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I love that movie!!!!! I used to watch it with my grandpa...I have almost every line of the movie memorized**.

And, even if we don't do all of the things we would've done every other year - and we don't end up decorating the tree tonight and watching Christmas shows - I'm going to have a great Christmas. My husband tried hard to make sure of it. AND - I'm going to spend time with my family and I'm gonna love every friggin' minute of it!!

Finnish Felines

A few years ago, my husband introduced me to a friend, Markus, that he met through his old work. Mike used to travel the world installing flight simulators and met Markus and some really neat people in Finland. And everytime they'd come to the States to visit for work - we'd go out for dinner and beers and coffee and conversation...

I always had a wonderful time visiting with everyone. And Markus and his wife, Taru, even had Mike out to dinner at their house when he went to Finland to work. Taru helped Mike pick out a beautiful necklace to bring home to me as a gift. The last time he visited, Markus brought us a lovely book filled with Finnish scenery that he and his wife bought for us.

And everytime Markus was in town he'd show us pictures of his wife and his "zoo" at home. Turns out - they love animals just as much (if not more) than we do. He e-mailed us some beautiful pictures of his family and I wanted to share them with you here.

Taru and Ossi

Pompsula

Spii

Ryyni

Leimu

Hermanni


Tuttis

Netta

Of course, I've listed the dog last. But what a beautiful dog it is! And I love the foliage!

BIG news...

Over here -------> on a new blog.