Chaotic Christmas

It's Christmas Season!! I absolutely love the Christmas season - chaotic and all. I love Christmas lights, Christmas music, church service, the true meaning of CHRISTmas. I say chaotic because my house is kinda chaotic when I first get my Christmas stuff down out of the attic. I start the Sunday after Thanksgiving by gathering up my Thanksgiving decorations and any and all other decorations I may have out in the house. I undecorate so I can decorate! Gary has always found this amusing.

After putting away everything the process then begins. I climb up into the attic - I'm the only one who has been up there until recently. Gary is claustrophic and can't go up there and Chris... well, Chris just couldn't manhandle things around in the attic. My son-in-law Michael has ventured up there. And this year I did not have to manhandle my boxes and boxes and boxes of Christmas stuff down from the attic. My grandson Richard was here and he took care of that little (well actually big) chore for me.

I have 3 large size trees I put up. I have a 9 foot tree in my living room - this is contained in 3 boxes. I have a 6 1/2 foot tree in my dining room - 1 box. Lastly a 5 foot tree in the kitchen - 1 box. Then I have multiple totes of decorations. 2 very large ginormus green tubs, then I think 2 large blue tubs and 2 smaller sized tubs. Plus probably more I am not thinking of at this time.

I love Christmas trees and in addtion to my 3 large trees I have 2 small 2 foot urn trees on my front porch (I actually say these are Gary's as I bought them for him last year). In addition I have mutiple decorative trees in assorted sizes that I put throughout my house. I have at least 1 tree in each room - even the bathrooms. I believe I counted a total of 35 decoartive trees last night. They range in size from 6 inches to 2 feet.

I have some decorations from my childhood -- the angel on top of my tree is the one my mom put on top of her tree. Her wings are starting to look kinda bad (the angel's not my mom's) but I still put her up every year. I also have some Santa mugs and a set of 4 little porcelain bells that I set out (don't put these on the tree as I don't want them to break).


It takes a while to decorate 3 large trees and put all these deocrations out. Hence the chaotic part of Christmas. I don't have a whole day to devote to decorating so I work it in of an evening after work around errands, etc. So for anywhere from 3-5 days my house looks like a total disaster. But it is so worth it when I am finished and those empty boxes and crates go back up into the attic.

Now a few years ago we had inherited a little orphan kitten. Her name is Bandit because she reminds us of a racoon. I call her Psycho for good reason. Any child who comes to my house has heard tales of this cat from my grandchildren and they immediately ask "is that the bad cat?" I call her Psycho because we had only had her a couple of months before putting our Christmas decorations up the first year. The following poem describes Bandit's first Christmas and her nickname of Psycho.


PSYCHO CHRISTMAS!

It was December and we did agree
It was time to put up the Christmas tree.
Gary helped me to string the lights
Making sure it looked just right.
Chris and I then hung each decoration
Our hearts filled with anticipation.
We finished the big tree it was a sight
Our work is still not finished that night.
Trees, nativities and Santas galore
There is not space to put one more.
The candles are placed and burning too
Now we know our work is through.
We stood back and admired our work
We didn’t mind the hours that it took.
Someone else admired our work too
Looked at all the things brand new.
With anticipation and great joy
Our new little kitten now has a new toy!!
It only took one single day
For Psycho Kitty to come and stay.
Now Psycho Kitty thinks the tree
Was put up just for her you see.
It started out simple while we were away
She took a few ornaments just for play.
I sighed when I saw them there on the floor
Hung them up higher and told her NO MORE!
I must have been talking to a deaf cat
Because she wasn’t having any of that.
Every day a few more appear on the floor
And we put them up higher just like before.
She didn’t stop with just the ornaments
Also for the lights she has went.
Sitting early one morning admiring the tree
I heard a tinkling; what could it be?
The tree was shaking – how can that be
The stupid cat was climbing the tree!
One day Psycho Kitty had lots of fun
36 ornaments were down when she was done!
A string of lights completed the mess
I came home said “What’s up with this!??”
I counted each one as I put them back
All the time making threats at the cat.
Warning her what it is like outside
She didn’t even bother to hide.
Psycho Kitty thinks every treasure
Was put there just for her pleasure.
A Santa cup knocked from up high
I picked up the pieces and let out a sigh.
In the kitchen one night a loud clatter
I went to see just what was the matter.
Psycho Kitty has struck once again
Knocking over my Christmas tins!!
They were out of reach or so I thought
But Psycho Kitty has havoc wrought!
What started out a beautiful tree
Has undergone a transformation you see.
The bottom third now is bare
Not a single ornament hangs there.
There are gaps in the lights on our tree
And all because of Psycho Kitty.
The angel on top holding her light
Is leaning a little bit to the right.
The branches that I arranged with detail
Now look like they have been derailed.
Christmas is still days away
Lots of time left for Psycho Kitty to play!



Written by: Kathie Marrs
December 23, 2008


I hope you enjoy your Christmas season - even if you also have a Psycho Cat. Piece of advise if you do have a Psycho cat; put up a second large tree. It confuses them and they don't know which one to attack so tend to wander between them leaving ornaments alone.