Merry Christmas!

Or Happy Holidays. Or Happy whatever it is you celebrate, or don't. There are so many religious celebrations in December and January that it can be difficult to know what to say to people. But if you wish a non-Christian Merry Christmas, most do not get offended. So be happy and wish everyone you see a happy whatever it is that you celebrate! Spread that joy and love! Smile and people will smile back, because smiles are contagious.

Last year, I never got around to setting up my tiny little Christmas tree, because up until shortly before Christmas, Frosti was still in the house and I was sure I would look up to see him dragging it across the room.

This year, I pulled that little tree out of its plastic storage bag and brought it up to the living room. I have a large wooden chest in front of the living room window, covered with a sheepskin, so I put it there and plugged it in.

At first, Aska paid it absolutely no attention whatsoever. For about an hour, she stayed on the top of the cat tree, not 5 feet away, playing, napping, and grooming herself.

Then she ventured over to check it out. She kind of picked at it gingerly a few times but quit when I finally hissed at her, as I didn't want her to get too aggressive with it. She has since left it completely alone. Such a good girl!

Aska is now just over 7 months old and pretty much fully grown. She is still a tiny thing, about half the size of Lila but I have not been successful in getting a photo of all three sitting next to each other to show the size differential. They really are small (Aska), medium (Pips) and large (Lila)!