Christmas Tree

K.S. asks, "Will you be putting up a Christmas Tree this year? If so, please describe. If not, please justify."

No.

I thought about putting up a tree this year. I have the space for it now, and believe it or not, I'm actually kind of in a good mood. Today, anyway. See, normally, by this time of year, I just want to crawl into a hole and not see, hear, or interact with other people until sometime after Valentine's Day. But this year, I've already listened to a couple of Christmas songs on the radio, and I watched two Christmas specials on television. I even went into a store on Black Friday - something I have never done before - though I didn't buy anything. I was kind of surprised to find that there were about four customers in the whole store, so we each got to have at least two salespeople follow us around asking, "Would you like me to start a dressing room for you?" or suggesting, "That works great with a skinny jean, but not a legging." Silly man doesn't know that I won't go near skinny jeans OR leggings, and I'm not terribly interested in wearing a tunic blouse with Bedazzled shoulders. Anyway.

So I thought about it. I thought it could be fun and festive to have a tree this year. I had a tree in my own place once before and it was nice. My cat thought it was a giant water dish just for him (good thing I wasn't using plant food), and he and I did spend some quality time napping under the tree, so that was fun. But the thing about decorating one's living space for a particular holiday is that such decorations are most appreciated by others. You decorate and then you feel the need to have people over so they can say, "Wow, the place looks great. Where did you get those gingerbread lights?" And you may or may not know this about me, but I'm not a big people person. The thought of entertaining people in my home evokes in me a reaction akin to how most people feel about amputation - you know that there are probably occasions wherein it is a good idea, but you'd rather explore all of your other options first. Which means if I get a tree, only my cat and I will really see or enjoy it. And then I'll have to clean it up somehow. Believe it or not, they tend to frown on people throwing their used Christmas trees out the window onto the street. I could try to keep it alive until next year, but I don't necessarily have the best track record with houseplants.

So anyway, as opposed to creating all kinds of extra work for myself so I can have a sad little tree that nobody else will see, I decided to give myself the gift of not worrying about it this year. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Thank you, K.S. for your question! Keep 'em coming, guys! askmisskittyanything@gmail.com