2022’s Christmas Tree is six days old and as of this writing, the person most likely to re-decorate it – my kitty, Smöl – has not even gazed longingly at it.

Smöl is using the chilly day to have her afternoon nap in the flannel sheets and blankets. Had I not seen her tail disappearing into the nest, I wouldn’t know where she is.

It’s our third holiday together since I got her five-year-old self from the pound during lockdown. Every month, more and more of her personality comes out.

Still. Is she merely lulling me into a false sense of security?

Anyone care to place a bet on it lasting until the first week of January?

While a half-height tree doesn’t allow me to empty out the boxes of wooden Charlie Brown ornaments I painted mumble – decades ago, seeing them amid the glowing icicles is cheering and comforting.

Thank you once again to Adopt-a-Pet.com and the Long Beach SPCA. See the Long Beach website for December events inviting you to visit, donate food, or adopt from the no-kill shelter. Smöl and I would never have met without their help.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without dreading the tree being pulled down.