The tradition of a Christmas Tree goes back many centuries, in fact, probably before Christianity. It is said that ancient peoples placed evergreen boughs inside their doors at the peak of Winter, to remind them that Spring would come again. Martin Luther is said to have been the first to decorate a tree in the house, using candles to represent the birth of the Christ child. Legend has it that the Germanic Christmas traditions came to the colonies with the Hessians during the Revolution, although it could just as easily been with the Pennsylvania Dutch, who were actually Germans - the Pennsylvania Deutsch.

Whatever the source, the tradition of having a brightly decorated tree in the living room at Christmastime is a reminder to us all of the most joyous event in Christianity.

Unless you’re a kitten, in which case, a Christmas tree is the world’s largest cat toy.

With two kittens in the house this year, Puck and Pyewacket, the placement of a Christmas tree is mostly an exercise in futility. The first mistake was to put a tree up at all. The second mistake was to decorate it with ornaments, unbreakable of course, that tend to jump off the tree to attack passing kittens. The ill-behaved ornaments also roll around on the floor, usually with a cats’ paws attached to them.

Have you ever entered a room with the feeling that you’re being watched? How about the feeling of being watched by a Christmas tree? Last night, I didn’t remember placing yellow-green lights on the tree, but there they were, right about the middle of the tree, looking out at me. In the darkness, I did not see the shadowy outline of a black cat, but those yellow-green eyes were those of Pyewacket, who was instantly sprayed with a squirt bottle, one of several strategically placed around the house, used to remind kittens of certain places they should not be.

Like that’s going to stop those two natural clowns from climbing our Christmas tree. Dangling, shiny ornaments are just too tempting for curious kitties.

Maybe we’ll just scrub the mission for this year and try to launch a Christmas tree next season.

Yule just have to stop back here then to see how it goes.