Clearly Alive: The Christmas Tree

A year ago, I hosted Christmas. It was a very chaotic time in my life due to the Narcissist, and I was unsure of what buried memories lay hidden in the box of decorations. I was dreading opening it this year, but ultimately decided I could do it with the help of an extremely playful kitten. My recent journey has been about creating new, healthy, safe memories. I was going to dive in and open this box.

This year, I had to purchase a new Christmas tree. Because I am living in an apartment, I opted for a 7ft pencil tree that came pre-lit. With Adrenal Insufficiency, it's all about saving spoons. A skinny tree that can be assembled in less than ten minutes was perfect for me.

As I was assembling my new tree, I realized that Mr Henry Glitch has never experienced Christmas before. This became quite obvious when he continuously pounced on each section as I removed it from the box. He did not know what this new thing was, but he was determined to defend his territory and attack it!

For the past five years, I have created a picture ornament representing a happy time during that year. My family had that tradition growing up, and I decided to continue it. As I did not have the desire or the strength to unwrap my photo ornaments this year, they remained in the box. Perhaps next year, but for this year, the wound is still too fresh.

Tail! Tail! Tail!

Fortunately, the smaller tree has the benefit of requiring fewer ornaments to look fully decorated. I only unpacked the ornaments from my very first tree, which were a combination of Wal-Mart and Target final clearance. I even removed the ornaments on the lower portion of the tree as an attempt to reduce temptation for the kitten.

Too much stimulation. Kitten is exhausted.

Since I am being honest, I know that it is only a matter of time before Henry Glitch topples this tree to the ground. But, when he does, it won't matter because all of the ornaments are indestructible. My Olive Thief already tested them when he knocked down my tree in 2012.

At first, I was mad.
And then I realized I had a cat COVERED in glitter.
Any time I looked at my sparkly cat, I just laughed.

I was able to unpack some of the Christmas decorations, but not all. That is ok. Perhaps next year, I'll be more ready. However, this year, I do have an absolutely gorgeous tree complete with two fur-babies who add much joy to my life. And that is more than enough.

The guardian of the tree. Beware of his judgmental glare.