Festive Friday

Can you believe that Christmas is only a little over a week away? Though we're feeling the crunch, we're also feeling very festive these days. That's why we were especially excited when we saw that this week's Friendly Fill-Ins, hosted by 15andmeowing and McGuffy's Reader, were perfectly festive themselves!

Here are the festive fill-ins for this week:

1. My favorite Christmas song(s) is/are _________, but I could do without hearing _________ ever again.

2. My most meaningful Christmas ornament/decoration is _________, because _________.

3. My favorite holiday treat is _________.

4. A holiday tradition in my house is _________.

And here's what I came up with:

1. My favorite Christmas songs are those by Mannheim Steamroller and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but I could do without hearing "The Christmas Shoes" ever again.
(I love instrumental Christmas music, and nothing beats good ol' Mannheim Steamroller. The Transiberian Orchestra is a bit of a newer discovery for me, but I quickly grew fond of their style of festive pieces as well. That being said, has anyone else heard the song called "The Christmas Shoes"? The local radio stations playing Christmas music around here love to play that song, and it's just too darn sad for Christmastime, if you ask me. I know it has a beautiful message hidden beneath those tearful lyrics, but regardless, if it comes on, I promptly turn the channel.)

2. My most meaningful Christmas ornament is a picture frame ornament my grandmother got me a couple years ago, because it now holds a drawing of my angel Rosie.
(My grandma gets me at least one ornament for Christmas each year. A couple of years ago, when my Rosie was still with me, my grandma got me a picture frame ornament that says "cats leave paw prints on your heart". Having grown up with Rosie and then having to say goodbye to her in May of 2015, last Christmas was my first one in my memory without her. As I put ornaments on my tree last year, it meant so much to me when I stumbled upon that ornament my grandma had given me, which I had somehow forgotten all about. I immediately sat down and did a quick sketch of Rosie so that she could be part of the Christmas tree decorating that very night, just as she always had been in the past. I wrote a post about this ornament of Rosie's after I created it last year, which you can read here.)

3. My favorite holiday treat is anything with mint.
(I love mint, and this is the perfect time of year to indulge in that. And if it involves mint and chocolate, all the better.)

4. A holiday tradition in my house is the making of Nutter Butter Santas.
(Years ago I happened upon a recipe for turning a Nutter Butter cookie into Santa Claus. You start by dipping each end of the cookie in melted white almond bark. One end remains as Santa's white beard, while the other end is decorated with red sprinkles and a white frosting pom-pom, thus turning it into Santa's hat. Then you give him a face with frosting or candy or something of the delicious sort, and there you have a Nutter Butter Santa! I now make these every year. Which reminds me, I need to get on that.)

We're not stopping the festivities there, though. No, siree. Eddy herself wants to help continue the Christmasy goodness of this post.

It all began when I tried to snap another shot of Eddy frolicking in the tree the other night. Not wanting to be caught in the act, though, she jumped out of the tree and tried to play innocent beneath it.

Doesn't she make a purrfect gift under there?

For today's festive art, I had intended on drawing none other than a monkey in a Santa hat, in honor of Eddy's monkeying around. Alas, though, I did not get said monkey completed, so you'll have to settle for this Santa donkey instead:

Have a festive  Friday!

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Our Tip of the Day:
Are you still looking for a little something to get your kitty for Christmas? One idea is to, if you haven't already done so, give your kitty something a little different than catnip to get happy on. For example, you can try getting them a batch of silver vine, or a toy containing it. Another idea is to go classic and get your kitty a yarn ball for Christmas. Of course, be safe about this and make sure there are no loose strings or ends (remember the tip from a few days ago, about the hazards of eating string?). There are actual yarn ball toys out there, though, that are safe to play with and that will give your kitty the fun that you see in all those classic images. Another idea is to donate money, goods, or time to a shelter or rescue group in your kitty's name. Your kitty enjoys a cozy life of love with you, so surely they would be happy to know that you are spreading that love to less fortunate kitties.