Festive Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello, friends! Who's ready for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge? We sure are, and we'd love for you to join us. My co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.


1. My biggest pet peeve at Christmastime is _________.

2. _________ is on my list to Santa.

3. My Christmas to-do list still includes _________.

4. A random piece of Christmas trivia that I know is _________.

My answers are below in bold.

1. My biggest pet peeve at Christmastime is commercialism.

(I'm not saying I don't buy gifts for my family and all that jazz, but I find it a tad bit sad that Christmas turned into such a commercial holiday in general. I could ramble on with my deeper thoughts on this, but the bottom line is that I'm pretty sure that's not the reason for the season.)

2. A peaceful holiday with my family is on my list to Santa.

(Thanks to Santa, I'll indeed be spending a quiet and relaxing Christmas with my parents, sister, and furbabies. I'm certainly not opposed to seeing my large and loud extended family during the holiday season, but I most enjoy spending Christmas Day itself in a less chaotic setting, with just my immediate family. I don't know if that makes me sound like Ebenezer Scrooge or what, but it's simply the truth.)

3. My Christmas to-do list still includes wrapping gifts.

(I've had my Christmas shopping pretty much done for weeks if not months, but I haven't wrapped a single gift yet. Just one reason is because I've learned from experience that if I wrap gifts too early, that gives certain kitties extra time to rip the wrapping paper open or chew their way into the gift boxes. I plan on wrapping some gifts this weekend, though, and hopefully the kitties will let them live long and prosper.)

4. A random piece of Christmas trivia that I know is Christmas trees were historically hung upside down.

(This practice dates back to the Middle Ages or thereabouts, and it had largely religious reasons. According to some legends, St. Boniface explained the Holy Trinity and Christ's crucifixion to pagans in Germany with the help of a fir tree's triangular shape. Then, hanging a Christmas tree upside down became a Christian tradition. Some people still hang their trees upside down, though these days I've seen not only religious reasons, but also reasons like keeping it out of the cat's reach.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Are you ready for your Eddy fix? Today, this girl wants to show you all that this here human still hasn't properly decorated her beloved Christmas tree, that being the one she gets to decimate enjoy all year round.

In this here human's defense, I've already tried decorating this Christmas tree just like I've done in the past. And, just like has happened in the past, within the matter of a day Eddy had the little lights all tangled up with the branches she quite enjoys knocking out of place and throwing to the ground. I'm now trying to brainstorm what safe decorations I can use that might make the tree look festive while also preventing the constant need to untangle the mess that Eddy morphs it into. If you look at that photo above, you'll see one red bow tucked into the tree. That's the sole surviving bow that Eddy didn't rip off of it with her bare teeth. Yet. This girl loves her Christmas tree with a very violent passion. Eddy is easily the cat in this house who is hardest on Christmas trees. But, as long as she's happy, maybe this tree will just be minimally decorated.

Have a festive Friday, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Does anyone remember the Dickensian Christmas doodles we shared last year? Like this one?

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Tip of the Day

This holiday season, don't forget the dangers that fire can cause. Some festivities include the lighting of candles, and some of us simply like to light candles for their lovely scents. If you do light candles in your home, as you certainly know, do be sure that these are out of reach of your furbabies for safety's sake. Also, of course, be aware of the dangers the fireplace can pose. If your fireplace is lit, do be sure that your kitty or pup cannot reach the flames, such as by putting up a barrier, or even blocking them from the room with the fireplace altogether. In addition to this, for everyone's safety, don't forget to stay on top of the care and keeping of your fireplace. Before using it for the season, have the chimney cleaned out, so that bird nests or other potentially flammable objects are not lying in wait up there, making a house fire possible. As always, better safe than sorry!