Festive Friendly Fill-Ins

Hello, friends! I'm so sorry we're so late to post yet again. The good news is that we're late because in a desperate attempt to get my decrepit laptop working better, I managed to get it to do a ton of forgotten updates yesterday evening. It took it the entire night and only just finished a bit ago, which is why we're so late, but since doing these updates, the laptop is still decrepit but much less so. Before it croaks again, right after this we'll be topping off our entire Christmas weekend posts and the beginning of our Twelve Days of Christmas posts so that they're good and ready to go.

Now, moving on, we're ready for a festive Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, and we hope you are as well. We'd love for you to join us! My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two fill-in statements, and I came up with the second two.

1. My favorite holiday tradition is _________.

2. On Christmas (or Hanukkah) I plan to fill up on _________.

3. 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house _________.

4. _________ is the best way to spread holiday cheer.

My answers are below in bold.

1. My favorite holiday tradition is all things Christmas Eve.

(Ever since I was a kid, Christmas Eve has always been my favorite day of the season. That's probably because when I was growing up, we'd always be in the car traveling for hours on Christmas Day to visit various family members, and so my parents started a tradition of making Christmas Eve extra fun for our immediate family. We'd go to Mass at our church on the evening of Christmas Eve, then we'd come home and eat pizza and all sorts of festive junk food while watching the A Christmas Story marathon on TV, and we'd open all of our gifts from each other, though saving our stockings for Christmas morning. Though I'm a grown adult now, my parents, sister, and myself are all still very close and continue these Christmas Eve traditions to this day. I love it.)

2. On Christmas I plan to fill up on Christmas cookies and pudding.

(I'm a dessert kind of gal, and festive desserts get me especially eager to chow down.)

3. 'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house all the creatures were stirring.

(I'm pretty sure my fubabies can sense my love and eagerness for Christmas, Christmas Eve, and all that jazz, because they're always extra active this time of year. And there's also the fact that I give my kitties and pup toys and treats on Christmas Eve and Christmas and so they're always extra excitable with all of that.)

4. Kindness is the best way to spread holiday cheer.

(This is a cheesy answer, but it's the most honest one I could think of.)

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 a festive Eddy fix? Today, this girl is here to show you and toned down version of her excitement over her year round Christmas tree festively decorated right now. 

We'll just pretend this here human doesn't have to rebuilt this tree every single day since Eddy treats it so...well.

Don't worry, though. The lights on it are battery operated and also only loosely thrown over the front portion of the tree. Eddy poses far more risk to them than they do to her.

Eddy and all of us here wish you a merry Christmas Eve eve!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip relates to the spirit of gift-giving during the holiday season. In particular, we're talking about the practice of giving cats, dogs, and other little critters as gifts on Christmas morning. The important thing here is that anyone giving a furry friend as a gift realize the significance of such a gift. Obviously, a living creature requires proper care and commitment. For this reason, if you or someone you know is intending on giving a cat, dog, or other critter as a gift, be sure that all considerations have been made. Does the recipient want a furry friend? Do finances, time, age, location, and other such factors allow the recipient to properly care for a furry friend? These are just the basics that need to be considered, as cats, dogs, and other animals come with far more factors than this. After all, pets are a commitment that can be with you for many years.

The long and short if it is that while it is wonderful to think of an animal finding a home on Christmas morning, it is still important to ensure that said animal will not end up without proper care, or back at a shelter or abandoned. There are of course times when giving or receiving a cat, dog, or other critter as a gift works out perfectly fine. Such cases might include when a husband or wife gifts a furbaby to their spouse who wants and can care for it, or when a parent knows their child wants and is capable of assisting in the care of a cat, dog, or other pet. If you or someone close to you is planning to surprise someone with a furry friend on Christmas morning, just as with any gift, do take into consideration whether a pet is appropriate for the recipient in question.