Kid or Tree?

If I have to choose, of course I want the kid. It may seem an odd decision to have to make, but my youngest son is visiting and his baby cat is, well, let's just say she's a little unruly. She is only a few months old, and after having her here for a few weeks I've discovered that she really likes to knock things down and pull on whatever might be hanging. This does not bode well for setting up a Christmas tree. One of the reasons (and there were, admittedly, a lot) I didn't want to travel for the holidays this years is that I wanted to decorate my house, something I haven't done much over the years I've lived here. For most of the past ten Christmases, I've traveled north. If we weren't here for Christmas, there wasn't much point in putting up a tree. This year, I'll be around to enjoy the tree, but I'm leaning against putting one up, thinking that Baby Cat might enjoy it just a little too much.

I've been trying to come up with other decorating ideas that could be festive without presenting a danger to cat or ornaments. I'm considering hanging some garland and hooking ornaments onto that. I also have some high kitten-proof shelves where I can put other types of decorations, including the manger set I retrieved from my mom's house, the one we set up every Christmas I can remember. It's probably older than I am (and in better shape!).

Whatever we figure out will be fine. While I'd like to do a tree, it isn't what's important. All of my sons and my two granddaughters will be together for a few days. How we display the gifts and what kind of embellishments we put up, if any, won't matter much in the grand scheme. If I really have to have a tree, I can always do some after-Christmas decorating. Shortly after New Year's, I'll have my house to myself again for a long time, and I can do whatever I want, albeit alone. I'll revel in the company, of my kids and their pets, while I'm able to.