Are you out shopping for Boxing Day? Would you believe Mommy had to go back to work today??? We had a purrfect Christmas together and will be telling you all about our pawsome Secret Paws package very soon, but in the meantime we hope you'll enjoy this look back at some of my favorite Ghosts of Boxes Past...
This is the fourth year we've had our Christmas card designed by the amazing Ann at Zoolatry. I didn't have any "big ideas" this time around, unlike previous years with our Tiny Truffles Christmas Carol series and last year's plum pudding card. I just wanted something simple with Mudpie in front of a snowy window beside a stack of books and a coffee mug.
As we look out the window on this Christmas morning it's almost as though our card has come to life...it's actually snowing!!! We may live in Vermont, but a white Christmas is far from guaranteed. This is a picture purrfect Christmas.
We'd like to wish each and every one of our dear friends the happiest of holidays, whatever you'll be celebrating. You make our days so much brighter with your kind comments and support. Thank you for being a part of our online family...we cherish your friendship more than we could ever express.
Mudpie's answers:
1. I can’t wait to see my Secret Paws open my gift to them.
2. I have had the same cat beds and food dishes for as long as I've lived here. (Maybe it's time for some new stuff, Mommy!)
Mommy's answers:
3. I would not mind if Santa were to bring me a tortie sister for Mudpie.
4. On Christmas Eve, I always take a picture of the tree with all the presents underneath.
Lastly, we decided to try our hand at Angel Sammy and Teddy's Photo Poetry Challenge where each week they give us a photo prompt to write a poem about. I struggle with writing (and reading) poetry so I'm not sure we'll be able to rise to the challenge every week, but the given photo immediately put a funny little idea in my head and I went with it...
Mommy said Mudpie was going to the vet
It was time for a checkup she claimed
She didn't know her cat had other ideas
And swore that someone would be maimed
Unsuspecting she drove down a long, lonely road
Then with a loud pop she swerved to a stop, got out of the car and was pained
To discover that someone had messed with her tires
Today we wanted to show you a couple things we found on Cats Protection UK's website that we love and think you'll enjoy.
The first is their holiday video of the year which features the real life story of Kozal, a 16 year old cat who waited over 7 months to find his forever home, but now lives with a new family who will be spoiling him like crazy this Christmas. Have a tissue handy!
Then there's Mommy's new obsession...cat-themed snowflakes! She saw some online at the end of the season last year and didn't bother to make any, but Cats Protection posted an easy peasy PDF on their blog last week and she's been snipping like crazy during our cuddle sessions on the couch at night. This is a paper craft even she can't mess up!
Christmas movies and holiday specials...who doesn't love them? The only thing that can make them better is curling up on the couch with a cup of cocoa under a pile of blankets and a cat. Mudpie and I have been doing a lot of that this holiday season and I'm pretty sure we'll be doing it even more over the next couple weeks. I can't quit Christmas cold turkey; I have to be weaned off of it, so it's not unusual for me to be sitting by the tree catching up on recorded Christmas movies well into January.
We decided to share a list of some of our favorites just in case you have a little quiet time over the coming days to wind down and enjoy some kitty cuddles!
Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever
A lonely cat living in a mall pet shop develops a sour outlook on life until, in the midst of the holiday rush, she meets a very special 12-year-old girl. I must confess, the people in this movie are unbelievably annoying, but Grumpy Cat is so darn adorable that she makes up for it.
When a stray cat adopts Zachary Stone, he falls in love with the little guy in spite of the fact that he wants to stay away from responsibility. When his new pet brings him into contact with Marilee White, Zach begins to see that the single life isn't as fulfilling as he thought and that the "wrong woman" might just be the perfect match. This is one of those rare occurrences where the movie is just as good as the book. Check your local listings because it's still airing on Hallmark Channel during their Countdown to Christmas!
Santa is allergic to cats, so he does not give them as gifts. Tommy has been SO good and he wants one kitty but the whole litter climbs into the sack. When Santa has a allergic reaction, the kitties have to deliver the presents on time.
"A Garfield Christmas Special" finds the surly fat cat on an old-fashioned holiday at the family farm with Jon's mom and dad, brother Doc-Boy and feisty grandma, who's the cat's meow. I watched this again just the other night and I love it every bit as much as I did when I was a little girl and it was on TV every year. This is my favorite scene that never fails to bring a tear to my eye...
When the Professor and Rock Bottom plot to create the world’s biggest blizzard in order to ruin Christmas, Felix the Cat and Poindexter must travel to the North Pole to help Santa Claus and save Christmas.
The Muppet's rendition of Charles Dickens's classic tale puts a unique twist on a favorite holiday story. Not technically a cat movie (although there are cat puppets), but this is easily my all-time favorite Christmas movie. A year without watching it is a year without Christmas for me. I can't believe it's now 25 years old! I still remember watching it in the movie theater with my mom back in 1992 and being completely transfixed by it.
ALF and the Tanners prepare to spend Christmas in a cabin. When the owner comes to visit them, ALF accidentally jumps into his trunk and he is taken to a hospital and given away as a Christmas gift to a little girl. As a child of the 80's I was obsessed with ALF, and the very first thing I bought when I got my first DVD player were the four season box sets. This one hour special was broadcast on METV a couple weekends ago and I cried through the whole thing. ALF may be hysterically funny, but he can also tug at the heartstrings.
When the kingdom of Arendelle empties out for the holiday season, Anna and Elsa realize that they have no family traditions of their own. So Olaf sets out on a merry mission to bring home the very best traditions and save Christmas. I'm probably one of the few people who isn't crazy about Frozen. (The day I saw a little girl skipping down the aisle in Kmart belting out Let It Go was the day I realized I'd heard it one too many times.) I loved Olaf's Frozen Adventure though. It has kittens. In sweaters.
Christmas is a time to remember those who are no longer with us, and this year will be my third Christmas without Truffles, one more than we got to spend together. The feelings aren't as raw as they were the past two years, but she's still on my mind and in my heart every single day.
Since her portrait, paw print, and ashes rest on a table in the living room that gets moved to make room for the Christmas tree, I had to find a new spot of honor for her during the holiday season and created this special Christmas memorial area. Each year I've changed it a bit but the biggest change came this year because the white tree I've been using started to discolor and it was no longer pretty enough to use.
The table seemed dark without it until my December Meowy Holidays CatLadyBox arrived. In it was a string of cat lights which I put in the cat face wire bowl that came in November's box. I also added the cozy silicon light that came in a box earlier this year because it looks like a snow cat (as well as an angel)!
I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. At night I turn on the lights and my little angel shines like the brightest star in the sky.
