A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS 2015

This is a particularly happy Christmas for both Artie and me. For most of this year we were convinced we would be spending the holidays without our Annie. Most joyfully that was not to be. Our little girl is not only back to her old self but even better than ever and for that we are very grateful.

Christmas Eve was a bit unusual, we needed to do some last-minute grocery shopping for our dinner preparations, managing to finish our errands in a timely fashion.  We fed the cats first since suppertime in our house is dominated by Orphée either winding himself around legs or following everyone around the kitchen (the worse-case scenario consists of winding, following and talking - a deadly combination). Handsome is no slouch in this department either but his routine is to call you with very loud, very persistent meows. It's enough to drive you crazy! Then there's Belle who becomes agitated as it gets darker without a meal in sight. You can understand why we cater to them - it helps preserve our sanity.

Once the felines were settled, we donned our summer jackets (yesterday's temperatures were in the 70s) and went for a walk with Annie. It was the perfect way to work in her daily exercise and admire everyone's Christmas lights. This was a really good call - we spent 45 minutes walking around a very quiet neighborhood just absorbing the silent, beautifully lit Christmas atmosphere (all that was missing was a bite to the air and a dusting of snow).

With a stack of vintage Christmas show and vintage/contemporary movie DVDs on hand I prepared dinner for myself, Artie and Annie while Artie started our holiday viewing. With everyone settled into their favorite spots - Orphée in his wing chair, Annie on her bed, Handsome in his oversize carry case and Belle on her blanket covering our window air conditioner, we settled in for Christmas Eve.

Belle is almost a full member of our family. All that remains is for us to get her to a veterinarian for a full physical and we will start the process of making a full house cat out of her. Yes, I feel grateful this Christmas; content with our little family and looking towards 2016 with hope it will be a year that will more than make up for the terrible year 2015 turned out to be.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from:

ANNIE

ORPHEE

MR. HANDSOME

AND

BELLE.