The 2008 Christmas Tree

I love theme-Christmas trees. Thank my parents, who one year decided to use my dad's childhood train set and decorate the Christmas tree with it. A train circled the base of the tree, engines and boxcars were nestled into branches, and track was hung like tinsel.

I loved it!

My first theme tree was in 2004, the first year I was at the Grand and the first time I put a Christmas tree up at my condo. Threads of popcorn, movie tickets, and film were wrapped around the tree, with boxes of candy tucked into the tree. It was awesome.

2005 was an Olympics tree, in recognition of my upcoming trip to the Torino games. I strung up chocolate coins like Olympic medals all over the tree.

2006 was a Texas Hold 'Em tree, with poker hands taped together and hung as well as stacks of poker chips. At the bottom of the tree was a pair progressing in higher hand strength until you got to the top, where the tree-topper was a royal flush.

Last year, 2007, was an Office tree. This was because Mary had started out on her own as a graphic designer and now had a home office. As it happens, since we decorated with office supplies--paper clips, index cards, etc--that Mary later used, that was probably the only time we'll ever have a tax-deductible tree (or at least, tax-deductible ornaments).

As you can tell, part of the fun is decorating the tree for cheap with unusual ornaments. So this year ... for my 5th Annual Theme Tree we've decided on a ... (drumroll please)

A Cat Tree!

In honor of the 7 kittens and mother cat we took in this fall, a cat tree seemed very fitting this year. Here's a close up of our special ornaments:

Note the cat toys, the comb, the collar, and the lint roller (perhaps the biggest necessity when you have a cat).

Here's a wide shot. It's the first time I haven't done a full-sized tree. But last year's tree was a debacle. It was waaaaay too big, too three people to lift, special cutting to get it into the room, and didn't fit our tree stand. So we went small this year.

There is, of course, one big problem with having a cat-themed tree ...

... it has one serious fan. There's no catnip in the tree, but every morning I have to replace a few ornaments that she's knocked over in the night.

Ah well. She's pretty cute when she plays with it. Merry Christmas, Juno! A tree made just for you.