It's almost Christmas

It's almost time for Christmas, and this is how I know:

First, Mama came home from a Green Party where she traded some of her art for this:


She hung it up outside so that the cold winter front door would be cheerful. Then she got busy doing this:


Daddy thinks it is silly, but Mama likes it. She decorated the tree with ornaments from when Daddy was little and from when she was little. There is even a picture frame ornament for my friend, Toodles, who went to Heaven when I was only a month old. I miss him. I think Miss Ping misses him, too, because she keeps jumping up on the table and staring at his photo.

Issy likes to sit up there, too, but he never looks at the photo. He didn't know Toodles, so I guess that makes sense. He just jumps up and watches birds out the window and sniffs at the little snowmen on the table. And if you are wondering why there are four stockings, it's because there is one for me and one for Mama and one for Daddy and one that all three of the kitties have to share.

So those are the first reasons I knew that Christmas was coming...then something really cool happened! I woke up one morning and this was on the ground:


Snow! I'd forgotten all about snow, though Mama and Daddy tell me that I really liked it last year when I was a baby. Daddy and I went outside to play right away, and the first thing Daddy did was teach me how to make snowballs:


He said, "It's a life skill." Mama wasn't so sure. Too bad the snow melted before I got very good at it. I can't wait for Christmas!