Tree rescued ...
OK ... so The Wife and The Girls came to the rescue of the tree ... I had, frankly, given up on having one this year and put all the stuff back in storage. We had opted to try to use those silk-thread-on-styrofoam-balls ornaments, figuring that if the cat got into them, they at least would not be leaving glass shards all over the place. I had to take Daughter #1 off ot a birthday party this afternoon, and went out to pick up some of these (they had "clearance" packs of 20 for a buck each at the hardware store) before I left. The Wife and The Girls were very late getting in from their morning jaunt to the Children's Museum, so Daughter #1 and I had to bolt as soon as they came in. By the time we got back (after party and hitting 4 stores looking for some last minute gifts for The Wife and my mom), I was beat and lay down for a snooze, and when they woke me up the tree was done. They added a few packs of candy canes and some silver and red ribbons and made the tree at least look presentable.
I think the key to us having a tree is that The Wife washed out an old Glass Plus spray bottle and has converted it over to a "Cat Be Gone" water spritzer. The new kitty is unusually fond of water, so we were worried that the spray thing wouldn't work on her, but so far it's been a charm (she's hiding under the furniture covers). It will be interesting to see how the tree looks in the morning, though ... after a night of unguarded access!
I think the key to us having a tree is that The Wife washed out an old Glass Plus spray bottle and has converted it over to a "Cat Be Gone" water spritzer. The new kitty is unusually fond of water, so we were worried that the spray thing wouldn't work on her, but so far it's been a charm (she's hiding under the furniture covers). It will be interesting to see how the tree looks in the morning, though ... after a night of unguarded access!