O Christmas Tree

We put our tree up recently, and Courtney had lots of fun putting the ornaments on. I think Nina (our cat) had more fun hitting them until they fell off. So far it has been nothing but finding ornaments on the floor, and putting them back on the tree. Also, the tree skirt has become her new scratching spot. She is also hiding random things under the skirt. When we lived in MA, our mail was delivered to us through a slot in our door. She used to steal our mail and hid it from us if we weren't home. Since she no longer has mail to steal, she has now been taking Courtney small stuffed animals, or socks, or she even tries to steal our bath mat out of our tub. (It is to bulky for her to actually get it out of the tub, but she hasn't stop trying.) Now we have presents under our tree, and Nina likes to chew on the bows. I wouldn't be surprised if I end having to re-wrap presents.

While our cat is having behavioral issue with the tree, Courtney is very good with the tree. She is always worried about it and the presents underneath. She is always careful not to step on the presents when she is rearranging the ornaments. (Which she is constantly doing. And since I bought shatterproof ornaments, I figure she is pretty safe.) She would love it if the lights were on all the time, but we have told her that the lights can only be on if it is dark outside. She still asks if we can turn them on during the day, after we tell her no, she says, "oh man", and goes about rearranging the ornaments again. I think she is slightly confused about Santa Clause. We don't really mention him at home, and we never were going to do the "Santa thing." But she has been learning that Santa brings you things, from school. I've never seen a school so liberal with Santa Clause and Christmas. I always remember Happy Holidays and all things non-religion based. But Courtney has learned about Hanukkah and Kwanzaz and now they are learning about Christmas. Obviously, they are not learning the true meaning of these holidays, just the basic celebrations. I have decided that it is good for Courtney to learn about other cultures and I am excited for her to understand that people are different from her. And I'm even okay with the teacher asking Courtney what she wants Santa to bring her. I know as she gets older and understands more, she will know the true meaning of Christmas that has little to do with Santa. I understand that Santa is very big in our culture and Christmas, and I think it's important that Courtney understand that other children believe that Santa is real, and to take their feelings into consideration when deciding whether or not to let them in on a secret, that he isn't exactly who they think he is.

Courtney also has a Christmas program next week, that she and her classmates have been working on all month. I am so excited to see her sing and dance with all her friends. I will be taking pictures and posting them. Now I'm off to go pick up Christmas ornaments....