Christmas 2009 - Or...what the Monkey did to the tree THIS year....

What a beautiful tree! Topped by an angel that's been in Kenny's family for quite some time, with crystal bead garland cascading down from the top, lights arranged in an orderly fashion, and branches loaded with vertical icicles, dangling stars and angels, and an array of other ornaments.


It was nice while it lasted......

Then we got Monkey Help.

Nobody decorates a tree quite like a Monkey Cat. This year's tally...so far...are 5 Christmas balls, 8 icicles, one spray of cherries, 5 ribbons (some chewed in half so if they had been holding ornaments, those, too, were now on the floor....) The skirting around the tree's base has been pulled to one side, and the bottom layer lies wadded up on top.

You'd think that at 4, The Little Monkey - who isn't quite so little anymore - would be bored with tree redecorating. Or that perhaps he couldn't wedge himself into the tree.

But you'd be wrong.

Here, he's halfway to the top, and the only reason he didn't go higher is because I pulled out the camera. Notice the no-longer-beautifully-cascading-crystal-garland.....

This is what our tree looked like on Christmas morning.

Poor tree!

The ornaments are in disarray. You may see some of the icicles are horizontal, as if they were frozen during a stiff wind. The garland is a mess. Some of the branches have been stripped of their decor.

However, Kenny and I were puzzled early Christmas morning. Something else was off. It was if the ornaments had been moved around on the tree....???

When we looked more closely, Kenny and I finally realized the angel on top of the tree was facing the wall. This year, The Monkey - yes, that innocent little fellow in front of the presents - had managed to turn the tree around during the night.

That's some feat, since we always tie the tree to the ceiling beam before we dare decorate it.

He's lucky he didn't get coal in his little paw-shaped stocking this year!