Mother bought an artificial Christmas tree many years ago, tired of fighting the yearly mess. (And the predictable attack of severe allergies.) Eventually she gave up on the artificial tree, too. She replaced it with a small ceramic tree, which fit on the table and was easy to put away when Christmas was over. All of this means that Vanna, who is thirteen years old, has never seen a real Christmas tree. Until last night…

Her housemates are accustomed to our mysterious mid-December decor, but that doesn’t mean they are immune to the tree’s allure.

This year’s tree seems to have earned the approval of all three cats. It survived the rigors of feline inspection and is, for the moment, their favorite spot in the house.