Wintry Wondrous Land - Another Holiday Poem by Neyland D. Catt

A festive Saturday to you all!  Neyland D. Catt here to hand you all a piping hot cup of cheer.  I wouldn't drive or operate any heavy machinery after having that cup.*  Just a helpful hint.  Anyhoo... we're all in a rather chipper and christmassy kind of mood here.  I've had the opportunity to keep posting for a bit now and Big Pinkie is gleefully counting down the days.  Oh no.  Not for Christmas.  For Monday.  He will probably be getting his stint out and he's worse than a kid on Christmas Eve.**  So, that brings us to this post.  It's another holiday poem by yours truly!  Sit back have a candy cane on me...



              Wintry Wondrous Land
                               by
                    Neyland D. Catt

Twas a bright and chill December day
and all the cats were hard at their play.
Fat Tiger bounding through the snow
quite fast at first, then quite slow.
Anime laughs and shouts with glee
for snow is blanketing all we can see.
Gracie is snuggled down warm in her bed
a bright Santa Hat perched on her head.
Shifty Luna is watching from the window on high
I keep a close watch from the corner of my eye.
I grin a grin most cats wouldn't understand
this is most truly a Wintry Wondrous Land.

Big Pinkie is tangled in Christmassy wrapping
he tries, he fails, to wrap before scrapping.
At last he cries out, a joyous victory
as he lifts up his gift, wrapped shoddily.
The Lady just smiles a soft smile, unbidden
for only she knows where her gifts have been hidden.
Outside tiny field mice flee, full of fear
as Anime chases, Tiger brings up the rear.
They chase over hills covered over with snow
and there in the drifts, the mice have nowhere to go.
I smile to myself as the mice make their last stand
this is most truly a Wintry Wondrous Land.

Now night time is drifting to cover our house
fat Tiger is napping, tummy full of field mouse.
Gracie awakes, she's missed all the fun
Only in her dreams did she chase and run.
Luna curls up high atop the dinner table
She'd have chased mice if she had been able.
Pinkie and The Lady drink warm cups of cheer
Fondly enjoying this rare time of year.
I settle in to write on my blog
Occasionally distracted by the burning yule log.
This chill, snowy day has gone exactly as planned
this is most truly a Wintry Wondrous Land.

**********************

Thanks for reading!  Come back tomorrow for Neyland D. Catt's Holiday Gift Guide!

---Neylo


*Well, really.  What did you think was in a cup of cheer, after all?  Cocoa?

**It's true.  If Santa delivered stint removals, I'd be gazing hopefully at the night sky - hoping to see his eight tiny reindeer and the fat jolly old elf in scrubs!

When did Thanksgiving stop mattering?

Hello all.  Neyland D. Catt back at you again.  Yeah.  That's right.  Time to get yourself a brainful of cat goodness.

Today I want to talk to you all about a disturbing trend: the shrinking importance of Thanksgiving.  Apparently this holiday doesn't mean anything anymore.  I remember a time when Thanksgiving was right up there Christmas.  Halloween took a back seat and New Years wasn't even a twinkle in anybody's eye.  Turkey Day was one of the big dogs.  A Prime Time Player.  Now it's just a speed bump in the madcap rush to fling all your cash away before December 25th.

Seriously, what happened here?  Obviously, commercialization is a big part of it.  There's pretty much only one big item that can be marketed for Thanksgiving: turkeys.  That's it.  Just big fat birds.  Christmas gives us more options for things to buy than anyone will ever possibly need.  Stores will dutifully hawk everything from toys to toasters.  Even unsold turkeys will find their way into Christmas ads.  So, obviously, Turkey Day takes a big back seat to Christmas.  However, it has even fallen behind Halloween in holiday prominence.  Again, Halloween offers more marketing opportunities.  Costumes, decorations, and candy versus turkeys.  Dead, plucked turkeys.  Christmas has candy too by the way.  There's just no demand for pumpkin pie flavored lollipops or turkey-shaped milk chocolate.  Maybe a marshmallow pilgrim?  No.  Thanksgiving needs a marketing makeover.

The other problem with Thanksgivings popularity is that there is no appeal to children.  For Christmas they get toys.  For Halloween they get candy.  For Thanksgiving they get... to eat.  They pretty much do that every day.  Probably things they like better than turkey and dressing.  Kids just don't find the same joy in sitting down with the entire family to have a meal.  Maybe Thanksgiving needs an activity to draw in the kids.  Maybe turkey-shaped pinatas filled with marshmallow pilgrim candy.

Really, though, it boils down to the point of the holiday.  Giving thanks.  That really doesn't seem to be trendy these days.  It's not glamorous like dressing up in crazy costumes or opening shiny packages.  Being thankful?  Nah.  It's too bad really, because these days we all have so much to be thankful for.  It's a shame that we can't all take a day out of our busy lives to appreciate that.  At this rate, the holiday should change it's name to Thanks-taking.  As in, "thanks for letting me take all of your money for Christmas".  Or maybe Banksgiving.  In the end, the only ones who really seem to take Thanksgiving seriously are the turkeys.  Especially if they survive it.

Back tomorrow with a little something I call "Fun with Captcha Words!"

Neyland D. Catt