Meezer Musings: December 2023
Festive Wishes

Welcome to the final Meezer Musings of 2023. I usually try to send this out in time for Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving fell early this year and caught me out. So here we are, already at the beginning of December!

2023 has been a tough year for many of us, both personally and in the wider world. With so much disturbing news around, we're probably all in need of some gentle holiday cheer.

So, with the help of my favorite artists, here are my festive wishes of the season for you. Warmth, light, color, fun, good food and good company, as we head into the darkest and coldest time of year.

I've also included our Topical Tips for the holidays, with some important safety reminders on caring for your cats while you're putting up your decorations and preparing Christmas gifts and food.

To get us into a holiday mood let's start with this wintry card from AmyLyn Bihrle. The cover greeting of 'Let it Snow' is followed by 'So We Can Snuggle' on the inside!

Fans of AmyLyn's will, I'm sure, be delighted to know that she has made a lot of her Siamese cat artwork available in the form of greetings cards, which can be found in her online store on Zazzle. 

Cards are a great way of buying inexpensive artwork so I've included several of the winter ones below; clicking on the images, or the links below them, will take you to the specific page in AmyLyn's store where you can find further details about the card.

Warmth

The first of my festive wishes is for warmth! November was a very wet month in the UK, but December has been much colder and in other parts of the world you already have snow.

Whether you're out and about enjoying the seasonal weather or hiding indoors away from it, I hope you're keeping warm and cozy.

In Suzanne Le Good's pack of Christmas cards below, a Siamese cat and his Oriental pal (known affectionately as the 'Two') enjoy the snowy weather and the delights of hearth and home, snuggling up next to a blazing fire to warm their paws.

Winter always make me want to burrow down under blankets and fleeces, and it seems the little cutie below has the same idea as he takes refuge in a fur-topped stocking hung by the chimney. He certainly looks very cozy!

Light

The second of my festive wishes is for light. On winter evenings it's always cheering to see twinkling, colorful illuminations, and one activity that brings me great joy is a twilight walk around my neighborhood to look at the holiday lights and Nativity scenes.

The card below from AmyLyn Bihrle has long been one of my Christmas favorites - a Siamese cat 'helping' to add the lights to a tree (with the assistance of a little mouse friend.)

In the card below, a seal and a chocolate point Siamese cat, together with their kitten, create a delightful Nativity scene under a starlit sky (with added glitter on the star!)

Unsurprisingly, this design can also be found on this year's 'December' page of Suzanne Le Good's Siamese Cat Art calendar. (Details of Suzanne's 2024 calendar can be found in our Siamese Cat Calendars page).

Color

From light, we naturally move on to color. The longer, darker days, the winter weather and the general grayness all conspire to make us want to surround ourselves with bright, colorful things.

Green and red are the traditional colors of Christmas, as displayed in the card below in which a mischievous Siamese cat has gift-wrapped himself in anticipation of Christmas Day!

Color has long been used to decorate Christmas trees and their predecessors, Yule boughs and the evergreen foliage of holly, ivy and mistletoe.

Initially, red apples and candles, painted nuts and candied fruits were used, until, in the 1870s, blown glass ornaments made in Germany and Bohemia first made an appearance.

Similar decorations can now be found in all the colors of the rainbow, and in the card below by Suzanne Le Good, a curious Siamese cat admires a range of bright, shiny balls.

You can probably imagine the havoc that could cause...

Fun

Christmas fun can sometimes be a little overwhelming but the festive season is a time for getting together with loved ones and a little gentle fun can help to lift the gloomiest of days.

The cats in the card below, by Bridgeman Studio, are having a fine old singalong (although one of the Siamese cats appears to have fallen asleep under the piano!)

Good Food and Good Company

My final wish for you is for good food and good company.

In the delightful card below, also by Bridgeman Studio, cats of all colors and sizes have gathered together with their friends and families to share in their favorite delicacies.

And finally, of course, after a good meal in convivial surroundings, what else is there to do than fall asleep with your friends? Sweet dreams, kitties!

Topical Tips for the Holidays

And so, while everyone above is safely asleep, here are my Topical Tips for the holidays to keep your own cats out of trouble while you're enjoying your preparations and the festivities that follow.

Tail End ... Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

A big thank you to everyone who reads these posts. Whether you're a long-time follower or someone who's just joined, you are very much appreciated.

That's all from me for now (with a reminder that if you haven't already bought next year's wall calendar, you'll find a selection of these on our Siamese Cat Calendars page!) and I hope to be back with another Meezer Musings at the end of January.

With that, all that remains for me to do is to wish you much warmth, light, color, fun, good food and good company and of course love, peace and joy over the holiday season, and that you enjoy the festivities, wherever you are in the world.

Caroline

Missed a Meezer Musings? A list of previous newsletters can be found here.

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