I wasn’t going to reveal this to everybody but my husband said I had to since 
the blogosphere is all about honesty and sincerity and thruthiness — right? — so the plain simple fact is I only put our tree up yesterday. Yesterday. As in four days before Christmas. I know, I know. Friends were shocked and appalled. Family members kept checking in anxiously on my (non) progress. How did this happen? I’m not quite sure. It’s not that I’m anti-tree. I put my mom’s up for her. I oohed and ahhed over everybody else’s trees. I just never got around to doing my own. I didn’t do it the weekend after Thanksgiving because I was gone and I was gone the next weekend, too, and then I had the Sinus Infection From Hell and then suddenly it seemed too close to time 
to take it down to put it up. And I was sort of approaching it as an experiment: How would I feel if I didn’t put a tree up? As Dec. 25 got closer, I got my answer: Not good. So up it went on Monday and everybody has been properly impressed. I have had the stockings up since Dec. 1, though, so there you are. And here’s the thing: Our Christmas tree is not one of those beautifully color-coordinated and themed trees. I think those are pretty, but I don’t do it myself. Nope. Our tree is like a family scrapbook — one with green stickery things that the cats climb up. We’ve got 20-year-old kindergarten wreaths and baby Jesuses sharing branch time with vacation souvenirs and mementos of favorite things and good times. Now, that’s a Christmas tree.
Christmas Trees
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It’s Day No. 3 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown. If your home looks a little bare and you’ve got company coming soon, try this quick and festive decorating trick using things I promise you’ve got around your house. First, find a pretty clear bowl — how about that one you got as a wedding present and have never ever used? Second, unearth those boxes of solid-colored glass Christmas balls you bought on sale two years ago because you thought maybe someday you might want to hand-letter names and dates on them for personalized gifts but then later realized that really you never will and what are you going to do with boxes of solid-colored glass Christmas balls? Third, pile (carefully) the glass balls in the bowl, put your creation where 
everybody can see it and receive compliments for being an innovative and talented decorator. I know this sounds way too simple, but believe me: Its effectiveness far outweighs the effort you’ll put into it. And you get twice the decorating power since this looks cheerful and colorful in daylight and glows quite elegantly at night. If you’re so inclined, you can get all fancy and use glass balls of different sizes or coordinate different containers (bowls, vases, margarita glasses) of various colors for a pretty impressive display. Check back tomorrow for Day No. 2 in Cathy’s Christmas Countdown for a new take on hanging Christmas stockings.
Our friends Ginna and Charlie in Tupelo, Mississippi, have the loveliest house 
and it practically glows at Christmastime. Their festive holiday mantle makes me happy just looking at it, although Ginna disavows any credit and says a decorating friend of hers put it together. But Ginna’s the one who bought the raw ingredients, so I think she deserves all kudos. We stopped by to see Ginna and Charlie this past Sunday afternoon in our search for dry martinis and good company. Ginna was finishing one last bunch of holiday goodies and congratulating herself on having the tree up, the presents bought, the presents wrapped and even the stocking stuffers successfully hidden away — unusual for her, she said. Of course, Charlie had done his part by spending all afternoon raking and bagging leaves. Let’s see, they had been busy and productive and had their Christmas to-do list all checked off, while my husband and had been driving around talking about all the things we had to do and bumming drinks off of people. Hmm …
Our sweet Black Lab mix, Abby, died this past spring, and we’ve finally gotten used to not seeing her every morning at our back door, so eager for some people love. But here’s the thing: Right now here in Alabama we’re going through the first freezing cold snap since she died, and one of the first things both my husband and I have thought of as temperatures plummeted has been, “We’ve got to remember to put Abby in the basement tonight.” It’s like our brains have not yet unhooked the thought process that links “freezing temperatures” to “bring Abby in.”
It’s Day No. 4 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown, and it’s time for the world’s easiest and most appreciated gift ever: Peppermint Bark. Or, as we call it in my family in honor of my brother Mark, who claims this as his favorite holiday candy ever — Mark’s Bark. Sure, you can buy it fancy and already made from gourmet stores like Williams-Sonoma. But I promise you can make it much easier than pie. Here’s what you do: Melt some chocolate — whatever you’ve got around the house is fine. Spread it out sort of thin on a wax- or parchment-paper lined pan. Crush up some 
peppermint candy (very therapeutic this time of year if you put the candy in a securely closed plastic food bag and whack away with a rolling pin) and sprinkle the candy on the chocolate before it’s cool. When cool, break apart into cookie-sized pieces (again, very therapeutic). Stack and wrap for a festive gift or arrange on a plate for instant oohs and ahhs. You can get more complicated by layering white chocolate over the dark (a bit tricky because to make the layers stick you have to add the white-chocolate layer at just the right point in the cooling process) or by adding finely crushed peppermints or other flavorings to the chocolate. Need more help? For a video step-by-step tutorial , visit 
I’ll admit that I usually spend December evenings curled up on the
couch watching Bing Crosby movies in my pajamas and eating the best part of Chex Mix — the burned crunchy bits at the bottom of the pan, but the invitation to a Christmas party in Huntsville, Alabama, for this past Saturday night said dress to impress. Marlene, the hostess, wanted a glam cocktail party, so my husband and I tried our best. How do you think we did? My husband always looks so spiffy in a suit. For the party, he went with classic all black and since he couldn’t find his Christmas tie, he substituted his Beatles one for a festive touch. My dress was a two-year-old (three? four?)
black halter from the sadly now-defunct Parisian’s, with the added feature of not being tight or binding in any way — my only prerequisite for party clothes. All I can say is, 
“Damn. We look good!” Marlene kept the festivities to proper cocktail hours so we could go out to eat or whatever afterwards, but before we did that, John and I stopped by my daughter and son-in-law’s apartment for a quick snuggle with almost 9-months-old grandson. Good company, good food and good baby time to top it off. Could it get any better?
Demos’ alert! The Florence, Alabama, location will open at 11 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 29. This middle Tennessee family-owned and -operated restaurant is a favorite of almost everybody who eats there — the other four Demos’ are in Mufreesboro, Nashville, Hendersonville and Lebanon. The Florence one is behind Books-a-Million, and I ducked in there the other day to check it out. It was bustling, with training going on in the kitchen and folks busy in the front putting away napkins, organizing menus and generally getting ready. If what I saw and heard is any indication — an attentive bunch in the kitchen listened gravely as they were instructed to “Hold the plates this way. Not this way. Not this way. But this way” and a sign above the pass-through read “There is only one boss here: The customer.” — the legendary Demos’ commitment to service and value is alive and well.
Welcome to Day No. 5 of Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas 
Countdown. You know, decorating your front door is like tying a festive ribbon around a carefully wrapped Christmas gift — it sets the tone and makes a promise for good things inside. I love this door in my daughter and son-in-law’s apartment complex in Huntsville, Alabama. A young couple with babies just moved in here, and I imagine that both time and money are tight. So they wrapped cardboard pieces in holiday paper and jaunty bows to create a quick, simple, inexpensive and fun entry — especially easy and environmentally
friendly when using leftover scraps. I love this idea! It reminds me of one year when I was young and my mom wrapped our front door in thick red paper and a huge white bow — creating, I thought, the world’s largest Christmas present. Moms are good like that. Check back tomorrow for Day No. 4 in Cathy’s Christmas Countdown — the easiest food gift ever perfect for co-workers, neighbors and everybody else.
For Day No. 6 in Cathy’s 12 Days Before Christmas Countdown, here’s an idea for a super last-minute gift and stocking stuffer. I love these! One of the best timesaving holiday tips I’ve ever heard is to have a signature gift that you can buy in bulk and have on hand for almost everybody on your list. You may not have thought of travel mugs as a one-size-fits-all gift since not everybody drinks coffee or has commutes, but these mugs are perfect for all sorts of folks. You can use them for coffee, sure, but also hot cocoa for those late-night drives out to see the lights and hot tea for extra energy to make it through that final shopping push. Or make your morning smoothie portable. And you don’t even need a cupholder to enjoy these mugs, of course. Maybe your kids will drink 
their milk if you give it to them in a penguin “glass.” I’ve seen mugs like theseeverywhere this year — Starbucks especially has some cute ones. To make them useable past December, my friend Susan (who gave the tall mug in the middle to her book-club members this year) says to look for winter themes rather than strictly holiday designs. She is so smart! Check back for Day No. 5 in the Christmas Countdown for a festive yet simple door design.
Coffee with Cathy 