Anonymous

Good morning and happy Christmas Eve!!!

I woke up to snow! 

Not a winter wonderland but I'll take it.

Today is still a work day, technically. I saunter downstairs, greet my kitty Charlie Waffles, grab a coffee and turn on the Christmas tree.

We're staying in Philly for the holiday and I'm thankful for the quiet stillness. No rush to pack or stress of travel or worry about family dynamics. Just the three, well four, of us.

There is a ton I need to do today but first I need to head out and look for some of my clients who are street homeless.

Still at the same nonprofit (for those who read my 10/9 entry). I have since been promoted to a new role (still not making enough money but are any of us?) I still do case management but get 60 more emails a day and am able to sit in the big meetings with the “big boys” (the ones in the higher up positions who think they have power). 

I was hesitant, at first, about whether I even wanted the position. It meant more responsibility but I would also need to move to another team. New coworkers, new set of clients, new room, new desk. I also made the giant mistake of falling absolutely in love with my coworkers on my last team (damn you S, K, D, T, J and S!!). Taking the new position would mean leaving them. I also don't do well with change or transitions (again, does anyone?). 

And and and, life is not meant to be comfortable. This new position would serve me well for future roles and the other folks on my new team are very nice. It's a new set of weirdos and those of my favorite type of people.

I get dressed, layers on layers on layers. Head out the door a mere 40 minutes later than I had originally planned and I am headed to the septa limousine off to take me to city hall where I jump on the MFL and head to university city. 

The entire day I listen to Christmas music.

I don't care what anyone says, the version of White Christmas by The Drifters is the best Christmas song out there.

I find one client, grab a coffee and head back to the subway station on the way to Old City.

I am unable to track down this next person and I take it as a sign, and hope that he is somewhere inside and warm. I take a jaunt through Washington Square Park and then head to Macy's to meet my husband and son.

Center city is busier than I thought it would be and after I get to Macy's and shove myself into an elevator with 50 other people and worry if the weight will break the elevator cables and we go careening to our deaths while on the way to Santa but at least we're all together; I found my family near the toy section. 

I got there too late (sad face emoji), my husband needed to leave because he had an appointment of “no importance” that he needed to get to..

I knew (or had a feeling I knew) what appointment he was talking about. 

We've been thinking about getting another cat for a while now. Our sweet boy Charlie Waffles, we think, would benefit from a cuddle and playmate.

I asked, not very seriously, if perhaps Santa paws could bring us a cat. Knowing that pets aren't presents and it takes time to find a good match, I knew that there was a chance we would not be bringing a furbabe home for the holidays.

We headed towards Paws in Old City, “just to see” 

We walked in and perused some kennels, they didn't have a lot of cats which was nice because it means a lot of them found homes.

I was ready to call it a day and head back home when I saw him..all the way up on the top left hand corner was Marley, a 6 month old gorgeous boy. He was found as a feral kitten and has been at Paws for almost four weeks already. The volunteer told us he is very shy and stressed. They said “you can tell he wants some affection and attention but he is so scared and indecisive”

My husband was able to coax him out of his hiding place with a churu.

I know that fellow cat lovers out there know the feeling but when you know, you know. I looked at Marley and just instantly knew that while it would take some time for him to settle, he was our cat and he was destined to live with us. 

An hour later we're waiting for the subway to take us all home.

For the time being we have sequestered Marley, whose new name is Marley Pancakes, in the upstairs office. We left out food and water, toys and a used cat tower and took turns sitting quietly in the room with him..

He spent time in his carrier, then under the futon, then the blanket on the rocking chair. All progress. He is eating and drinking but not up for pets which is fine. Take your time sweet boy, we're in no rush now. 

As for Charlie Waffles, he is very excited for his new brother and can't wait to play. 

The rest of the evening included making sugar cookies. I, a seasoned baker, cannot make sugar cookies. I'm not sure if it's because we're dairy free and using earth balance as butter doesn't give it enough fat or if I'm just unable to make them (you can't be both beautiful and funny and a good sugar cookie maker). I also forgot that I threw out our old cookie cutters because they got rusty. Which then meant we needed to shape them ourselves. This included strange candy canes, an attempt at both stockings and snowflakes and the Misty Mountains (iykyk). We cooked them and ate them and even though they are absolutely deranged looking, they tasted pretty ok and I kind of love how insane they look..

I also made an eggnog cinnamon raisin French toast bake that, in my opinion, required too many eggs. They were left in the fridge overnight to be put in the over tomorrow morning after presents.

I made a ham dinner with broccoli and green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy and corn bread that was an absolute banger.

After cleaning up, we did our usual nighttime routine, all the more anxious because Santa Claus was coming to town.

I spent more time with our new fur baby. Did some dishes, brushed my teeth and headed to bed early, exhausted after a long day and with hindsight that our son would be up at the absolute crack of dawn.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and first night of Hanukkah for those who celebrate. Hoping you all have a gentle holiday season. 

Thanks for reading xx

Edit: sweet Marley Pancakes spent the first 24 hours hiding under the futon but came out Christmas morning and threw himself into pets and chin scratches; this included massive head bonks and even though he is a teenie kitty, he's got a strong little head. He goes back and forth between needing space and wanting affection. Take this as a sign to not judge a cat by their behavior at the shelter. It's a stressful environment and cats tend to open up more when you bring them home. Slow and steady wins this race!