My cat always wants to escape even though when she's out there in her safe little cage kennel with us she panics any time there's a big noise and want to go in like her life depends on it. She's slipped our grip a couple of times and chased a poor neighborhood cat around at top speed, luckily the neighborhood cat circled back around to us and then we caught our kitty - but OH GOD THE PANIC. I don't think we would ever see her again if we didn't catch her right away. We have this like 4-5 inch black cat silhouette window cling and when we first put it up on our backdoor the neighborhood cats we're friends with would sit there and eyeball it like it's real lol But lets be honest us humans generally don't know what we want either and forget pretty quick how bad things suck once we get it in our heads again that we want it lol

I would also want to personally meet the people also. I even like to give to homeless people and I rather go personally, I know that a lot of those places like churches help others but I rather go to the people and hand them out so I know they get the items. I remember this one year these people brought socks and scarfs to this church where homeless go to eat an seeing how happy it made them just to receive basic everyday items, it filled up my heart and made me realize that people don't need all these fancy items.

Do those cat pheromone plug ins really help? Spooky is scheduled to be neutered on January 25th. I hope Selene can hold on until then! If the cat pheromone's help, I may have to give it a shot!

I grew up on Long Island. Not even Nassau County so it was definitely less like NYC! I worked in Brooklyn at a traveling carnival one summer. It was so busy! I have been in Maine for about 13 years. I still say "yes!" XD I do catch myself saying "eh?" a lot though! (Canadian thing apparently.) :D Do you live near NY anymore?

I am glad you are feeling better! Thanks for the compliment on my HA. It was my Christmas morning HA. Complete with my kitties! XD The kitties had a good Christmas. They received tons of treats, toys, blankets, and new scratching posts. My son did well too! XD How was your day??

Sorry to both of you for taking forever to respond. It's been hectic here! Any plans for New Years??

"Come & Gone" response... I know it's silly, but what I miss most about the holiday's being over is my Christmas decorations. They just make my living room feel so friendly and cozy. I put up my Christmas cards as decorations on the wall and it always adds a little extra. I always leave them up until the first weekend after New Years. I am always sad to have to put them away though! <3

Gonna have a few friends over ^^ Drink and bbq! I miss the decorations too after I take them down!!! My house feels so empty like how did I live without the decorations before XDD

Hahah I don't understand the secretive recipe thing either. I would share any of my recipes so people can remake it if they really like it or add their own spin to it to make it better.

A big part of what I miss has to do with the decorations and baking. About the decorations, I mainly think of two things, Christmas villages, and the tree. My grandma is very much a collector of Christmas decorations and is more than obsessed with the holiday. So that excitement has trickled down to us grandkids. She would let us help decorate house but the big event was decorating the tree. Grandma, my mom and my sisters and I, would all get together and help with the tree, almost every ornament she has is special and has a memory, be it a craft one of the girls made ten years ago, a gift from grandpa, or a heirloom. Hearing where each ornament came from was always interesting, and boy were there a lot of stories to hear. Her tree always ends up being the most nostalgic and lovely tree that I've seen irl so far, (and not just because I helped decorate it :p) She just has so many of the older, homemade looking ornaments and garland and that really gives it that nostalgic Christmas feel. The village I mentioned is probably my absolute favorite if I'm being honest because her village is very elaborate, she has everything from wells, to houses, to a functioning carousel, to a ferris wheel that actually spins and plays music. As a kid I was mesmerized by the whimsical and magical feeling in the village gave me and as a young adult I feel the same (though now I know of and appreciate the effort she puts into putting the village together, I mean that is some WORK if you do it as well as she does.) Now as far as the baking goes, every year we have a "baking and crafting day" where the closest family members and some friends get together at my grandmas and spend the whole day baking cookies, candies and other treats, and making crafts she found and gathered the stuff to make. usually these things are ornaments but some are other little decorations for our rooms. One year, we made snowmen out of socks and they turned out to be the cutest little things, almost looked like we bought them from the store, another year we made an ornament that was a clear ball with a little tree and "snow" inside. Usually we'd do four or five crafts. Just gathering together like that and the memories of sitting around, jokinh and laughing as we made these things makes me feel so wonderful and happy. I guess as a whole, the thing I love most about christmas is definitely the warm, fuzzy, happy, nostalgic feeling, and getting to make these memories with my family.

Its one of the worst feelings in the world, its like your own child is lost, you think of all the hazards, especially if they;re strictly indoor, cars, bikes, dogs stray cats (not the Big Band group lol), coyotes, too so when he was gone overnight, we already started to mourn him. Now that's a neat trick, catching a cat engaged in a high speed chase,but glad you got your fur baby back

LOL The clingy cat is too funny that it attracted so much notice, I mean a cat who's hunting or about to fight will stay stock still for a few minutes to size up an opponent or prey. The ceramic cat he was terrified of? I got nothing, except panic, thinking it was gonna take a chunk out of him:( LOL mine will bolt if there's a sudden, loud noise, Moushie spent last 4th of July under my roommate's bed

We were practically neighbors then! Unfortunately I moved to Ca in 94, lol I still think of myself as a NYer, I talk fast, my statements sound like statements and not questions (for whatever reason a lot of Californians voice gets higher at the end of a sentence so it sounds like they're asking rather than making a statement and yes, its hard not to say "Are you asking me or telling me?" LOL I can imagine you not going native Mainer

Working the travelling carnival must have been pretty cool, what did you do?

The pheromone plug in works pretty well, the most annoyed our cranky cat (Bea) gets was hissing at her butt-headed brother, but now she's discovered the top of the entertainment center, so if he's in the living room she'll jump up there. lol Poor brother has Hobbit legs so can't jump up from the mantle tp the top of the e center (')

Maybe whoever your Aunt passes the recipe on to won't be nearly as secretive. A lot of old school cooks didn't write down recipes, my Mom made the best meatballs I've ever had but there was nothing in her recipe file for it, everything else but not the one recipe everyone wanted

For myself, I'd share and be excited to see how the person I passed it on to tweaked it to make it their own

I guess what I miss the most are the decorations and the fantastic foods! Generally the atmosphere. ^_^ I love all the cute little decorations my family puts out (we all do - to the extent that we sometimes don't put them away until March). They make me feel cheerful whenever I see them. We have tiny robins with santa hats, a few santas around the place, and some gorgeous tiny trees. Then there's the actual tree! I love how it smells and seeing all the gorgeous decorations we stuck on it. I enjoy decorating the tree every year. I always feel sad when it's time for it to go. My dad bought some GF mince pies a few days ago and I loved them! I adore mince pies and hadn't had any for years. Hurray for people waging war against gluten. :P

I guess I should get around to actually answer the prompt...

The thing I miss about the holiday season when it's over is the holiday lights. The winter is so long and dark and the holiday lights make it just a little bit brighter, friendly and warmer - so I definitely miss them when they're gone and we just go back to regular cold dark winter nights.

I love the food too maybe a little to much! Had a stomach ache all christmas so I ate very little. :( lost three pounds but can I go back and eat all the things????

Aww, you poor thing! I hope you're feeling much better and that you still managed to have a good Christmas. Are there any leftovers?

I miss the quiet when the holidays are over. Sure, there is a lot of hustle and bustle in shops before Christmas but overall things get quiet. Less traffic, less people out at restaurants, less people calling/nagging me for things, and definitely less people at work. I just like how everything sort of settles down for the holidays and people enjoy their own lives a little bit more rather than focus on work or school. We just all spend more time with each other - actually spend time together.

ono what area you live that its so dark and cold, I'm in cali and well it feels like recently ever year its been not as cold as the previous year. I love going around the neigborhood and looking at peoples decorations and all the lights they put up. I live in this apartment type owned by one guy and the apartments don't really decorate, I put up a window tree light thing it lights up. I wish I had my own house to go crazy on :D

Come and gone... I miss my family, badly. I miss home, and childhood, and all the things that I am painfully aware will never come back. Post-Christmas is a tough period for me, because I always go back to the real world feeling confused and overwhelmed by life. I know that's a pretty intense response, but it's definitely the most honest one I can give. The holiday is so full of family and memories for me. It's been long enough that my hometown doesn't feel like I just "belong" anymore, it's not "mine" now. And the memories from years and years of childhood - cherished, treasured - but I also drive away thinking about how I can hardly remember what it was like anymore, to be so relaxed and care free and sure of the world. Every year I feel the painful pulling towards both adventure and discovery and home and family, because too often you just can't have both the ways you want to.

These all pass though. I get over the hump of overthinking and end up just being thankful for all the things I have to miss, for all the amazing moments of my childhood and for my small home town. I end up looking forward to the next year, and to all the things the future will bring to the holidays.

Chat I love your answer! I never thought about it, but I miss the lights too! I love driving around and looking at all the bright, joyful yards. It's weird when all the magic leaves. And oh my gosh, I am terrified anytime one of my fur babies gets out when they're not supposed to! I have three pups, two kitties (indoor cats), and a hamster. My one cat got out once and thankfully was so scared by the real world that he turned and hightailed it (no pun intended) right back to the house. My newest dog is the one I worry about the most, followed by the kitties. He's terrified of everything and wont let people near him. I'm scared that if he ever got out he would bolt and end up getting hit by a car or making it into a wooded area and never coming back. The kitties worry me too because they've never been allowed out and I think they'd get hurt. Thank God it pretty much never happens!

YES! Mint and chocolate is one of my favorite combinations in the world! I always opt for mint cocoa, especially if we're making "adult" holiday beverages! So yummy! C:

ty for feedback. will do

I unfortunately can't have "adult" beverages anymore due to my health but I do enjoy my cocoa when I can have it. ^_^

I'm sorry! My sister has a medical issue that doesn't allow her to have them either. So what do you prefer on your cocoa - marshmallows or whipped cream? C:

It entirely depends on my mood. I love mini marshmallows!! But I also love putting whipped cream and sprinkles. xD Occasionally I'll put caramel drizzle or chocolate drizzle on it too. :o

You?

Drizzle! Why have I not done this yet!? I also go for both C: I think I like mini marshmallows when I'm feeling nostalgic and whipped cream when I'm feeling fancy - definitely stirring with a candy cane either way!

Not a whole lot but we had a christmas today too and I ate waaay to much! lol