Has Your Idaho Home had a Christmas Fail Like This One?

They can’t blame it on a cat.

You know your country isn’t working well when this happens.  The British Parliament Christmas Tree needs some work.  Maybe it’s emblematic of a fallen empire.

I’ve seen some great fails with Christmas trees, but this could be the best.  Imagine how long it would take to locate the burned-out bulb.

I haven’t put up a tree for several years because, for a good part of most days, my cat is home alone.  I know what can happen.  Even if I had a heavy stand, there would still be ornaments in every direction on the floor.

You could say what happened to Parliament is a First World problem.  Much of the planet has much worse to deal with, but I would think is a bit embarrassing for people who would be too polite to admit this wasn’t right.

When I was a young broadcaster, I worked with two friends who struggled to make ends meet.  They were raising a little girl and told me they weren’t sure they could afford the luxury of a tree.  Over Thanksgiving weekend I drove 135 miles to see family and remembered there was a small tree growing on the hill behind the house.

I made the climb with a bucksaw and discovered the tree had grown some since I last saw it.  There was a bend in the trunk and half the tree was crooked.  I cut it down, strapped it to my car roof, and drove home.  My friends were delighted anyway with the tree.  Decorations helped mask the bent look.

Then I discovered the fly in the ointment.  While admiring the lights, a big fuzzy head poked out of one bough.  The cats had their way.  Constant cleanup followed.  If nothing else, it made for some good memories.