Patrick and Austin had taken off for Grandma's. Jimmy was upstairs getting ready to go Christmas shopping with me (there was some odd lineup of planets yesterday!), and I was quietly going over my shopping list. Tucker, my beautiful, devoted furry Golden was lying at my feet asleep.The house was so quiet that you could have heard a mouse peeing on cotton.  That's when I heard it and felt the world come to a screeching halt.

  What did I hear? I heard the jingle bells on my Christmas tree jingle. Then I heard pine needles falling on wrapped gifts under the tree. OH MY GOSH!!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD MADE THOSE JINGLE BELLS JINGLE?  Jimmy walked into the room less than one second after this happened and I asked, "Did you hear THAT? Well, of course, he didn't! He asked me what I heard. When I told him, I got that look that parents get on their faces when their children tell them about aliens that abducted them in the middle of the  night while we were sleeping. He walked over and touched my forehead to see if I had a fever, patted me on my shoulder like one would do with a demented old maid Aunt and asked me if I was ready to go.  

 Now, I guess this is where I should tell you that I have an inordinate fear of mice. I have never met another person in my life that is more afraid of a mouse than I am. To me there is no distinction at all between being thrown into a room of lions or tigers, or bears, or mice. They are all just the same to me. Is this silly and unreasonable as I've been told? Hell NO!  

 So, Jimmy looks up at me where I'm standing on the chair and asks calmly if I'm ready to go!

I mean it people, the man was just going to walk out of our house and leave that vile specimen of wildlife to have it's way in MY HOUSE! Well, let me tell you, that was NOT going to happen! I instructed him that he must go into the garage and get mouse traps. I told him that he must set every mouse trap we had in the family room and kitchen. He laughed at me! Yes, he laughed at me. He tried to convince me that I had not heard what I knew that I had heard. He asked me when I had ever heard of a mouse being in a Christmas tree making jingle bells jingle. As calmly as I could, with my voice cracking and my eyes filled with tears I described again exactly what I had heard. He still didn't believe me but he knew that I wasn't coming down off of that chair unless and until he did something that involved mousetraps. So, he did what any sane man with a hysterical wife standing  on a chair would do, he went into the garage and got a mouse trap. He prepared it with peanut butter and set it behind the Christmas tree. He then put Tucker in the kennel so he wouldn't get caught in the trap while we were gone. I ran, and I do mean RAN out of the house.  

 It took me an hour of shopping to forget about the wild creature ravaging my home. Every time I mentioned it, he would give me that sympathetic pat on my shoulder and mutter something very patronizing. He still didn't believe me.   Four hours later we returned home. I, of course, made him come in the house first and make sure it was safe. I stood in the hallway scared to death. He came back with this funny look on his face and said, "You were right, there was something in the tree. The trap was set off but it got away." IT GOT AWAY? IT GOT AWAY? How can this be happening?  I have to LIVE in this house!! I cannot LIVE in this house with wild creatures inside! Jimmy  let Tucker out of his kennel and he immediately ran to the tree, nose to the ground sniffing. He sniffed all over the hearth and around several pieces of furniture. Then he meandered to the kitchen and settled himself on the floor for a nap (the dog, not Jimmy). He reset the trap and went to change his clothes. And where was I while he was doing this? Standing in the hallway with my coat still on and packages still in my arms, with tears in my eyes, wondering how I was  going to sell this house and be in a new mouse-free one by Christmas.  

 It's now 14 hours later. Jimmy and Patrick had the nerve to go to work today and leave me here.  Tucker and I are the only ones in the house. Well, I guess that's not entirely true, we are the only ones in the house that are supposed to be here. I stayed in bed till noon, not sleeping!  I have to work today, thank goodness! I would really love to have lunch and something to drink before I leave, but since that would involve going to the back half of the house, that's not going to happen.  

I will be forever traumatized by the sound of jingle bells. Dammit!