My Cardboard Balcony

The Christmas Cat by Belinda Roddie The Christmas cat was quite festive indeed, wearing a Santa cap atop his head, and he would punish people's wrath and greed by taking a large dump upon their beds (litter box be damned)! He'd sneak into your house and leave you hairballs underneath the tree, and if he encountered a frantic mouse, why, he'd befriend it, happy as can be. And don't think your cabinet was deemed safe from the Christmas cat's rampage - no, in fact, he'd tear through meats and treats as if by strafe and not leave a single package intact. Nobody asked for gifts from the Christmas cat, but he still has "presents" wrapped for us!

Five O'Clock Somewhere by Belinda Roddie "Merry Christmas Eve," said Ted at two. "I'm drinking now."

Stimulus Check by Belinda Roddie Have six hundred dollars? By all means, build a guillotine.

Glow by Belinda Roddie It hasn't snowed around our cottage in well over ten years, but the ice still gets its lips stuck on the eaves and shingles and nearby pines, and the cold holds onto our hands for dear life. If we want to endure a blizzard, we hike up Sunset Hill, as we've named it, and wait for the wind to pick up around us. We wrap scarves around our shoulders, one by one, like streamers, barely fighting back the frigid deluge. You have always preferred summer, but for me, these twelve days release something in me like hot air from the iron kettle on our stove. I tell more stories during this time, sing more songs, dream more dreams. And for once, as I sip my tea in front of the fire, I hold out hope that my future, after all, holds more warmth and light than the darkness of the Solstice.

End Of Story by Belinda Roddie It's cold outside. It's almost Christmas. White people still suck.

The Littlest Cookie by Belinda Roddie It was the runt of the bake, yet just as delicious: crispy and brown with chocolate chips. It really didn't take long for it to be devoured: the littlest cookie between hungry lips.

Festive Frenzy by Belinda Roddie Four days until Christmas?! Gotta get my anxiety a present!