I am completely beside myself coming to the realization that the year is almost over, and what a year it has been. What was supposed to be a steady and calm year has turned out to be as eventful as ever. Fox is growing faster than we can keep up with and we’ve changed cities (now twice) this year.

But there is one other major difference: the last several years has seen our entire home transform into a winter wonderland (usually the day after Halloween). We’ve only been in our new home for about a week – and still without all of our large furniture – that stuff comes on Friday. This has made it more difficult to celebrate the season or get into the holiday spirit. With all of our decorations and even our tree still packed deep in storage at our old home, our decorations have been minimal. Luckily, the weather has been very “wintery” (or as much as it can be in Los Angeles), so the hot cocoa has been flowing and cheesy Christmas movies are on a nearly 24-hour loop.

And our family members are far from grinches. Fox has already opened up a couple presents that arrived early and we’ve been focusing making sure our furry family members know how much they’re cared for this year. If you didn’t read it, be sure to check out my wife’s article about the precious little Kriser’s kitty gift basket we put together for our two cats Peter and Sweet Dee (yes a namesake of Kaitlin Olson’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia character).

Since the playful gifts were covered by her, I opted to use our time at Kriser’s Natural Pet to pick up some essentials for our fuzz balls. With the new move, we’ve also decided to focus on quality of care for Peter and Dee. With a big, beautiful Kriser’s store right down the street, I know that I can always pick up the highest quality food, litter and treats for them. The holiday toy section is ridiculous, and the quality of products available at Kriser’s is just a step above other stores. They even have custom-made holiday themed dog treats that look good enough to eat myself.

And while this step up in essentials is not quite as exciting as catnip-filled stockings and stuffed Santas, I hope they’ll appreciate the effort and daily benefits of higher quality and environmentally friendly products. I sure do!