Three weeks later...

... and the tree still stands, undisturbed.  Frankly, I'm impressed.  The night we introduced the Christmas tree to the living room, Oscar stood barking and growling at it for at least an hour.  "What is that very large, green, furry thing in my house?" he probably thought.  This being his first Christmas, I wasn't sure how well the tree would fare.  After the barking/growling episode, I was sure the tree would not still be standing by the end of its second day.  To my credit, I did learn from last year's mistake of leaving my tree unprotected from the wrath of Nugget.  This year, it's surrounded with a gate so as to mitigate the risk of another total loss.  So far, I've busted Oscar only a handful of times standing on the arm of the couch, reaching as far as his skinny, long legs will allow him, and licking the ornaments.  To date, the tree, in its entirety, remains intact.  If we make it through next week, it will be a true Christmas miracle.