Dear Etsy

Dear Etsy,

I love you. I like buying gifts for people that are home-made, and individual, and quirky. I like supporting small businesses, especially at this time of year.

But can you explain to me why exactly it is that cats seem to have joined reindeer, holly and nativity scenes as the stars of the Etsy Christmas card?

You can buy this here!

I mean, I get the logic, really I do. You look around your home, you see the cat draped elegantly along the arm of the armchair. You love that ball of fluff. You want the world, or at the very least the people on your Christmas card list, to know how much you love that ball of fluff.

So you take a photo of it in a Santa hat and sell it on Etsy.

And this here

A niche market, you might think. One for the hardcore cat fan?

The 1700 cat-based Etsy cards on offer seem to prove otherwise.

Some inspired sellers have merely added feline iconography to the traditional stars/pine trees/baubles.

And from here

Others have opted to use their cat as model as well as inspiration.

And, of course, here

Personally, I think this collage is my current number one.

You're welcome!

But I still have at least 1500 more options to browse through - that could change...