What to Do When the Cat's in the Christmas Tree?

My husband and I own a 4-year-old Maine Coon cat named Lily. Her mission in life is to destroy our Christmas tree. 

We knew she'd probably get into the tree the first year we brought her home. She was into everything, all over the counter tops, leaping on top of doors, slinking into corners. We could see the problem coming before the tree was out of the box. 

In the middle of the night, she climbed the branches and knocked the whole thing over, breaking one of my favorite ornaments. Chris, my husband, secured the base with some landscaping stones - but not before she knocked it over a second time. 

We've tried a number of methods in the past few years to keep the cat out, including: 

• Place mats covered in double-sided tape on the tree skirt. 
• Tin foil on the tree skirt.
• Orange rinds hung on the lower branches. 
• A wall of tape (facing outward) that stretched from presents to the bookcases blocking off access to the tree. 
• Spraying the cat with a water bottle each time she gets close. 

This year, we took the standard steps to secure our tree: landscaping stones on the base, no ornaments on the bottom two feet of branches, keeping the precious glass ornaments in the box. 

I also bought some "pet block" spray, even after reading reviews online that said it did nothing.

I sprayed the tree with pet block (it smells like citrus and cloves). Lily walked right over, sniffed the branches and curled up underneath. 

It was then that I decided to adopt a new philosophy: just ignore her.  

We'll see how that works out. 

What's your worst holiday story involving pets?