Christmas- Through the dogs eye view

OK- now that Thanksgiving is over, I think I can relax a little. Then, when out on my walk, I notice something rather strange- humans have put up these big bright things- Mom calls them Christmas lights- on their homes. There are also huge displays of them in the park where I walk everyday, and more going up everyday. They are everywhere- and in the park, people drive by us constantly so that they can look at the lights. Mom says they stop at this little shed to give some person standing around with candy money- but for what? For the privilege of driving me absolutely bonkers? I only like this because the volunteers give me doggie treats, so it must not be SUCH a bad thing. Mom even takes the long way home some nights so she can look at different homes in different areas of town to see what they have done. It's an infectious disease, I tell you, but one that isn't terribly harmful. Mom recovered last year, so I don't worry too much about it.

A few days after Thanksgiving, Mom completely loses her mind. There is a big box in the closet, which I know comes out twice every year- and what's inside is so NOT funny. Mom puts up what looks exactly like a pine tree- only it doesn't smell like a pine tree and I can't smell where any other dogs have marked on it, so it can't be a pine tree. To make matters even worse, she puts these things on it that look suspiciously like my favorite toy- a ball- only I can't play with these or Mom gets VERY angry. Really Mom, I don't want to EAT them- I want to play with them. That should be OK, right? Wrong. I pulled one down last year and before I could even play with it for a minute, it broke into tiny bits. So I grabbed another one- this time, not a ball shaped one. It came off easily, and I started to chew it. Oh, was it ever tasty! Mom was less than amused- something about it being a Hallmark ornament that cost her $25. Any way, it was done, and I'll not make that mistake this year.

After a couple of weeks of this tree being in the house, Mom does something even stranger, if that's even possible. She spends an afternoon working in her room- off limits to me, which is a rarity. She does this every winter, and- as expected- when she comes out, she has tons of these boxes, only they are dressed very funny. They have pretty paper and large bows on them, which I can't possibly comprehend. I pull one bow off, and Mom gets hysterical. What is causing this madness?

One afternoon, Mom takes me to town for a long walk at the Park, looking at the lights and generally enjoying myself. Then, she takes me to this place I've only heard about- the Shelter- where unwanted animals are placed to try to find them homes. Now, this is scary stuff for me! We go to another door, though, and inside I'm given a funny hat to wear and a new bandanna, and I'm told I'm to meet Santa Paws. When I get into the room, this huge man with his face covered in white hair tries to pet me- I refuse!!! He tries again, and I piddle a puddle on the floor to show him that I mean him no harm. I am literally quaking with fear, so the humans and Mom work to calm me down. Finally, they get me on his lap and a human takes our picture with one of those flash boxes they love so much. I have never been so humiliated.

Finally, comes the night Mom calls Christmas Eve. I don't quite understand what is going on. Company is in and out all evening, and some of the paper wrapped boxes disappear in a flurry of pretty paper for me to shread. Mom says this is the night Christ was born and we celebrate it because He came to save the world from sin so, instead of sleeping, she goes off to Mass in the middle of the night. Completely incomprehensible.

The next day, we wake up very early- I'm pretty sure this is going to be Thanksgiving all over again. But this time, she gives me a very cheery hug and we snuggle for a few minutes. Then, she gives me this gigantic sock from under that fake tree, full of what can only be- oh please let me be right- TOYS! Tons of toys, and a few treats, too. I'd forgotten about this part of Christmas! This is pretty cool! After I look at the goodies, Mom puts me in this funny collar which has bells on it and rings when I walk and we take a VERY early morning walk around the neighborhood, with Mom wearing a funny red and white hat. Mom says it's something we're going to do to make children think Santa has arrived and to make them wonder if they heard sleigh bells. Then, we go back to the house and Mom settles down to work on the big dinner. I KNEW something about this morning wasn't right! After hours of working on that, with the associated deprivation and misery, we get to snuggle on the couch until company arrives to eat another huge dinner, followed by a long nap and a walk in the afternoon. What a busy month!!! Happy Holidays!!!!