Merry Christmas to All

Christmas always makes me weepy. I'm not a practicing Christian, but I was raised in the Christian tradition (baptised Episcopal, raised Methodist), and I love the Christmas story--it's so gentle and full of love and, well, miraculous. And of course, the friendly beasts around Him stood. Not to mention the glorious, glorious music people have been writing for it for centuries.

And I love the lights and smells and packages--they're so pretty and so full of possibilities. I'd almost rather just sit and watch them glimmer quietly under the tree than open them. If I can get out of this house, as I hope to do this year (although I've been saying that virtually since the day I moved in 20 years ago), I'm going to set up a tree next year. The Ts are old enough to leave one alone.

Anyhow, it's a beautiful morning. About 5 years ago, it was a mild, sunny Christmas morning and I took Stella out for a walk through the neighborhood, and it was so quiet, all the outdoor decorations gleaming quietly in the sun, and Stella walking with me. It's a treasured memory, me and Stella and the sun, and the completely silent solitude in the middle of town.

I got new deer antlers for the Ts for Christmas. Jess at PetExpertise (http://www.petexpertise.com/) really came through for me, bless her--not only did she manage to get two enormous antlers, but she got them to me about 2 days after I'd ordered them. As you can see, the Ts are very pleased. Antlers are such good chewie things for them--they last forever, they don't splinter or break, they don't get slimy, they don't stink, they don't stain, they provide the dogs with trace minerals (which is why porcupines often gnaw shed antlers in the wild), and the dogs like them. How could they be more perfect?

You can get an idea here of how BIG the ones she sent me this year are here:

Timber gets primitive: taking his loot off to the safety of his den (the living room crate).

Poor Taenzie with her bad teeth can't go after hers quite as intensely as Timber, but she does enjoy doing what she can.

Timber's antler after 10 minutes. Note both the top and the bottom tines have been chewed.

Close-up: If that boy ever bit for real, you'd know it! He's flattened the end here.

I got some prezzies, too:

Monika sent me the Vogue and the beautiful yarn. It's Liisu sock yarn, which I've never used before, and the colors are so soft and beautiful. It's saying "lace socks" to me. :) And of course the white GSD card is from Monika as well. Thank you, Monika!

In back of it is a fleece scarf that's kind of dorky and funny--it has bones, hydrants, paw prints, and goofy-looking dogs on it--but it's so soft, and when I draped it over my knees while I was opening other presents, I discovered that it's VERY warm.

The cat-cartoon-a-day calendar and Mariebell Aztec Hot Chocolate are from someone I used to work with and cat-sit for. They've moved to another state now but they always sweetly remember me for Christmas. I'll need to get some milk for the Aztec Hot Chocolate (although the instructions on the back say you can serve it "European style" by mixing the entire packet with 1/4 cup boiling water. Yikes! Seems like you'd have to eat it, not drink it!).

It's so dark you can't really see it, but on the left there's a jar of brown-sugar-and-orange bath scrub from someone I plant-sit for from time to time. All natural ingredients; the Ts thought it might be edible, but they're not fond of orange. ;-)

There's a box of the renown Famous-Barr Frango mints (except now it's Macey's) from another cat-sitting client. If you've never had them, Frango mints are so different from other mints--the mint doesn't knock you off your feet; it's very subtle and blends with the rich chocolate. They're marvellous.

Behind the yarn is a box with the dogs in Santa hats. When you open it, it plays the "Jingle Bells" with barking dogs thing. To say the Ts were interested is an understatement! Sitting on top of it is a pewter dog with a thing on top that you can put a picture in (it's holding the white GSD card)--very cute. There are two German Shepherd notepads, along with a GSD puppy wall calendar, and a pewter GSD head that's actually a small hook. I like it very much and am wondering where I can put it and what I can hang off it (it's too small for leashes) Maybe I can put it by the door and hang my grey tam off it. Off on the far left are another cat bookmark--this is a pewter cat on a ribbon--and a little cat note pad. Most of the cat and GSD stuff is from a single person. I was speechless and touched and embarrassed and pleased when she came into the office and handed me this big bag obviously full of things, and this morning I just kept finding one little parcel after another.

Oh, and the tulip print was from the director of Journalism at work. He always gives me something for Christmas, and it means a good deal since I interact with him so little. He's Muslim, and dogs aren't highly-regarded in Islam, but when Stella died he wrote me the kindest note--I was blown away. I really wrestled with whether to send him the T-card--besides the fact that I hadn't been able to find a little banner that said "Happy Holidays" instead of Merry Christmas, it also had dogs on it. In the end I didn't because I was afraid he might find it offensive, but I'll certainly write him a thank-you note for the print.

Well, here it is noon! I'd better take the Ts out to play.