A Furry Christmas

by Donna MacMeans

The bandits have been celebrating the many traditions and facets of Christmas for the last two weeks, but I don't want to forget our pets and their role in making the holidays memorable. Even tonight my family was reminicing about past Christmases, and a discussion ensued about our cat's annual attack on the train set/Christmas village that my dad set up each year in the basement. She favored a sneak attack on the covered wagon car as it whizzed by on the track, patiently waiting for a well-timed swat.

Have you noticed all the video clips of animals and Christmas? (Yay technology!) Everything from singing animals to a clip on how to wrap a cat (which I don't recommend)

We've always had pets involved in our Christmas celebrations. My longtime canine friend passed a few years ago, but my son brings over his dog at Christmas. She's an American Bulldog. Not the brightest of the species, but very loving. I slipped a present under the tree for my son and placed a name tag on it that it's from his dog. It's a coffee mug that says "Everything tastes better with dog hair." LOL

Time for another clip.

The baby goats were always my favorite animals in the petting zoo. They're so...exuberant.

I was looking for a clip on birds dancing to Christmas carols, but the ones I found were...boring. I like to remember the birds at this time of year as finding food can be difficult for the cardinals and juno birds that stick around through the cold winter. Don't forget to hang a suet-seed ornament for them outside if you can.

So the reason I'm talking about pets - besides the fact that the videos are so cute - is that my husband has agreed that it's time to consider a new pet. We have a beta fighting fish and we used to have Killer the snail but fish are a bit on the passive side - not the same thing as a dog, you know? (Besides Killer passed away a month ago. I think the tablet my daughter added to the water for the health of the fish did in the poor snail. Just a reminder of the delicate balance of the eco system.)

So help me out. I'll probably be looking for a dog at the shelter once the weather improves. Any suggestions on a breed? My son is allergic to cats - but aren't there cats that don't have the dander that trigger the allergies? What kind are those? Tell me your animal Christmas stories. Toppled trees? Stolen cookies? Any neat ways to make sure the animals get to celebrate along with us? Don't forget - a spectacular prize goes to one lucky commentor. (see details below)

Now this isn't a Christmas video, but if you haven't watched it yet, you're in for a laugh.

Merry Christmas!

It's FINALLY here! The hackey hudjson 12 Days of Christmas Booty. Every day between now and Christmas, one lucky commenter per day will win a daily prize and on some days, additional goodies from that day's blogging Bandita or guest. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we'll give away more booty including autographed books, GR mugs and much more! Come join us! Tell your friends! Let's make the Season BRIGHT!