A Christmas Story

Foster Dachshunds, Wren and Sassy.  Photographer, Stephanie Landis

Merry Christmas!!   

If you are hoping for a perfect Christmas day story, well look elsewhere!  Keeping it real, here. Christmas Eve brought cold and wind.  Doxies wouldn’t go outside; they were too terrified of the sound of air blowing through the trees, around the corner of the house, and bumping bits of tin on the shed roof.   

Christmas Eve day, I tried attaching a leash to the doxies’ harnesses, coupling them together since they move as one when stressed.  Of course, they did the opposite!  They pulled apart, reached the end of the line and froze in a T at the end of the leash.  No amount of gentle talk or petting unfroze them.  No treat coaxed them to move.  I had to remove all the trappings before they relaxed enough to walk away.   So disappointed!  

Dogs were discombobulated enough that Sassy marked the rug by the kitchen door. I yelled no and crated her.  As I was cleaning up the marking, Wren marked right beside me.  Sigh. 

After dinner, some of the family came over to watch the Muppet Christmas Carol.  Both doxies growled at the littlest human, so into their xpen they went.  Sassy soon settled, became curious, and earned the right to lie on daughter, Stephanie’s lap.  Wren rumbled on and on, just the sight of the happy, dancing 2yr old made her quiver, so into her private crate she went. After awhile Sassy stressed and went into her crate too. Both dogs were stressed from Christmas Eve festivities but only Wren wouldn't go outside to relieve herself once everyone went home.  She held it all in for 18hours.  Her record hold is 2 days so I figured she wouldn't explode.    

Halfway through the puppet movie, I went with Jude out to the kitchen.  He pointed to the freezer so I opened the freezer door to see what he wanted.  I couldn't make out his words so I leaned down to pick him up so he show me, somehow in the leaning over my right eye collided with his finger; his finger went up underneath my eyelid.  He shot my eye out without a Red Rider BB gun!!  The eye poke was bad...eye swelled, watered nonstop, oh how it hurt and burned!  I cold compressed it for hours. 

Early Christmas morning, Wren still won’t go outside because Jay is loading the corn/wood pellet furnace; she fears all those sounds. Okay, back in the crate until the scary sounds stop.  Later, both dogs run wild in the sunny back yard, ears flopping, long bodies hopping.  Sheer joy on Christmas morning!  In all my smiling I forget the pain in my eye. 

Burren opens her wrapped gift first.  She digs out the hide-a-squirrel and pounces with glee.  She bites it so hard I have to slow her down.  Gentle biting rewards her with pulling a squirrel out of the log.  Then, onto her stocking.  Filled with excitement she almost rips it in half so I open the sock for her nose to reach in and grab a squiggly toy, which she promptly tosses away.  She goes back in for the gingerbread biscuit and dried hamburger bone. 

Sassy gets her stocking next.  She too almost rips her in half until I help her grab a toy and then her biscuit and bone.   I offer Wren a sock; she snatches it and takes it to her den behind my chair. When I hear ripping sounds, I follow her and help her get out the treats.  She wolfs down her biscuit, then darts out to snatch Sassy’s bone and sock and toy while Sassy is chewing on the biscuit.  Sassy is oblivious, only focused on the yummy gingerbread.  Wren’s second nickname is Snitch! 

It’s 9:30am on Christmas morning.  All dogs are fed, tuckered out, sleeping in their beds. I’m listening to the Ephrata Cloister Chorus.  My dear husband is cutting boughs of greens to adorn the nativity sets we put up on this day.  The song, Still, Still, Still comes on and I remember my sweet mother who loved this song.  She is gone now, so is my Dad. My left eye waters now, along with my right.  I’m shedding tears of pain, love, memory, and joy.  I await my family gathering later in the day, will continue to celebrate love, despite painful eye pokes, loud ruckuses, dachshunds peeing on my floor, kids flying around, and the general joy and mess that is holidays.

Burren goofing off during photo shoot

For all that is, for all that has been, for all that will be, I open my hands and heart.    

May the Child of Love born this day, bring love, peace, joy and renewal to you and your precious families.

Joyfully,

Sharon

Amid the Holiday Bustle Don't Forget to Laugh

Fun with the Grandies!

There are always laughable moments when during holidays and sleep overs with Nana and Papaw.  We took our three grandchildren to Landis Valley Farm Museum’s night of Christmas carol singing around the bonfire. And to a live nativity scene at the church next door.

Overheard from the back of the car while on the way:

Jude - (23 month old in rear facing car seat looking out back window):  “Hee mohn! Hee mohn!”

(translation:  see moon! see moon!)

Rae – (4yr old in a front facing car seat, not seeing what Jude is seeing):  “Hey, that’s my song.  I sing “A-men.” Not you.

Conversation on the path to see the live nativity:  

Nana – “Rae, do you remember the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus?”

Railynn- “baby Jesus?”

Nana- “Yes, we’re going to see a manger scene, with baby Jesus and his family…..”

Railynn- (interrupting) “We’re going to see God!?

A second later, Railynn turns to Jude and tells him we’re going to PBS to see God.

On the way to the bonfire: 

After working our way through the crowd while anticipating aloud how cool the bonfire will be and towing along three young kids, the 6yr old girl knocking over a lovely luminary and the 4yr old girl saying, ‘but, Nana I don’t wanna burn in a fi-rah, and the littlest boy keeping up a running commentary as we pass buildings that all look like barns to him - ‘bahn mooo tracker hortie bahn cokadooiedoo tracker papaw hortie pap.’   We finally arrive at the bonfire and of course the 4yr old immediately has to go potty.  We walk back the way we came to the building with restrooms.  Signs direct us to the rear of the building so we make our way past window boxes of women’s dresses from the 1800-1900’s.  Railynn stops and stares, transfixed….

Then this no-frills, wear-what’s-comfortable little girl says, “These dresses are FAB-e-us!”

Later that night, we stand in front of the live nativity scene. Railynn doesn't get it.  She laments that she’s cold and wants to go home.  I distract her by pointing to the angel standing about 3 feet in front of us.  “Look, Rae, an angel!”  She doesn't see any angel, so I put my hands on the sides of her head and turn her face in the angel’s direction.  “He’s the man wearing white with the sparkly halo on his head.”  To which she responds, loudly of course, “That’s no angel. He doesn't have any wings!”  After expecting to see God this must be too great a letdown!    

As we walk away, Avery says, “I don’t think baby Jesus wore a coat and sucked on a Nuk.  But, it was too cold for the pretend Jesus to be naked.  He would have been cold and cried and that wouldn't have been good for a poor baby.”

Other random funnies:

I look around the house and see an explosion of toys everywhere. Forgetting I had an audience, I sigh and exclaim “What a mess!”   Avery shrugs and answers matter-of-factly “I guess you get to be a mother now.”

          

While playing with Barbie dolls, Railynn told Avery that her ‘dad’ is going to work at PBS.     (PBS must be delighted with all this endorsement!)

Hours after the girls left, I opened my freezer to pull out fixings for supper and found icicles.  Apparently, Avery came in from the snow and asked Papaw for a pan to put snow in.  

Papaw- “Why do you want a pan for snow?”

Ave- “I need a pan of snow to keep my icicles fresh!”

Papaw- “A pan of snow won’t keep them frozen.  They need to stay outside where they can stay cold.”

Ave- “But I can’t Papaw, I need to take care of them, inside. They are so cute and they are my little friends.”

Papaw- “Well, you can’t keep them in here in a pan of snow. You need a freezer.”

Ave- “Okay, Papaw, thanks!”   And she put them in our freezer.

I just may keep those friendly icles in my freezer all winter as a reminder to love and laugh..... 

Joyfully,

Sharon