All We Got for Christmas Was…

We are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Xena: We all agreed that first I’d tell you what Daddy got last Wednesday, early for Christmas. Sick. After two days of laying in bed with a fever, exhaustion and achy legs, a friend brought over a C-19 test. Yep. He’s got it. Each day he’s feeling a little better. He said he is glad he had his vaccines or it would have been way, way worse. Mommy’s OK, which is a good thing, cause who would take care of us if she was sick too!? If you want to pray for him or send healing thoughts his way, we are all sure it would help.

Next, here are our “selfies.” They are all painted on small round discs of wood. That’s Angel Lexi at the top. We don’t understand why my eyes are painted so big. Mommy finally said it’s because of my wide-eyed innocence. Mommy loves her present and is hanging them “up high” so they last many, many years.

Now, for the fun stuff — mostly. I didn’t get any presents to unwrap. Mommy said I have more stuffies than I need and I got the warm jammies she made for Chia – the ones that didn’t fit Chia. So instead, she made me cookies! Woo hoo! They have pumpkin and almond butter and coconut oil in them. Mmmm.

Lucy: I didn’t get anything to unwrap either. I don’t play with toys. I wouldn’t have minded a nice sweater since I gave mine to Riley for Christmas last year. But Mom made me cookies! They have cranberries and applesauce in them and they’re soft and yummy! Mom said she would take me to the Smart Pet Place today to get a new sweater, too!

Chia: Man, I hit the motherload! If Christmases are always like this, I think I’ll stick around! It’s my first Christmas here (I’m just 1 1/2 years old) and I needed everything. I knew right away what to do when I saw those gift bags! Look what I pulled outa the first one:

Isn’t it great!? It’s got a long body, just like me! I walked around showing it to everyone, which ended up being a bit of a mistake. More on that in a bit.

Do you remember me telling you that Mom took me to the Smart Pet place after her epic fail in making me jammies? She made me try on at least 87 different sweaters and hoodies and coats. I thought she got me one of them. Confirmation!

This is the first one she tried on me, and both of our favorites. Don’t I look pretty wearing it?

Riley: I was polite and waited for Mom Amy to offer me one of the gift bags. I stuck my nose in and pulled out a brand new tug toy! Woo hoo!

Then I pulled out the tissue paper — it was in the bag, so that was mine too, right? I love my new tug toy. I offered to share it with Rainy my reindeer, but he said thanks, he would just watch me play.

Then Mom Amy offered me another present, and I pulled out a long red stuffie. It was just like Chia’s but a different color.

In case you’re wondering, those little bottles back by the tree aren’t mine. Dad Jeff gave Mom Amy her two favorite liquors for Christmas. Anyhow, I was about to deadie the red stuffie when it occured to me that I could deadie the green one that is Chia’s and still have mine to keep or to deadie later. Sometimes I’m brilliant!

Chia: I had to go get a drink or bark at something, and when I did, Riley got ahold of Greenie. Before I could stop him, he had chewed off a lot of its head and removed a squeaker.

I ran quick and told Mom. She got it back for me and put Riley’s red one up so he couldn’t deadie it…at least not right away. Me and Riley spent a lot of time Christmas afternoon growling at each other. I growled at him to keep away from Greenie while I hid under a chair with it. He growled back at me saying to stop growling at him and just give it over. Everyone left us alone to growl at each other. Except Lucy. When it sounded like it was gonna come to blows – or bites – Lucy got between us and looked at us both. She has this thing, I don’t know what you’d call it. But when she’d do that, we both would stop growling and ignore each other – for a while, anyhow.

Xena: I thought you were the next one to get deadied, Chia.

Chia: I run fast and can fit under furniture, so I wasn’t too worried. Later that afternoon while Dad was taking a C-19 nap, Riley stopped growling and started barking at me. So I stopped growling and started squeaking at him! That’s right! There was more than one squeaker in Greenie. Anyhoo, it went something like this: Woof! Squeak! Woof! Squeak! Woof! Squeak! and so on. Then Dad got up and we stopped.

Riley: I got my punishment then. Dad Jeff took me downstairs and put “the stinky dog” as he called me, in the tub. Mom Amy appeared with shampoo, conditioner, Neem oil and towels and bathed me and conditioned my hair and moisterized my skin. In the middle of all this, Mom Amy heard the water running upstairs and realized Dad Jeff was getting in the jetted tub to try to feel better.

Next thing we knew, the water in my tub started cooling off. A lot. To warm me up, I got wrapped up in a blanket after getting towel-dried. I don’t want to admit I feel better, not as itchy. But I do. And my furs are really soft and shiny now.

Chia: It’ my turn again! Guess what! That’s not all I got!! Lucy and Xena both have treat puzzles, and now I do too! I caught on right away. Instead of moving the center pieces one by one – the slow way – I put my nose at the beginning and moved them all together, stopping whenever I came to a treat. It was too easy, really, for a smart pup like me! I hope I get a harder one soon, with lots more places for treats, like Xena’s.

Speaking of Xena’s, Mom got it and Lucy’s puzzle out too and filled them with treats. But, when she put them on the floor, Riley ran in and started working Xena’s! He’s never ever shown interest in a treat puzzle before that. Xena’s Mom’s “baby,” (grrr) but she’s definitely not stupid. She didn’t challenge him for her puzzle.

It only took him a moment to figure out to remove the white pieces in the middle of each row and open the red pieces and move them back and forth. Dad said, “He’s a smart boy and has always had a talent for mechanical things.”

Xena: I went over to Lucy and told her to look at what Riley was doing. Lucy’s puzzle is pretty small – it was my first puzzle. She got it when I got my new one that Riley was now using without my permission. But she’s a sweet sister and offered to let me work her (my old) puzzle with her, so we shared.

Bowsers! It’s become a free-for-all around this house!

Lucy: We gotta sign off now. Mom’s getting ready to take me shopping *wags!*.

Love and wags from Xena, Riley, Lucy and Chia