First of all, I had been watching Christmas Vacation and it occurred to me: They really ought to put xylophone music in movies more often. Maybe not all the time, then the novelty is lost …but in context to the right film and scene, it’s delightful and makes funny things …funnier.
So we got our Christmas tree! It’s the first one we’ve had in our apartment in the almost four years we have been together! Christopher always goes home for a traditional holiday and I hang back (it’s a money thing …meaning, it’s an expense that generally can’t be splurged). Well this year I get to look forward to a somewhat traditional holiday. I had a fantastic Thanksgiving for once so I feel like I’m on a roll! Anyway, the apartment is decorated to enjoy until we head to our holiday destination. I’ve been listening to my winter holiday playlist, watching my favorite seasonal movies, I’m almost done with gifting/card writing …I’d say I’m in excellent shape this year on the holiday-enjoyment scale.
The most enjoyable part has been observing Bowser observe this whole holiday phenomenon. Last Christmas he was only 4 months old, it was the two of us and the apartment was not festive as I was in no mood to celebrate. So the whole thing is fascinating and new to him …and the a dog’s perspective is amusing because it’s all about it being a sensory experience (particularly smell). He spent the better part of an hour sitting under the mistletoe we hung up staring up at it with the occasional attempt to jump up and grab it. He either wanted to eat it (um, poison) or bat it around the room like a new toy (messy for me). Perhaps he just wanted a kiss, as if he doesn’t get enough attention (then again, he also has plenty of food and toys). He has spent a good amount of his time every single day attempting to reach the stockings. I even took them down to let him stick his head in and see there is nothing to steal out of them. Instead, he just tried to snatch and run. He has the right idea that there are goodies in them…
The biggest wonder to him has been the tree. I mean, think about it. We come home with an entire tree that smells like a glorious forest. We prop it up and feed it water (which Bowser would try to drink but has already been scolded enough times for “‘exploring” the under side of the tree), wrap lights around it, then I hang up all kinds of shiny “toys” upon its branches. I feel for the little guy, I can’t blame him for having sap and the scent of fresh pine on his snout daily. There’s no way to explain to a dog that those toys are just to look at and the branches aren’t good to eat. He learned pretty swiftly, from enough experience, to not eat the tree. By the time he gets used to the whole system, things will have gone back to normal. Something tells me if I observed Easter, he’d have a field day!
