Furkids Deck The Halls

Furkids and Christmas. What a combination. I often miss my “boys” and certainly do right now. Memories of looking at Corky’s and then Sparky’s too Christmas stockings bring a smile, if if bit wistful sometimes. And leading up to Christmas I can’t help but remember when I was married and we’d be preparing for Christmas. The tree. Baking. Buying and wrapping presents, which became something I did because I enjoyed it and even my ex conceded I was much better at.

One year, with our townhome already decorated and the tree set up and trimmed in a corner near the patio door (which included a pet door – that’s important) the Saturday before Christmas was a busy one. We always went down to her parents house on the farm between Chase City & Clarkesville, VA (a little over an hour north of where I now live) and would open most of our gifts to each other the day after Christmas when we’d driven back up to northern VA (the DC suburbs). She was baking cookies and I was at the dining room table wrapping gifts we’d be giving to her family. Corky (I’ll try to include a picture) was going back and forth and making trips through his pet door into the back yard, which meant going past the tree. We’d learned the hard way the year before that ornaments should be mostly bows and lightweight ceramic angels and things like that. And especially that ROUND ornaments should NOT be “glass” ones but rather Styrofoam balls covered in a satin type thread and start a ways up the tree.

Corky you see had a thing for balls. He loved to play catch, and just play with rubber balls. When we first gave him a squeak toy that was a mini-basketball he LOVED it. The problem with squeak toys was that he was so rough with them he’d wind up causing the squeaker thingy to come out. The sad look in his brown eyes when his toy wouldn’t squeak any more could break your heart! So at least once a month we’d have to buy him a new “basketball” which meant a brand new one would be a perfect stocking stuffer for him. Yes, he had his own stocking.

Well, I had a bag with small items in it and while wrapping hoped to find a moment when Corky would be outside the house or upstairs or downstairs long enough for me to put the ball in his stocking without him seeing it. Trust me when I say he’d have gone nuts upon see a new ball, as you will see. I’d found myself with a decent size square of wrapping paper that could have been used to wrap one of more of the small gifts but had the bright idea to wrap up Corky’s ball and put it under the tree with the other presents. I carefully reached in the bag and used the scissors to cut open the plastic bag and then when he went outside to bark at the neighbor’s cat on top of the fence I quickly put the ball in the center of the square of wrapping paper and pulled up the corners, twisted a little below that and tied it shut with a ribbon. The whole thing was kind of roundish in shape but not resembling a ball that much and it seemed to work. At first.

Corky got into a running back and forth between the kitchen begging for a treat in the form of a small bit of cookie (my ex could never resist giving him people food) and going into the back yard to make sure that cat hadn’t again gotten ideas about “invading” “Corkey’s yard. But on one such trip instead of running he walked past the tree to his pet door and glanced over. When he came back in shortly after he looked over again. The next time he went out he paused for an instant, and same when he came back in. I mentioned it to my ex, and we both wondered if he was getting an idea. She was bringing me a snack (actually just wanting me to sample her latest creation – there are far worse ways to be used!) when Corky came back inside and stopped and stared at the base of the tree. He followed her into the kitchen and begged another treat. When he headed through the door into the “greatroom” (the main level had the kitchen and a huge combined living/dining area) she followed him.

THIS time he didn’t go out the back door. He just stood there staring at the base of the tree and more specifically a certain package. Finally, he tentatively reached out with a paw and nudged it. He looked over at us and it was like you could see the light bulb in he head turn on. He slapped down HARD and the thing squeaked. Corky went nuts trying to tear his ball out of the wrapping and worried he’d make a mess of the other gifts so close by I helped him. He clamped that thing in his mouth and it must have been an hour before his little jaws were too tired to keep holding on to it. Alas, this was all back in 1989 so no video camera. It would make a helluva thing to watch!

So, that’s my contribution to Catumus. Even if it’s about a Woozle (doggie) it’s a Furkid Christmas story and if you’d read it thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed it. It’s a true story.

Merry Christmas to all, and to everyone’s critters as well. For many of they truly are family.

Sometimes get too busy and distracted. But costs nada to say: merry Xmas and happy new year! Feliz navidad y un gran ano nuevo!!! Happy holidays!!!

{{{Michelle}}} Thank you and the Furkids for a wonderful Holiday singalong. I’m so glad you and Ms. Loula are safely back together. Enjoy your Christmas. Skritches & Healing Energy & {{{HUGS}}} all around, as appropriate.

Michelle, thank you for so much cuteness for this Christmas Furkids.
I smiled a lot. 😄☺️

Merry Catmas to you Sweetie. 🎅🤶☃️🎄

Using a karaoke version was inspired! That worked really well. Merry Christmas, Michelle and Loula!!!