In which I find this peculiar
According to Yahoo News, just over 50% of us will be buying our pets Christmas presents, and apparently that's up from 49% last year. I have always bought my pet a Christmas gift, but I didn't realize that until this year I was in the minority. Don't get me wrong, I don't throw birthday parties for them or buy them clothing--seriously, pets dressed as people is one of my biggest peeves, unless you live in a climate that demands you take steps to protect your animal, and even then an argyle sweater is really pushing it. But I assumed most people shared the holiday with their pets by buying a new toy or a box of liver snaps or a new bed. (It occurs to me now that I have once or twice actually WRAPPED the present, which probably puts me on a whole new level of odd. We won't speak of it--just pretend you didn't read that and we'll move on.)
I was also interested in the bit about pets and holiday decorations. We are actually forgoing a proper tree this year because of Deacon. I'm a firm believer in not letting a pet rule your life, but honestly, chasing and wrestling down a 60-pound puppy who thinks your Christmas tree is just a really boss chew toy is not on my holiday agenda. Last week he happily carted around a four-foot long branch that--with a bit of tinsel and some twinkling lights--could have passed for a Christmas tree. I shudder to think what he would do with something the same width, twice the height, and loaded with fragile ornaments. Oh, the carnage! So, we are opting instead for evergreen garlands over the doorways for some proper Christmas scent and a tabletop tree to decorate, and hopefully by next year he will be a very nicely behaved 21-month old who will behave with decorum. At least that's my Christmas wish...
And speaking of Christmas, I received my first holiday card last week, and actually watched someone buy a live Christmas tree two days ago. It begins!
I was also interested in the bit about pets and holiday decorations. We are actually forgoing a proper tree this year because of Deacon. I'm a firm believer in not letting a pet rule your life, but honestly, chasing and wrestling down a 60-pound puppy who thinks your Christmas tree is just a really boss chew toy is not on my holiday agenda. Last week he happily carted around a four-foot long branch that--with a bit of tinsel and some twinkling lights--could have passed for a Christmas tree. I shudder to think what he would do with something the same width, twice the height, and loaded with fragile ornaments. Oh, the carnage! So, we are opting instead for evergreen garlands over the doorways for some proper Christmas scent and a tabletop tree to decorate, and hopefully by next year he will be a very nicely behaved 21-month old who will behave with decorum. At least that's my Christmas wish...
And speaking of Christmas, I received my first holiday card last week, and actually watched someone buy a live Christmas tree two days ago. It begins!
posted by deanna at
6:58 AM
10 Comments:
I have always bought Christmas gifts for my cats (when I had them) and I have wrapped them too! That's part of the fun, watching them chew on the paper. I didn't realise I was in the minority either. Oops. And I concur, pets dressed as people is very silly!
I don't even like stuffed bears dressed as people much less live animals! (okay, there's always an exception, isn't there? And that exception for me is the Starbucks bears dressed as a faery (Midsummer), a lamb (Imbolc), a pumpkin (Fall Equinox), a skeleton (Samhain) and so on ^_^ ). A friend of mine has a tuxedo, including a top hat, for his basset hound which was worn at his daughter's wedding ... I have to admit it was hilarious and his daughter got a kick out of it too (so in keeping with her dad's general personality). But I digress ...
Yep - my cats always get a new toy for Winter Solstice ... and, she said with just a tad of embarrassment ... for their birthdays too :) The fact that they generally enjoy the box more than the gift is beside the point!
And a tree inside is out of the question! I have four cats, two of which ADORE climbing, and one who will ingest anything green. So this year I'm getting a flat-leaf cedar bush for the front yard and decorating it with garlands of cranberries, popcorn, and orange rinds filled with a combination of suet, seeds, peanut butter for the birds and squirrels. This also provides great entertainment for the cats!
Journey
I always get my pets Christmas presents. They're part of the family. They have their own little stockings, but none of their things get wrapped. However, when I was a little (five years old or so), our family dog knew how to unwrap his presents. He was the smartest dog I've ever encountered--a German Shepherd.
And thank you for reminding me that I need to send out holiday cards.
We get our cats Christmas presents. Why not? We are putting a fake tree up because our Maine Coon is certain to climb/eat/destroy/ravage a real tree. I even talked about the safest way to decorate with our vet. She said a fake tree is best because if they eat it, it won't be digested. Maine Coons are something like having a two year old FOREVER. He actually tried to pick up my coffee mug yesterday. I cannot imagine what he would do with a live tree.
I can't imagine not getting a present for our dog. We had more fun watching her with her new toy last Christmas than anything else. Thankfully, she has always been very good about the tree, but I do try to keep the more fragile ornaments higher on the tree.
Back when I had a dog, we always got him something at Christmas. I too had no idea that not everyone does that!
On the topic of dressing pets, I used to have neighbors with a Chihuahua. He absolutely hated to go outdoors when the weather was bad, and in Wisconsin that means at least half the year. They bought him a rain coat and boots, and he decided that outdoors without protection from the weather was the lesser of two evils. They have a picture of him dressed up in the gear and I've never seen a clearer message on a dog's face: "Get me out of this!"
Since it is coming up to Thanksgiving, I decided to de-lurk and say thanks to you! I really enjoy the way your write and your blog is a delicious daily treat.
And have you ever read P.G. Wodehouse? I suspect you may enjoy his books.
We have become resigned to the fact that we cannot put any of our beautiful, sentimental, fragile heirloom ornaments on the tree now that we have a cat. This is the fourth year running in which we have put up nothing but lights, wooden cranberry strands, and fabric or plastic ornaments. You see, our cat climbs to the top of the tree almost before we have finished setting it up, and considers it her personal perch until we take it down.
Meredith B.
Ha! We do the same with our pets. And when we wrap their presents, we put a treat inside the present so that they can unwrap the present themselves to make it more authentic. I know, it's weird, but it's cute to watch a dog open a present! Especially when they know it's for them!
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