The Christmas tree wasn't hard to put up and decorate, (considering all the help I had!). The trick was KEEPING it up and decorated. Tia became quite adept at removing the bulbs from the mini light strings while on the tree. And Nadya had to sniff every single ornament on the tree. (This was when I discovered that she can actually reach the treetopper 6 feet high by standing on her tippity toes of her hind feet!) Fortunately, I learned years ago to tie the tree fast to the wall.
We had a few new ornaments to add to the tree this year. All of the new ones were Borzoi related save one. (Big surprise, eh?) The one that didn't directly relate to Borzoi was from the Children's Hospital that Patches and Leonor visit as therapy dogs. Very nice.
Nadya was a good girl with her very first Christmas tree. She also got a few cards, including one from Antaeus, a Greyhound friend from Russia and another from her Borzoi friends in Holland. She didn't remove anything from the tree. She didn't knock the tree over, She didn't eat off any of the resin ornaments that look like food and first and foremost, she didn't pee on the tree. (Wish I could say that about the rest of the gang here!)
We tried to sleep in a little on Christmas day, but, like most kids, ours were up at the crack of dawn. We got up around 6:00 after several, "Lie Down!"s and "Be Still!"s. They didn't want to lie down or be still so.....we got up. After a good, early morning romp in the yard, the kids came in to a bountiful breakfast. They all got their usual breakfast, but each had a little something special that they liked on top. Nadya LOVES potato chips, so hers wasn't hard to choose. After breakfast, they each also got a pig ear to gnaw on while we opened presents. (Nadya now has a new favorite treat!)
After we finished opening our presents, it was time for the kids to open theirs. Malachi got a new tug rope and Nadya got her very own plush, squeaky cow. Nyla bones, vinyl toys and grunting hedgehogs abound in our house at Christmas and Sy, Woody, Patches, Leonor, Tia and our foster Greyhound, Putt-putt each settled in with their own toys while Nadya and Malachi played tug with his new rope.
Before we left to go over the river and through the woods to Grandmothers house for Christmas dinner, I passed out raw marrow bones from the butcher and each got a kiss on the snoot. In return, I got tail waggin's and puppy kissin's for Christmas. They were the best gifts I got this year!
