Past Holiday Mistakes

Ginger's 2009 Christmas photo

Oh the Holidays! Who doesn't love all the Christmas music that plagues stores and radio stations from November onwards? How about all the decorations, trees, and lights? Then there's friends and family visiting at random times and don't forget all that delicious baking and fatty cooking!! :-D I'm drooling just thinking about the cookies, cakes, turkey, and mashed potatoes!! Yummmmm...

Unfortunately, all these fun and games can sometimes wreak havoc on your and your pets' lives!! Believe me, there's a lot of crazy things that us pups and kittens can get into during the Holidays!

So, here's a few key lessons to learn from Domeek's past Holiday mistakes:

• One candle is a beautiful and hopeful image, full of love and light and transformation!  :-) Aw! Doesn't that just make you smile?

However, one candle left alone for two minutes on a coffee table with two cats and a dog represents chaos, insanity, and a potential date with the local fire department!

Oh yes, when Domeek was in high school that exact scenario played out with a couple of my late cousins! She left them alone in the living room with a single candle flame burning...two minutes later she returned to all three running out of the room and the coffee table in flames! Needless to say, the coffee table ended up at the bottom of the pool until the summer season started! ;-)

So, quiz time...what can you learn from this first mistake?

That's right! Never, ever leave a candle burning alone with an animal (or I guess one of your small humans) in the same room!

• Tinsel sparkles, shines, and glitters amongst all the pretty fairy lights on a Christmas tree. Gorgeous, isn't it?

However, have you ever had to pull tinsel out of all kinds of kitty cat orifices not only during the Holidays, but also throught the rest of the year?

Oh yes, for years Domeek and my cat cousins lived harmoniously during the Holiday time with Christmas trees and tinsel. She used to douse the entire tree so that silver slivers covered every branch! Then, when my brothers were born this all changed! Suddenly there was tinsel covered barf, tinself covered poop, and tinsel hanging out of my brothers mouths (and other places)!

So, what did you learn?

That's right...leave the tinsel in the Christmas tub if you have a curious and playful kitty hanging out at your home during the Holidays!! Thankfully nothing bad happened to either one of them, especially since (she found out) tinsel can be incredibly harmful to the digestive system of kitties. Our home has subsequently turned into a "No Tinsel" beyond this point location! :-(

• The Holidays are the epitome of the beauty that is family and friends! They come and visit, they bring wonderful and delicious things, and everyone has a fantastic time! :-D Tear!

However, sometimes friends and family are so busy bringing in gifts and children and saying hello to everyone that they don't realize that the front door has been left open for the past five minutes and that the cat might have slipped out!

Yep, there's nothing like traipsing through the neighbors yards and yelling "Pumpkin! Pumpkin, please come here! Don't be scared!!" Hehehe...after 9 at night on Thanksgiving! ;-) Domeek just loves to remember that one!

So what should you take away from this little story?

Correct, make sure that your kitties and puppies are either trained enough to not leave the house OR put them in another safe room away from all the loved ones! You don't want to be that person calling for their cat or dog in the middle of the freezing cold night!

• As I said before, there's nothing more delicious than a Holiday feast!! You have your turkey or roast, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, vegetable sides, pumpkin and apple pie, and ice cream!! Scrumptous, huh?

However, take all those delectables and either place them on the table too early, before everyone sits down, or leave them in the kitchen unattended then you got yourself a doggie smörgåsbord! 

My great, great, great, great grandpuppy...a really tall Afghan Hound, decided to help himself to the entire fruit flan one Christmas dinner! He was left alone with the dessert for less than a couple of minutes when my Grandma came back in and voila, all of the fruit had been sucked straight out of there...like magic! ;-D Boy was he in trouble! Then two years ago on Thanksgiving, my cousin Dot decided to steal an entire section of turkey...straight off the carving plate! She ran around the entire house, at least twice, before my Uncle caught her!! Hehehe!  My idols!!

So what did we learn from Domeek's final mistake for the Holidays?

That's right! Never leave your dinner or plate or hors d'oeuvre alone with a pup or kitty...unless you don't want to eat all those nummies! Not only is most of that delicious food too fatty for us, but we shouldn't eat turkey skin or bones cause it can do us more harm than good! And, of course, don't forget to hide those chokies!!

:-D Well, I hope that you can take away something from all of my, hehe oh I'm sorry...Domeek's, mistakes! It's always easier and kinder to learn off of someone else!!

Take care this Holiday Season!!