Six Years of Love, Cats, and Wrecked Treesby Rachel M. StiberChristmas is my absolute favorite holiday, one that I begin anxiously anticipating in July. Celebrating the birth of the Savior, visiting family and friends, exchanging gifts, decorating, and eating: I love ALL of it! Every Christmas is unique, but the one I celebrated six years ago will forever be one of the most memorable. named him Rusty. We knew Rusty was unique from the moment the pet store sales clerk placed him in our arms. With a white M on his forehead and teeth that throwback to the saber-toothed tiger (two of his top teeth literally extend from his mouth), this was no ordinary kitty. And his behavior was anything but ordinary. He curled in my lap one minute and viciously attacked my hand the next. When he wasnât purring sweetly or attacking one of us (usually me), he played fetch. We gave him a small, stuffed smiley face toy that was supposed to be a car visor clip. Embroidered on the smiley faceâs body were the words Jesus Loves Me. When we threw this toy, Rusty fetched it and dropped it in our laps. He could play fetch for hours. That is, until we put up the tree. Then, he discovered a new game. This one was called How Far Can I Climb Up the Tree and How Many Ornaments Can I Destroy? The answer? All the way to the top and too many ornaments to count, including the special ones. of the apartment. When he shattered the heart ornament, I threw his toy and screamed, âItâs a good thing Jesus loves you because no one else does!â Ten seconds later, I cuddled him, apologizing for the outburst. Six years later, we have three cats and a dog, and one of those cats is Rusty. He still has the M on his forehead and the saber-teeth, but he doesnât fetch anymore. And, he shows no interest in the Christmas tree. Every year we decorate the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving, and every year we wait for Rusty to repeat his first Christmas. So far, nothing. He lies on the tree skirt, but thatâs it.
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Everyone has their own unique Christmas traditions. Some are fun and festive, others are more solemn in nature. One tradition that almost every family has is the sharing of traditional Christmas stories. As a child and now as an adult, I love to read the well-known Christmas tales each season. I've included (in order of publication years) five tales that I think are the most loved classics. If you click on the links below each picture, you'll be taken to a free audio version of each story. Enjoy! And don't forget to enter my giveaway for 5 Golden Rings (a.k.a. Krispy Kreme Donuts)! 1) The Nutcracker (and the Mouse King)Some might be surprised to know that this classic tale didn't start as a ballet. Nope. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was written by E. T. A. Hoffmann two hundred years ago in 1816. The young girl in the original story had the name of Marie, but somehow, over the years, her name evolved into Clara--the name we usually know her by.I first read the story of The Nutcracker when I got a cheap copy of the book through my school book order. Who doesn't love school book orders? I'd save my quarters and buy whichever book was less than $1. As a musician, I've played music from The Nutcracker ballet many times and I always think of the first time I read the little paperback book. 2) The Night Before ChristmasAs a child, I remember working feverishly one Christmas to memorize this poem/story. Why? No reason. Just because. I know my attempts that Christmas were not unique to me alone. The Night Before Christmas is arguably the most read and most memorized stories of all the Christmas stories in existence.Besides the fun rhymes, what do we get to credit author Clement Clark Moore for? Naming Santaâs reindeer. Everyone knows that Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner (a.k.a Dunder) and Blitzen (a.k.a. Blixem) dutifully pull Santaâs sleigh through the skies to deliver Christmas gifts each year. But, if it werenât for Moore, Santaâs reindeer might have remained unnamed. According to legend, Moore wrote this famous story as a poem for his children for Christmas in 1822. The following Christmas, a family friend submitted the poem to the newspaper and they published it anonymously. It wasnât until 20 years later that Moore took ownership of the tale. |
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