Christmas Vacation

Every year I wonder how my Christmas vacation will be played out. As a religious holiday, Christmas means little to me; however, I treasure the Christmas season for the pure spectacle and the honest improvement in condition of man for the duration.

As a child, Christmas was simply marvelous. We would put up our small, artificial tree and festoon said tree with a hodge-podge of ornaments collected from a variety of sources over the years. Christmas Eve was set aside for the opening of one gift and could be marked by a visit with my aunt and her family or a visit by some of the Davis clan who were superb carolers. Christmas Day started early with the opening of the gifts and then a drive to my grandparents or another aunt's house for the Christmas revelry with the family.

Of course, as a child, vacations are never considered an opportunity for rest. They are not occasions for catching up with life or embarking upon new projects. As an adult, vacations seem, more and more, time for just those things. As such, some of the bloom is off the Christmas rose, but I find that I don't mind much. I don't tend to travel during the school year, as I need the time to recharge the batteries and try and reorganize the life that has progressed into chaos since the previous vacation.

For the past several years, I have spent Christmas Day in blissful isolation. Curled up on the couch with a hot cup of coffee while watching movie after movie...the following days devoted to household projects, a bit of shopping the after-Christmas sales and more treasured rest. This year, Christmas Day was a bit different. First, it was warm and sunny. For New England, a Christmas Day in the 50's is an event of note. Couch and coffee are less appealing under those conditions. Instead, I grabbed the dog and headed for the beach. Along with many other dogs and their parents, we romped and played in the sand and surf. Poor pup was a complete mess of sand and dried salt when we returned home, but his tail was still wagging furiously. An odd Christmas Day, but a most enjoyable one.

The subsequent days went mostly as anticipated. A bit of shopping for much-needed clothes, a few books to consume before the return to the salt mine...However, my hoped-for relaxation was not manifesting as hoped. Perkunas is a very active dog. He loves people and dogs and would be happy spending all day playing, running, romping, etc. Like a rambunctious child, he has an inexhaustable supply of energy. Every time I took to the computer, he wanted to play. Pick up a book and he wanted to go for a walk. I began to look ahead to winter vacation and spring break and the momma of them all - Summer. That was enough to prompt me to pet store. Yes, I got him a playmate. A 2 1/2 month old, cream-colored schnoodle. I named him Rodney.

Perkunas is a good big brother and Rodney is an adoring little brother. Both have already begun conspiring to outsmart me and are succeeding nicely. A few snarly scraps are the worst they have done to themselves; they get along nicely. Right now, of course, I have even less peace than before. But that is temporary. Currently is the regimen of house-training and that means taking Rodney outside every 1-2 hours and getting up once at night. But, he is progressing very well and I suspect he will be in fine shape by next week. So, I am forfeiting a quiet Christmas vacation for more relaxing vacations to come. A small sacrifice...of course, I have always wanted a ferret...