Petey has planned a huge Christmas Party for all his friends this year now that he has finally begun to feel at home in the new house.  It took a while, but he has now decided that it is actually a nice place and there seems to be a lot more room to move around.  And the best part so far is that a guy can sure stretch his wings around here !

He wasn't very happy about the move to begin with, and getting used to the new house had been really tough. In fact, it had been downright scary! For crying out loud, nothing looked the same as in his old house ... and the very first time he decided to explore the new place the darn window in the door leading out to the deck attacked him and darn near knocked him silly ! 

In fact, he didn't remember much about the collision ... he remembers seeing the table with the umbrella out on the deck, (which he could see through the door), and flying toward it. That table was something that looked really familiar because he always used to sit beside it on warm days at the old house when Mom took his cage out there. He had always enjoyed that because he could talk to his blue jay and cardinal friends when they came by to feed at the feeders which were all over the yard. The finches were real buddies too. Mom and Dad  made sure there was always food there for them summer and winter. He also had made a real pal out of a Robin family who had their nest right in his yard. The Daddy Robin in particular became a really, really, good friend. It had been so much fun watching him teach his babies to fly ! And seeing them trying to find worms once they were big enough to try to feed themselves had made him laugh so often. Too bad they didn't like real food .. like seeds .. there was a whole lot of that food around but they preferred those slimy, wriggly worms which their Mom and Dad  dug out of the flower beds and grass and fed to them.  When they got big enough to try and find the worms themselves it sure looked a lot harder than just popping their mouths open and squawking until their Dad or Mom popped a squiggley worm in. Searching for those worms certainly seemed like an awful lot of work to him. It definitely was easier to just perch on a seed dish and pig out. And those wriggly worms were really yucky looking things!

The day he decided to fly out to the deck was the very first day he got the nerve to try flying around in the new house and he flew out of his cage expecting to fly out there with no problem ( except he knew Mom would really read him the riot act for going outside without her because that was a definite no-no). But what the heck ! a guy had to find his way around this new place sooner or later.  He flew out of his cage and towards the door and then the next thing he remembered was sitting on the carpet by the dining room table. He sure remembered that dining room table ok ... Mom always chased him off  it when he landed there. ( He used to land there on purpose sometimes just to tease her.) She was so darn worried about a little poop getting on her fancy table cloth. Gee whiz , he knew he wasn't supposed to poop there. Sometimes he thought Mom didn't realize he was a pretty smart dude, not some dumb dodo bird. If she just thought about it a little she would realize he hadn't done that in ages.

 He sat on the carpet  and really didn't know what to do.  He was sooo dizzy, and he couldn't think straight,  and didn't have a clue how to get back to his cage. In fact at first he didn't even have any idea where he was. Mom had come running and she was talking to him  and telling him he was ok... Suuurrre .... it wasn't her head that had been thumped ! It was easy for her to say he was ok .. how would she like to be dizzy and confused and lost all at the same time ?  Holy Cow ! These humans could be so darn dumb sometimes !!!

 Anyway Mom picked him up ... he didn't usually allow anyone to even touch his feathers ... not even her ... but this time he made an exception 'cause he knew Mom would never ever hurt him and she would take him back to his cage. Boy ! he was sure relieved to get back there ... and for a while he decided he  would NOT leave that cage ever again.

 The accident made him restart a molt he had just finished which had already  been a beaut because of the move and everything which had been going on so he had quite a time of it  for several more weeks. In fact, he had just about decided he was going to end up totally bald at the rate his feathers were popping out when they finally settled down and the new feathers started to look half decent. Talk about a drowned rat ! He bet he looked just like they did. Good thing there were no girl canaries around.They would never even give him the time of day looking like he did !

The one really positive thing about the new house was that Jamie and Kelly were always popping in. They lived real close now and that part was great. He liked Jamie and Kelly ... they were super kool girls. ( Mom thought so too... he had heard her telling someone exactly that just the other day.) He really liked it when they slept over because he always got to wake them up in the morning. They were a lot of fun to have around. Jamie and Kelly were cousins, not sisters, and almost the same age. Having family close by was definitely a big plus. Why, he would even bet they would keep his party plans secret if they found out about them. 

Most of the other kids lived so far  away that he didn't get to see them the way he would like, even Liam and Katy, but at least he did get to see them sometimes. He couldn't wait to see them at Christmas. He could just imagine how much they would love his Santa hat. Heck ... Katie would probably want to wear it !  It sure would be great if all  the grandkids lived close enough that they could see one another as often as he could see Jamie and Kelly.

Now at last he finally was almost back to normal and he could start making plans for his big party. He had promised Rusty ( his best Cardinal buddy) and Billy Blue Jay that he would have everything ready for them if they would just fly out early in December and stay over until the party. He had asked the Robins too but they had explained that they would be going on their winter vacation down south long before he would be having his party  and wouldn't be around so he wasn't expecting them. He knew the finches wouldn't be around either as they had left to go where it was warmer almost at the same time as he and Mom and Dad had moved here. He was so lucky that he didn't ever have to worry about weather. His house was always warm.

He had sent a message to Santa  weeks ago and asked him to  see that news of his party got around to all the fun guys so he was expecting a big crowd to show up. Santa had promised the use of his sleigh (as long as the party wasn't on Christmas Eve) to bring the guests who didn't fly and he had already had some messages that  sounded as if all the fun people were planning to  show up.

He really had to get busy with plans for food and checking about accommodations for his guests. After all, chances are the weather wouldn't be too great around party time and Rusty and Billy would never let him forget it if they had to sleep outside on a bare tree branch  instead of in their warm cozy nests at home. Smokey Squirrel, a gray squirrel buddy here at the new house that he met when Smokey was picking all the acorns off the big oak tree in the yard, had promised him he could look after the nest problem as he knew where all the best ones were.( Mostly ones where the owners had gone south for the winter and left Smokey to keep an eye on their homes for them.) Smokey said he would clean them up after the party guests left and the owners would never know the difference. He didn't think that was too honest but Smokey had convinced him that it was perfectly ok.  He knew Mom would think he was wrong but Gee! how else could he look after all his guests ? She wasn't about to let them sleep in the house. She even worried when she saw him with them in case they gave him something she called mites. For crying out loud... if they had mites they sure didn't seem to be suffering too much. What the heck were 'mites' anyway ? Mom was a neat lady but she sure could be a worrier !

He wanted to look spiffy for the party and thank goodness, Mom and Dad had  finally taken him to get his claws trimmed. Jeepers,it was about time ! They had been so long  that he was almost tripping over them. He'd started acting clumsy so they would see how badly he needed a trim and they got the message pretty quickly.  Mom would have liked him to let her do it  but NO WAY was he going to take a chance on her cutting his toes.. he definitely didn't like anyone holding him and clipping his claws but if someone had to do it  he darn well wanted it to be someone who knew what the heck they were doing and didn't get all nervous and shaky ! Anyway  it was done and it hadn't been too bad ... the new doctor was a lady and she did it in no time at all.

Rusty and Billy were due any day now and once they arrived he would get them to look after a lot of the details. Between the three of them .. and with Smokey's help, it should be a breeze getting everything ready. The big trick was going to be finding out how to get Mom out of the house so he could have the house for the party. Dad might understand but she would have a fit ! Sheeeesh!! ...  he loved Mom but she could sure be a huge pain at times!

Santa had told him that Bugs and Tweety and  even Sylvester the Cat and a bunch of their friends were coming and they were always a lot of fun. Imagine... a bird saying a cat was fun ! Nope , he wasn't losing it  ... Sylvester was no ordinary cat ... he was super kool.

He really wished Robby Robin was coming .. he missed him more than any of his friends from the old house. Robby was different from the rest of them. They had spent a whole lot of time talking and they thought a lot alike about things. Robby made a really loyal friend. He used to even try to protect Petey when he was outside just like he was family. Heck.. he even offered him worms one day ! YUCK!  As if Robby didn't have enough to do just feeding his family. Yep, Robby was one neat dude.

He was also the hardest working guy he knew. The others goofed off a lot but Robby never seemed to stop working. He spent almost all day every day feeding his family and once they were big enough and he was teaching them to fly and to hunt for worms  he had never seen a better father ( not even his own who was pretty darn special).  Robby took this family thing really seriously  and took real good care of every one of them. Robby built the best nest he had ever seen and he sure didn't let ANYONE mess with his family!

He remembered one night watching Robby chase the biggest cat he had ever seen away from a tree where one of his babies was sitting. This baby wasn't as big as the rest and took a lot of looking after. In fact for days and days Robby never really left his side. That old cat was determined to get at  the baby and Robby was making real sure that did not happen! That dumb old cat  took off like greased lightning when Robby  went after him and chased him all along the fence until he had him about four whole backyards away. And then Robby told him off royally! He was positively not going to let that cat anywhere near his family. 

Robby was always busy it seemed but he still always had time to be friendly and cheerful and stop for a visit whenever he saw Petey. Yep, he sure did miss Robby Robin. He hoped he was enjoying the warmer weather  where ever he was.

Petey and Smokey made a lot of plans and even talked to Santa a couple of times more and the party plans were going along well and then one morning really early  he heard this loud screeching sound and looked out the window and there were Billy Blue Jay and Rusty Cardinal sitting in a tree branch outside the window making a heck of a  racket to let him know they had arrived. Billy's voice sure hadn't improved !! Boy !! did he ever make himself heard . No wonder he acted as a sort of trumpeter whenever trouble was near  to warn the other birds to be on alert. NO ONE had a louder voice than Billy. Hey !! they had brought a couple of friends along ... that was neat. Looks if those two had finally found girlfriends .. Petey knew they had been looking for just the right ones  long before he moved 'cause they had told him so. And in fact, they had told him he needed to find one too. They had no clue how hard it was for a canary type guy to do that  being penned up in a cage most of the time.Sure he had the run of the house but  there weren't any girl canaries around that he had seen. And goodness knows he spent enough time singing  as loudly and as cheerfully as he could in hopes some gal canary would hear him and come around to check out  the guy doing the singing. 

Come to think of it ... that was something he was going to have to take up with Mom and Dad pretty soon ... he wasn't getting any younger and he sure would like to start a family of his own.. a canary type family  .. he already had the bestest human family a guy could ask for of course.

He quickly let the guys know how happy he was to see them and that they had remembered their promise. Gee !! It was so great to see them !! He had to find Smokey and get him to show them where they would be staying. Wait - Smokey was way ahead of him ... he was already introducing himself to them and telling them he would take them to their temporary nests. Smokey was a smart guy but he could be dumb at times too .. there he was offering acorns to the guys .. didn't he know yet that birds didn't eat acorns ??? One thing about Smokey .. he sure wasn't selfish! He had spent weeks and weeks gathering those acorns and hiding them and there he was all ready to share them with total strangers. He liked that guy better every day !

Now party plans could really get organized. The boys would look after the details out there and he would concentrate on last minute things from in here as no way would he be able to get out there now that the weather was so cold. Mom would have a hissy fit if he tried to go outside.

As the next couple of weeks passed everything came together even better than he had hoped they would ... Smokey was a great pal. He looked after every single thing he asked him to check  up on ... some of the things even before he asked.   Smokey was even keeping in touch with Santa and collecting the party invitation replies  as they came in. It looked as if the crowd was going to be huge for this party. He just wished he felt a little happier about things. Oh, he was happy  and really pleased his buddies had shown up and he was liking his new pal Smokey better every day but he really missed Robby. What kind of party was it when your best friend didn't show up?

Petey knew he was not being fair, after all he wasn't the first guy who had to move to a new place and start over. Heck, he had done that when he first found his Mom and Dad.  But this move had seemed so much harder to get used to. He had really liked his old yard and his friends there. And the only new friend he had really made here  was Smokey.  Having a squirrel friend was pretty O.K.  but it wasn't the same as a bird buddy who understood the kind of problems a  canary had to deal with.  Why couldn't he shake this lonely feeling ? Billy and Rusty  were here ... he really liked them. Smokey was a brand new friend  who would do anything for him. His Mom and Dad were the best  and he loved them to pieces. What more could a guy ask for ? He told himself ..."Hey Petey,  give your head a shake !! You have a pretty darn good life here !!' 

More and more of the guests  were starting to show up. Of course the humans around couldn't  see them ... magic time remember ?  But Bugs and Tweety and Sylvester and Daffy and their crowd were staying nearby making it a real holiday week  and in fact they were partying already and it wasn't party day for three more days !  The Snow People crowd were helping  Smokey  and Petey with a lot of the party plans as well. Frosty had made certain that they all  volunteered to help.

And big surprise  .. guess who showed up yesterday ?? Two of his other friends from the old house. Sammy and Sarah Sparrow decided to make the trip  to see him as well.  No wonder he missed his old friends. They were a really special group. Imagine their coming all this way just to see Petey. Yeah.. and to get some great eats as well of course. Everyone knows sparrows will go anywhere for a good meal ! <g> They had been nice though and brought along a couple of Dancing Chicks for Petey to check out. Sheeesh!! they were ok.. and they could sure dance but ... read my lips fellas ..."I am a CANARY... when I settle down it will be with a really pretty little blonde who will like being sung to by a handsome canary guy like me."

But those chicks were a good idea anyway  'cause he would talk to Frosty and he would be thrilled to have them put on a dance as a part of the entertainment  for the guests at the party. He had mentioned just the other day that he needed more acts for the show. And, from what Petey had seen , those chicks were some kinda dancers !

Party Day was tomorrow for goodness sake , he just had to shake this poor me feeling and get into party mood. All these people were here,  they were his guests, and it was time for him to stop being so darn selfish and  make sure his guests knew he appreciated their being there. He just had to face it .. Robby Robin had been his best friend, and he would always remember him, but it was time to move on. He had heard Mom say lots of times that sometimes we have to do things we maybe would rather not do in order to make those we care about happy and that usually when you did that you surprised yourself and  ended up feeling  happier as well. 

After giving himself a talking to, and a major kick in the butt ( have you ever tried to kick your own butt ???... it ain't easy believe me ! ) he decided it was way past time to shape up and said to himself ... "O.K. - It's Party Time !!  Get in the mood Petey ... you DO NOT want to be called Petey the Party Pooper ! "

From that point on he made it his job to forget about himself and concentrate on  seeing that everyone was enjoying their visit. Funny, the more effort he put into that .. the more fun HE was having himself. Today was party day !  And Dad had even solved the Mom problem .. he was taking her out for the night so the house was Petey's for his party. ( of course Dad didn't know that but it worked out fine anyway.<g>)

About 10 minutes after Mom and Dad left everything was in place as Smokey  and Rusty and Billy had everything all ready and had been just waiting to set up. Frosty was just about to welcome everyone and get the show rolling when Petey noticed out on the deck  that there were some late guests arriving. Who were they ? He was sure everyone was already here ... except Santa of course and everyone knows Santa always comes in his sleigh. Oh wait, Santa's sleigh WAS out there ... but who the heck was with him?  It couldn't be !!! He must be seeing things !! Nope, he wasn't seeing things.  It was Robby and his wife Rosie ! How in the world did they get here ? They were way down south !   Santa must have gone and picked them up !!!

Of course that is exactly what had happened. Everyone knows Santa always knows everything and he had been watching Petey mope around for weeks, waiting to see if Petey would smarten up and think of his guests instead of just himself. As soon as he saw that Petey wasn't just a selfish brat he decided that he would give Petey the best gift he could think of. His best friend at his party. And so he went and picked up Robby and Rosie and brought them up north so they would be at Petey's Christmas party.

Petey was so astonished that he didn't quite know how to say thank you. He sure had to get control of himself because he was so darn happy to see Robby that he was almost crying ... now that would NOT be kool as party host. So he settled for telling Robby how happy he was to see him  and almost singing as he said it. Robby grinned at him and said  "get used to it my friend... Rosie and I have talked it over and we did a quick check of the yard before coming in ... you have lots of great trees here  and we really like the yard. We have made a decision.  A big one. The kids are all grown now and out on their own and we were planning on moving to a new yard for next year as that blasted  cat never did stop trying for our babies in your yard at the old house. Soooo, why should we look for a yard around the old place to build our new home when we can be here with our best friend ? We are moving here to be with you !  Of course we will be going back down south after the party as Santa has promised to drive us back, but in the spring we will be here to set up our new home as soon as it starts to get warmer."  All Petey could think was how everything was getting better by the second!

Santa had a twinkle in his eye and a huge grin on his face as he said with a chuckle ... " Do you see  ? ... your Mom was right little buddy ... if you think of others before yourself  you do end up  being happier also ... MERRY CHRISTMAS PETEY !!! " 

 Of course they had an absolutely wonderful time and Petey and all his friends hope you do too as you celebrate this wonderful season with your friends and loved ones. May your Christmas be as happy and your New Year be as perfect as Petey's promises to be !