Why even these babies in the picture stopped crying the instant those hats were put on their heads and we all know tiny babies are expected to cry. They cry when they are tired, they cry when they are hungry, they cry when they have a wet diaper,  sometimes they just cry to exercise their lungs or for attention. But put a Santa hat on a baby and they stop that crying before you can say Merry Christmas !  Guess they'd look kinda silly wearing one in July though wouldn't they. Maybe somebody better come up with a hat for all times and seasons of year with the same magic powers.

 The most wonderful things can happen if we really try to smile and look for things which make us happy. A smile is so much easier than a frown you know and is very, very contagious and habit forming. Everyone around you  will have to smile too if your smile is big enough and if everyone is smiling just think how much happier we all can be. I'm sure Santa knew that when he asked Mrs Claus to make him that very first hat.

 See how they look in their hats? They think they look pretty spiffy and only shake the hats off when they are preening their feathers or taking their baths. ( If you don't know too much about birds - preening is the same as when we humans are combing our hair and tidying our clothes so we look our best) But as soon as all those things are taken care of they let us know that they want their party hats again and the playtime begins. Its so much fun to watch them that I am almost sorry that my Santa hat is packed away except at Christmas time!

 I'd wear mine too but the neighbours might think I was strange if I wore it while doing my gardening in the middle of the summertime. Sometimes though I pretend I have it on and you know what ? That works too ! I pretend I have put it on and almost as soon as I do I start to smile and everything seems more cheerful, I feel more happy, and I just naturally want to be nice to people.

 But now with Christmas time almost here you can be sure my hat is unpacked and I look just like Petey and the girls. Except of course, I don't have feathers ! Feathers look very pretty on a bird but would look pretty silly on a Grandma baking Christmas cookies don't you think ? And they would most definitely get in the way and probably some of those feathers would end up in the cookies !

 This week Petey and the girls have been busy wrapping Christmas presents and they are sooooo excited because a whole bunch of little girls are coming  for Christmas from a very long way away ! They can't wait to see the girls  and want to be sure they have the presents  for Annalee, Grace, Kristy and Jennifer all ready before they get here so the presents will already be under the tree when the girls arrive. As you can see they have made a very good start already. Of course they had Teddy's help too and he did a lot of the lifting and carrying. Petey mostly supervised and Penny and Pixie made suggestions. 

It's been really fun around here the past few days and very busy. Getting the Christmas Tree up and decorated was a project which took a lot of time this year as we wanted the tree to be extra pretty for the girls. Petey and the girls didn't do much to help with the decorating but they certainly have checked out the finished project and I think from their actions really like it. They have all sat in the tree on several occasions already! With their Santa hats on they look as if they are ornaments on the tree and when they sit very still I sometimes can't even find them for the longest time ! They all think this is a big joke on me I think because they do love to play hide and seek with us  and they see the tree as a perfect hiding place. I don't think I'll let them know that I have discovered this newest hiding place. ( We'll just keep it as our secret ... ok?) As long as I know they are safe I'll just pretend I don't see them there. Because of course, I always make sure they are not anywhere where they could get hurt. They are such tiny wee things and very much loved so no way do we ever want them in any danger !

 Now if you don't have a Santa Hat it really isn't a problem because the magic of the Hat means that you can even  imagine you have one and the magical powers will work every bit as well as if you had a real fuzzy Santa Hat on your head. Smiling is what makes the magic work. If you smile it pops right on your head even though you can't see it and neither can anyone else. But they will be so busy smiling back at you that they won't even miss the Hat. 

Why not try it out ? Try smiling at everyone you meet and being as cheerful as you know how to be. I just bet you will find you are meeting a heck of a lot of friendly people. Of course, you mustn't talk to all these new people who are strangers unless Mommy or Daddy say its ok but I'm sure they won't find anything wrong with keeping that smile on your face just as often as you possibly can.

Oh yes, one other thing ... it would be a really nice idea if  you leave a note out for Santa along with his milk and cookies thanking him for having Mrs Claus make that magic Santa Hat which helps to spread  so much happiness  around. That may be the very best present Santa ever gave any of us !