Petey has decided to take it easy this year and allow his new best friend to have center stage with the Christmas preparations. He is getting older and slower and thought it might be nice if Tuffy started his training to take over his Holiday duties for the years to come. 

Tuffy really reminds him a lot of Joey, the new friend he made last year who was from New Orleans and the Katrina disaster. Maybe that's why he didn't mind even a little bit when Mom told him Tuffy would be joining the family as its newest member a few months ago. Petey had really come to love Joey. And it didn't take long for him to love Tuffy even more. He just knew Tuffy would soon take care of his Mom and Dad for him and he would be able to relax and enjoy more time with his family. 

Joey is apparently doing really great and is having so much fun with his own family that he hasn't had time to keep in touch very often but Chris has been keeping Petey up to date on how he is doing. Chris says Joey still talks about Petey and the kids and how really nice everyone was to him last year and how he will never forget them. He's just really busy I guess. Tuffy sure does hope he gets to meet Joey some day.

Tuffy is still learning so many new things and learning about Christmas is promising to be really special. Everything Petey tells him makes him more excited by the day. This Santa Claus sounds really neat ! And his grandson Chris sounds like a guy he will really enjoy getting to know. Even Mom and Dad  say its a very special time of year when everyone is happy and  thinking about making others as happy as they are. He's beginning to see that family stuff really is important and he's realizing just how lucky he was to find his Mom and Dad that day a few months ago. He just knew they were his as soon as he saw them. Funny, but it seems now as if he was always with them. He already can't even imagine being anywhere but where they are. 

Mind you, he still hates to see them go out without him. It took so long to find them that he doesn't ever want to  risk losing them. He even worries sometimes that they might get lost and not be able to find their way home if he isn't with them to see that they do. And he has to admit ... riding in the car is sure a lot of fun.  He just wishes Dad would let him try driving it sometimes ! He tries but Dad explained you need some dumb thing like a 'license' before you can do that and you have to be really old before you can get one of those things.

Something that made him even more happy happened right after he found Mom and Dad. His sister Riley also found her family ... and the best part is  they are a part of this one too! Her family are his Mom and Dad's family too. The lady is Dad's daughter and  she is also Mom's best friend. Mom says she is the daughter she always wanted. Sorta makes everything perfect that he and Riley share families and get to see one another so he can still watch over her. She is so tiny and she still needs her big brother to watch over her sometimes. Isn't that what big brothers are supposed to do ? 

That was the one thing that really bothered him when he came home with Mom and Dad. Leaving Riley behind made him feel very sad even though he was happy to have found his human family. He really felt guilty leaving her behind on her own. That first day when he heard his Mom telling the lady he had just met about Riley and suggesting she go and get her and bring her home he wanted to jump up and kiss Mom right then and there ! Mom told her that her two girls would absolutely love Riley. And when the lady and one of her daughters came to visit the next day .. Riley was with them ! That was the best surprise he could have wished for and made everything absolutely perfect. He and Riley were both home and exactly where they should be. And they can even learn about Christmas together. Riley doesn't have Petey to teach her but he will learn everything from Petey and he will be able to teach Riley himself.

Petey has told him all about his Christmas adventures and he has even shared some of the secrets but he says Tuffy will have to wait to actually go on one of those adventures. He is after all still just a little puppy and as Petey says,learning comes before doing. He is going to have to be patient. He would love to go with Santa and Chris on Christmas Eve but he understands he wouldn't be much help until he is older. He cannot wait to actually meet Rudolph. Petey says he is the most special and smart reindeer of all, but this year he will just get to be a kid and have fun.

He is taking on some of the preparations  and gift gathering, under Petey's instruction of course, but he won't be actually making the journey on Christmas Eve this year. He sure will be listening and watching very closely as Petey teaches him more about the magic which is a part of Christmas.

In this house everyone believes in magic. Petey won't have it any other way. Anyone who knows him has learned to never underestimate the power of love and sharing. He has taught us all very well to trust in the goodness of others and to always be ready to extend a hand to those who may need it the most. Animal and human. As Petey says so often, "we are all God's creatures and He expects nothing less from us". Petey has been a very good teacher for all of us through the years and Tuffy is now learning the same lessons as we have. He shows promise of being an excellent student. I definitely suspect he will make Petey very proud of him when he hands over all of his duties to Tuffy in the next year or so.

Until then Tuffy is very much enjoying being a happy, carefree little puppy who gets more excited by the day at the thought of all the  wonderful days ahead as Christmas approaches this year. He is sure that Chris will be dropping by to see Petey and he really is looking forward to that, and just maybe Chris' Grandpa will also come to visit if he has time. It would sure make everything perfect if he actually gets to meet Santa. If he is half as nice as Petey says he is it will make this Christmas absolutely perfect. Tuffy can hardly wait ! Life sure can be wonderful when you have so much love around. It just couldn't possibly be any better. This family stuff is the greatest!

We all wish you happiness and a wonderful Holiday Season and Tuffy wants you all to know that he is definitely going to be helping Santa and Chris just as soon as Petey says he is ready. Maybe even by next year when he is big enough. Until then he wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas and  the very best New Year ever !

Remember ...  every good deed you do always comes back to you ... that was Petey's lesson for today and Tuffy really wants to share that lesson with each and every one of you. 

Christmas Index