I couldn 't believe it! My family had started Christmas without me. According to my clock, I still had minutes left before I could get out of bed and yet I could hear my sister chattering and laughing with my parents. Quickly slipping from my room and down the hallway, I passed my little brother 's bedroom, noticing his door was still closed. It seemed he was missing out too.
Still pitch-black outside, Santa had left the tree lights on, transforming the front room into a Christmas wonderland. We always celebrated in the front room, yet, no one was there.
Once I reached the kitchen, I wasted no time. "What 's going on and why aren 't you in the front room?" I asked, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. Then, I spotted her
"A puppy," I squealed. "Santa brought us a puppy!"
Joyful tears blurred my eyes as I dropped to my knees, scooping the puppy into my arms. The sweet, skunk smell of puppy breath--an odor I 'd always loved--filled my nostrils as the puppy 's soft, pink, tongue bathed my face. Santa had dressed her in a silky over-sized red bow, and with her soft cries and a tail that wouldn 't stop wagging, it was love at first sight. Mom and Dad explained that Santa had actually brought the puppy for my little brother, but that didn 't matter. Over the years we 'd become a cat family, but I 'd always wanted a dog. Thanks to Santa, and my brother, we finally had one. Once my brother arrived on the scene, my parents laid out the rules. The puppy 's name was Gretel. Santa 's elves had devoted many strenuous hours training Gretel to stay on her spacious, oval rug. Unless Gretel needed to go outside to do her business, she could not get off her rug. We could place Gretel and her rug in our bedrooms, the kitchen, or downstairs, but not in the front room. After we acknowledged the rules, my father suggested we head in the front room to open presents and see what else Santa had brought. "Can Gretel come in with us? " we pleaded in unison, arguing that the puppy would feel lonely if left by herself. After much discussion and a lot of begging, Dad finally realized that we 'd rather spend Christmas morning in the kitchen with Gretel than open presents. …show more content…
That 's when my parents caved in. My father situated the puppy and her rug in the entryway of the front room, reminding us that this was a one-time deal.
In between opening presents, we innocently forgot about the rules, motioning and calling Gretel, but the elves had done a flawless training job. The puppy obediently remained on her rug and never overstepped her boundaries. Of course, we kids took turns keeping Gretel company and after each visit, Gretel 's rug mysteriously inched closer to the action.
Throughout the day, Gretel greeted each friend and neighbor who stopped by with a wag of her tail and sweet puppy kisses. Everyone adored her. Even my grandparents loved her.
That Christmas was such a blur of puppy love, I don 't remember any of the other presents we opened or even sitting down to our Christmas feast. Yet, I 'll never forget how my brother unselfishly shared his Christmas present with the family. Rather than taking the puppy in his
Still pitch-black outside, Santa had left the tree lights on, transforming the front room into a Christmas wonderland. We always celebrated in the front room, yet, no one was there.
Once I reached the kitchen, I wasted no time. "What 's going on and why aren 't you in the front room?" I asked, squinting as my eyes adjusted to the brightness. Then, I spotted her
"A puppy," I squealed. "Santa brought us a puppy!"
Joyful tears blurred my eyes as I dropped to my knees, scooping the puppy into my arms. The sweet, skunk smell of puppy breath--an odor I 'd always loved--filled my nostrils as the puppy 's soft, pink, tongue bathed my face. Santa had dressed her in a silky over-sized red bow, and with her soft cries and a tail that wouldn 't stop wagging, it was love at first sight. Mom and Dad explained that Santa had actually brought the puppy for my little brother, but that didn 't matter. Over the years we 'd become a cat family, but I 'd always wanted a dog. Thanks to Santa, and my brother, we finally had one. Once my brother arrived on the scene, my parents laid out the rules. The puppy 's name was Gretel. Santa 's elves had devoted many strenuous hours training Gretel to stay on her spacious, oval rug. Unless Gretel needed to go outside to do her business, she could not get off her rug. We could place Gretel and her rug in our bedrooms, the kitchen, or downstairs, but not in the front room. After we acknowledged the rules, my father suggested we head in the front room to open presents and see what else Santa had brought. "Can Gretel come in with us? " we pleaded in unison, arguing that the puppy would feel lonely if left by herself. After much discussion and a lot of begging, Dad finally realized that we 'd rather spend Christmas morning in the kitchen with Gretel than open presents. …show more content…
That 's when my parents caved in. My father situated the puppy and her rug in the entryway of the front room, reminding us that this was a one-time deal.
In between opening presents, we innocently forgot about the rules, motioning and calling Gretel, but the elves had done a flawless training job. The puppy obediently remained on her rug and never overstepped her boundaries. Of course, we kids took turns keeping Gretel company and after each visit, Gretel 's rug mysteriously inched closer to the action.
Throughout the day, Gretel greeted each friend and neighbor who stopped by with a wag of her tail and sweet puppy kisses. Everyone adored her. Even my grandparents loved her.
That Christmas was such a blur of puppy love, I don 't remember any of the other presents we opened or even sitting down to our Christmas feast. Yet, I 'll never forget how my brother unselfishly shared his Christmas present with the family. Rather than taking the puppy in his