My favorite Christmas present

Because the family related to, but still mocked, my "I'll Be Home for Christmas" meltdown, I feel the need for a happy Christmas moment.

So, here it is, my all-time favorite Christmas present:

A Pound Puppy, circa 1986. Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen?

I got him for Christmas when I was in the 4th grade. I remember that year vividly because my parents have a home video of them and my grandmother sitting around the roaring fireplace with our presents from Santa Claus already under the tree. I may have only been 10 at the time, but I figured out pretty quickly that Santa probably didn't risk burning his butt and being seen by my relatives just to bring me (and my sister) Pound Puppies. But still, one of my favorite Christmases. Maybe because its the only one that I really remember.

Anyway, my puppy has been through junior high, high school, college, marriage and a move to Hawaii with me. The poor thing's stuffing is all lumped in the center to form a handle where I always pick him up. His head is lopsided. One of his ears flops around. His stomach had to be resealed more than a decade ago. And he's missing a toe or two. But I love that guy.

I got a matching mini Pound Puppy for my birthday 5 months later, but I also got the flu that weekend and missed my piano recital. Of course, I blamed it all on the new puppy and he got banished to the shelf.