Somewhere in the misty past backlog of stories that wanders around in my brain, I recall a legend or story or some such that said humans could understand the speech of the animals from Midnight 'till dawn on Christmas morning. Somewhere along the way, that turned into a habit of mine to get up very early to feed the animals and do chores before we opened presents in the morning, instead of waiting until after presents, just in case they had something they wanted to say to me *sigh*

Now I've "grown a little meaner, and grown a little older" but I find now that I have animals again (two dogs outside, six cats inside) I am warming my hands and drinking brandy kissed cocoa after going out with a special batch of treats at whatever 10 degree pre-dawn hour it was. Still nothing special to say, but I can't help but be glad for simple thankfulness on this morning.

I am currently working overnights and I didn't have to work Christmas Eve (the only evening in the whole year the store closes) so I'm awake anyway. I'll crash after dinner and go back in to help put the store back together before the doors reopen at 6am for the day-after-Christmas. The twins will say think you when they open their gifts in a couple of hours because they know I'll play with them myself if they don't, but we both know how much they mean it. In past years we haven't even been clear of Christmas day before they were complaining about the game they didn't get with their game systems or the clothes they didn't get with their dolls.

I love them dearly, but I know they won't realize the depth of that until they are mature enough to love someone else like that. I know that material stuff is like crack, when you get a lot you just end up wanting more. They complain about minor wants because we have managed to live a life without most of the major problems; sickness, homelessness, hunger. I know their pickyness is, in a way, a sign of blessing because they have always had enough to be picky.

Still, it does my heart good to see true thankfulness in my four-legged children's eyes. The two-legged kids will take care of themselves in time. My New Year's resolutions my vary in the particulars, but every year the basics are the same. "I aspire to be the man my dog thinks I am."

If you made it this far, thank you for listening. May you hold good friends and family close around some warm hearth in this cold world now and into the New Year.