First I'd like to start out by saying I hope everyone has a merry Christmas and a wonderful safe healthy and happy New Year!

I was wondering what everyone plans on doing this Christmas? My wife Amy and I will be staying home and enjoying her wonderful homemade enchiladas! It's going to be nice and chilly in California around 54 degrees on again off again rain so if it's not windy we will also build a fire. It will be different since our little four-legged daughter April went to be with the Lord but it also helps us to remember what Christmas is all about! We love knowing we will see our beloved April again.

We wish all of you a wonderful wonderful Merry Christmas and a healthy happy New Year!

Good magic to all,

All of my family

Spending a few days with our 'cousin group' opening gifts, then eating, shopping, looking at Christmas lights, doing our annual Christmas movie - this time it might be "West Side Story," not sure yet. We always have a wonderful time together.

Wife and I are very sequestered here and will have a very quiet Christmas with our three Service Dogs opening many packages.

Three people who took advantage of my special offer on Lybrary.com will be performing "Mental Mashup" at Christmas parties and I await news of their experience.

Others now have to be the hands and ears for my creations - a fine gift.

The less said about my situation, the better. But I do wish all you guys & gals a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Marlana and I will be home with our younger son, his cat, our two dogs, and our two cats.

Our daughter moved back up to Seattle a little over a month ago. She was supposed to be flying down to spend Christmas with us, but her roommate and a couple of her friends have been exposed to Covid, so she's going to wait until sometime in January.

We (Marlana, the dogs, and I) just got back from a short anniversary/birthday trip to Yosemite, which was fun but far too short. Lots of snow, however (and the dogs like snow).

Dinner will be Greek fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, okra, and maybe some celery/fennel amandine.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to y'all! Stay safe and healthy!

Hopefully the dogs don’t open any packages until cued to do so, at the appropriate time.

They sound unusually manually dextrous and skilled, too.

(Ho-ho-ho!)

I'm pretty sure that dogs can't be manually . . . anything.

Well, I reckon you got me there. It was just a loose paw-nalogy.

(Next, you’ll be telling me that dogs can’t do a decent classic pawlm….)

Actually, they all take turns and patiently wait while the others open their packages.

My wife's previous Service Dog would even go and fetch the specified package and deliver it to the correct human or dog person - or cat.

after all of the gifts are opened and the paper cleaned up with their help, they all wants other dogs' present - just like human kids,
but do know which is theirs.

Paws, hands, manual? If a toy rolls under a dresser or coach my Collie may try and drag it out with his arm. If he cant, he will call is sister who is a bit thinner to try.
By laying on her back she has an extra 4" reach. If that doesn't work they send the Sheltie to find me, to "give them a hand."

Ask any of them for a "high five' and you get it.

For dogs, wouldn’t that be a “high four”?

And I suppose a thumb pawlm is out of the question….

They can do a PawlmerClip though (hold an object between their toes). They can also hide an object in their mouth - something I cannot do,
and Shanna will hide a toy in her armpit while walking around to fool the other dogs.

Collies aren't particularly common these days, alas.

We've had five: three tri-colored males (one smooth, two rough: Gunner, TJ, and Geordie), one sable female (rough: Ruffles), and one one blue merle male (rough: PD). We've also had a female Jack Russell Terrier (Nonnie), and a male Samoyed (Sampson). In addition to our current Collie (Geordie), we have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Bo). They're like brothers: half the time they love each other; half the time they hate each other. Unlike our previous Collies, Geordie likes to play in water and, unfortunately, mud. Bo's OK with mud but hates water.