Levi's Christmas Letter

 

Lately, Mom has been really busy. She’s been shopping, wrapping presents and making dozens of cookies. One day, she told me that she was too busy to write a Christmas letter this year.  When I heard this, I cocked my head to one side and looked up at her with my puppy dog eyes. Mom is pretty good at reading my eyes. She realized I was asking “What is a Christmas letter?” And then I read her eyes. “Oh Levi, I forgot it’s your first Christmas!” “Let me tell you what Christmas is all about.  Then, if you want, you can type up a Christmas letter.”

So Mom and I snuggled up with some cookies and dog treats and she told me all about Baby Jesus being born in a manger in Bethlehem. She explained how Jesus was a gift from God, and how God is all about love. I heard about the 3 wise men from the East. Then she told me how people give gifts to their loved ones at Christmas and explained how Santa Claus fits in. I drifted off to sleep and dreamt that I was a flying reindeer.  Then, as dreams often do, things took a different turn and suddenly I was a new born puppy again, back in my whelping box in Ogilvie (much like a manger in Bethlehem).  Five “wise guys” from the Twin Cities showed up to admire me. I awoke from my dream with the sudden realization that dog is God spelled backwards. Suddenly it made sense why I’ve always felt that my purpose in life is to love everyone I meet.  

So here I am writing the family Christmas letter. Please excuse any typos, as my paws are kind of big for the keyboard.  As you may have gathered, I am fairly new to the family. I am an almost one year old golden retriever.  I was born last January. When I was five weeks old, the Seeger family (aka the five wise guys from the twin cities) came to Ogilvie to check out my litter mates and me. A few other families had visited before the Seeger’s, and after each visit, I heard that one of my litter mates was “spoken for.” I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I knew it was something important.

When the Seeger family showed up, I was naturally curious. The three kids were “oo-ing” and “ahh-ing” over all of us puppies. The dad asked a lot of questions about us. The mom tried really hard not to show any interest in us. I noticed the kids were sitting on the floor, so I walked over to one of them and she picked me up. She had such warm arms and I could tell she liked me. When she put me down, I walked over to each of the other two kids. They each picked me up and cuddled with me. Other families that visited had held me, but it didn’t feel like this. When these three kids held me, I just wanted to snuggle deep down in their arms. It felt like I was meant to be there. Suddenly I knew what it meant to be “spoken for.”

The girl named Danielle took me over to her mom and told her that she like me. The other two kids named Lauren and Evan each said they liked me too. Danielle put me in her mom’s arms. I was a little nervous at first, because I heard the dad say that the mom really didn’t want a dog. But when I got in her arms, I could feel the love. I relaxed and looked up at her with the same eyes that her three kids looked at her with: The eyes that said, “Please Mom!”

When the Seeger family left that day, I knew I’d see them again. It was a long two weeks before Mom and Dad came back to pick me up. The three kids weren’t with them this time and I wondered where they were. But I already knew that I could trust Mom and Dad, so I didn’t worry. It was a long van ride to my new home. Mom held me the whole time. After we were home for a short time, we got back in the van. I was hoping I wasn’t being returned just because I’d pooped under the kitchen table. Luckily this was a short van ride though. We stopped at a big building called School with lots of people walking out of it. Suddenly, my heart leapt as I spotted Danielle in the crowd of people. She got into the van and when she spotted me, I know her heart leapt too. I could see it on her face. The next stop was at another smaller building, also called School with smaller people walking out of it. I had a hunch that there would be two more familiar faces in this crowd. I was right! When Lauren and Evan got into the van and saw me, they shrieked with joy. I knew just how they felt.

Time has gone by fast since I came home. I took Mom and Dad to puppy class to train them when to give me treats. I met my very best friend, Ruby. She lives next door to me and we love to play in her backyard. Long walks with Mom and trips to the dog park are fun too. Barking at squirrels is an exciting pastime of mine. I’ve learned to swim and it’s one of my favorite things, especially when I can roll in the dirt as soon as I get out of the water. And recently it snowed! I LOVE the snow. There is nothing like burying your nose down in the snow to sniff around. But my favorite thing to do when it snows is to make snow angels. It is so fun. You should really try it.

Now you know all about how I came to live with my family. I know a lot of people write about their kids’ grades and activities in Christmas letters, so apparently those things are important. I don’t know what grades my kids get in school. But I know they get smiles on their faces whenever they come home from school and find me waiting for them. And I give them each an A+ in snuggling and belly scratching! I can’t imagine any grades that are more important than those.

Mom and Dad do a pretty good job of taking care of me. They comment a lot about how raising a puppy is a lot like raising a kid. I often think that living with my three kids is a lot like living with my litter mates back in Ogilvie: We snuggle, wrestle and vie for Mom’s attention.

As I’ve been typing this letter, boxes wrapped in colorful paper have been piling up under our Christmas tree. Mom says they are presents for each of us. She even helped me choose and wrap presents for my kids and Dad. I sniffed a couple of presents under the tree that had my name on them. I can hardly wait to see what’s inside those bags and boxes. But I know that whatever the gifts turn out to be, they will pale in comparison to the feeling of being spoken for. 

Sometimes when I am snuggling with Mom, Dad or one of my kids, they say things like, “I still can’t believe we got a dog.” When I look up at their faces, I realize that they also know the joy of being spoken for.

Merry Christmas from the Seeger family. Our wish for you is to know the joy of being spoken for.

Love,

Levi,

Eric and Kim,

Dani, Lauren and Evan 

P.S. Mom said my name got to go first since I wrote the letter.