Toy

Once upon a Christmas season, there was a little boy who was asked by his parents which he would like to have the most: presents under the tree or a dog.

WOW! What a choice!

While the little guy loved getting presents under the tree, he really, REALLY did want to have a dog--so a dog was what he chose.

Thus, a tiny Boston terrier became part of the family.

Still, the hankering for a present under the tree to open didn't go away--and the parents were touched when they observed their son gift-wrapping his new pet, so they decided to wrap up a few stocking-stuffers for him.

For both that reason and his size, the new member of the family was given the name of Toy.

The family soon learned that Toy loved to eat beans--and with amusing results!

Toy did the predictable when it came to eating beans--but, also, did a little bit more.

It seems as if Toy mistook the sounds, vibrations, and odor produced for an intruder at the exit door, so this feisty, little pup would twist around and snap at the imagined intruder with each emission!

The family found this to be so amusing that Toy got to eat his favorite food many, many times!

Are you ready for the rest of the story?

The rest of the story is that I recently asked Russell about his childhood. Sadly, his family life was, for the most part, dysfunctional--and, of course, came to a sudden end when he came home from school one day at the age of nine to find out that not only were his parents gone but, also, the mobile home in which they lived. However, his mom and dad did seem to go all out at Christmas when it came to making happy memories--and this was one of those times...