Big, bright eyes as clear as glass.  A strong, sturdy body with powerful chest and legs.  A thick tail that goes a mile a minute.  Black fur that shines in the sun in blue-black highlights.  Soft, silken ears that show as much expression as his face.  A sweet, loving personality.

This is the picture I see whenever I look at Christmas.  Christmas is my new dog; he came into my life around Christmstime (hence the name).  It seemed perfectly suited for him because he's brought our family nothing but love, joy, and peace, which are the very themes of the Christmas season.

We found Christamas at a shelter for homeless animals. He was due to be put down in just a few days, so trying to find him a home was of utmost importance to the staff.  Well, we had wanted a dog, so this was how Christmas came into our lives (or did HE chooose us????).

Christmas is smart, loving, very loyal.  In the short time he's been with our family, he's endeared himself to all the members, even my wife, who is a self-admitted "dog-hater" (she prefers cats).  The kids just adore him and can't wait to play with him upon arriving home from school or beforehand. I am more than happy to take care of him (watering/feeding him, making sure he gets his exercise, playing with him, cleaning up after him when he poops, etc., trying to keep him out of mischief), and my wife enjoys having him lie beside her, stroking his head, as she catches up on the latest news or reads one of her books before going to bed.

He is the perfect pet.  And he also has become fast friends with our family cat, "Odd-ball", who is part Norwegian Forest, part Ragdoll, part something else.  ("Oddie" is another rescue from the shelter; shelter animals, as we have discovered, seem to make the best pets!).

Oddie and Christmas have taken to sleeping together on our bed; they have since become the best of pals.  They love one another; they can't stand to be apart from each other.  When one goes exploring, the other is sure to follow fast on their heels.

Well, I hope you enjoyed meeting "Crhristmas".  He is as wonderful as they come, and I like to think that God blessed us by giving us the perfect Christmas gift, even if it did come in the guise of a canine pal.