2024 Christmas Cheer Time!

 Time for this year's installment of pet trauma The Beagle's Christmas Email!  Things are looking up in many ways this year, most importantly in a huge improvement in Dan's health, so we have much to be thankful for this Christmas.  We also have a new shower upstairs which means that we now have a dedicated guest suite in the basement - and we swear it's nicer than that sounds!  We are currently accepting applications for visitors, please contact us to add your name to the list. :- )

Meanwhile, let's get this party started!  We decided this year that Eeek cannot continue to boycott being part of the fun, and we were determined to get him to play.  He was equally determined to NOT play, so we compromised by Dan "helping" him stay on the bed for a few reluctant photos (whilst attempting to keep Domovyk from "helping" in HIS own way).  Certainly not our best effort, but considering Eeek we're calling this a win.  Next year maybe we'll get a sweater on the little snot...

Since this year Hanukkah and Christmas are on the same day for the first time in memory, we introduced Domovyk to Hanukkah by way of the little-known Hanukkah Unicorn.  This is an icon that I found at Walmart, and it really makes you wonder about meanings and symbols and history... or perhaps the end of civilization.  Of course we thought it would be the perfect prop for this noble tradition.  Domovyk was as confused about it as we are, and so he tried to eat it.  We added his festive Hanukkah sweater, and lost his interest completely.  Sigh.  

Apparently Domovyk is more into Christmas.  And who can blame him?  Christmas has lights!

And Christmas has feathers!  (even Eeek thinks feathers are kind of okay, as long as they don't touch him)

But most important, Christmas has HATS!  Santa hats!  Tiny Santa hats!  Who doesn't love a cat in a tiny Santa hat?    

We even had a Christmas miracle!  Eeek joined the fun, and we're still in shock - but doesn't he look great in a hat?!?!

(We actually got that photo AFTER this post was finished and published, and had to go back and edit it to add that photo.  Seriously, we never in a million years expected to get this photo.  We think it's a magic hat.)  

So technically Domovyk doesn't always love hats, at least the non-magical variety.  Especially when they are paired with sweaters... 

And sad cats in Santa hats are not festive.  So we'll end this part of the email with Oookie, and his now-traditional "I believe in Santa" pose.  We're with you, Oookie.  We believe.  

As I say every year, stars are born, not made - and this year the star emerged when we took Crash and Domovyk (who is now an official stroller cat, making us officially THOSE PEOPLE) to our favorite winery as we do every year.  We posed in front of the tree:

And then Crash said "Hang on, you don't have a money shot yet for the Christmas email.  Let me show you how it's done"  and then I took these photos and somewhere, an angel got her wings.  

And then he said "My work here is done, good-night" and he lived up to his name while we enjoyed some traditional Glühwein.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, and the most joyful of New Years to all our wonderful friends and family!  

Love, Robyn & Dan Beagle and all the critters

For those of you new to our tradition, we do it every year and have for almost 20 years.  You can see all the previous years below:

Stars are born, not made.

Hi everyone!  This Christmas introduces the latest addition to our family, Domovyk.  Domo is a 16 month old Maine Coon that we brought home in February and we have been sooooo very excited to include him in the holiday tradition.  He's half Oookie's age but already much bigger.    

This year has had it's ups and downs, but the main floor of the house is almost done, which is a huge relief and hopefully means that we will have more visitors [hint hint].  Our house got a historical designation plaque this year, and after 3 years of remodeling it only feels a little haunted anymore.  Though Oookie has recently earned the nickname "Child of the Corn" for his habit of sitting in empty rooms, staring at nothing in a very eerie way... 

We are a little afraid.  Of Oookie, not of ghosts.  

Luckily Domovyk is a more simple soul, very sweet and attached to us.  

Bringing Domovyk to meet Santa was the start of our holiday season.

It's hard to appreciate the festive sweater he is wearing, but Santa seemed to like it.  

{Little-known fact:  Google's photo editor Portrait mode does NOT understand Maine Coon ear tips.  EVERY single time I tried to use it on a photo of Domo, it cut off his ear tips.  Hey Google, are you listening?}

Needless to say, we thought Domovyk would be the star of the annual Christmas e-card.  But as we all know, stars are born, not made.  Oookie watched us pull out the Christmas costume bin and his beautiful blue eyes lit up.  We started going through the outfits, reliving so many memories of Jack...  Until Oookie took things into his own paws to distract us while Domo watched, appalled.    

We thought okay, sure, Oookie's cute but once we really start dressing them up, Domovyk will be wonderful!   

We tried the big hat on Domo but it squished his ears.

This hat shows the ear tips!  But it also shows his grumpy bad Santa attitude....

And then he fell over.  Sigh.

Still, we persevered and managed to get a few almost jolly poses out of our rising star.  

It's FESTIVE but one must question if his heart is really in it?

And then...

Sad.  Sad Christmas kitty does not make the heart sing.

So Oookie said "Hold my beer" and showed what a 3 year veteran of the Beagle Family Christmases can do.  

"Sweater?  I spit on your Christmas sweater.  Even without a sweater I am the most adorable Christmas kitty ever!"

"Now dress me up and take your pictures!  Even with my eyes shut, I am cuter than that orange cat!"

And with my eyes open, I am a Christmas ANGEL.

"I believe in Santa Claus."

Admit it, your heart melted a little just then, didn't it?  

Domovyk was unmoved by Oookie's performance, but he did feel the need to mess with his hat. 

It's hard to tell in these photos but Oookie's new sweater had a retro Mickey theme to go with our oldest and dearest prop, the vintage Mickey doll.  We tried to pose Oookie where you could see the sweater and the doll together, but best laid plans and a temperamental star go downhill quickly.....

As always, we rescued Mickey before any real harm was done.  Which is good, because when we decided it was Eeek's turn to be photographed, Eeek flat out refused to play.  He has pretty much reverted to the feral cat he was, so we can't actually get near him most of the time.  Dan managed to throw Mickey at Eeek and snap this photo and that's as close as we could get to Eeek participation this year.  

Bah, humbug, Eeek.

Crash remains a star for our photos and our social life.  We took him to see Santa again this year, and he discovered that Mrs. Claus has treats!  

And THEN he discovered that Santa had brought elves and THEY also had treats, and it was like he went to another dimension...

We brought him to our favorite winery for their Christmas party and he was, as usual, very popular.  I still think he looks more like a bell captain than a drummer boy, but what do I know?

Either way, he's our festive handsome boy!  He's almost 11 now, but still the life of every party.  

We hope to see more of everyone in the coming year, and that 2024 brings good health and joy for all of you!  

Merry Christmas from the Beagles!

For those of you new to this, follow the arrows at the bottom to see previous years.  We've been doing this almost 20 years!

Easter 2023 - We have a LOT of work to do before Christmas!!

 Since we have 2 adorable kitties under a year old as well as Oookie who has experience as an Easter bunny-kitty, we decided to try to do a special Easter edition of Our Festive Pets.  We hope to have it become an annual event.  The participants' enthusiasm shall not be discussed.  

We have had mixed results with bunny ears in the past.  This shot of Boo and Dan from 2014 is a timeless classic

It is our first Easter without Jackson and we still miss the original best bunny very much

but the new bunnies are trying to pick up the fluffy-tail baton.  Or something like that.  The show must go on.

Oookie is such a bunny-face that we've been putting ears on him since the beginning.  This was 2021

And this was 2022

 

This year I bought a set of fuzzy black ears because I really wanted Eeek to earn his keep shine.  Eeek's well-earned nickname is Freak and today pushed him to the limit.  We showed him the harmless ears 

and then we caught him and attempted to get adorable (or at least minimally-panicked) photos of Eeek in his ears.  This is what we got:

Not winning any cuteness awards, but at least he settled down a bit.  We moved on to Oookie, who should be a pro by now.  These ears are a little big so they require support

Oookie was willing and we were off to a good start 

when Domovyk decided to get involved.

And just like that, it was game time!  Oookie exited center stage, and Domovyk took over.  

Is it a prop?  Is it a toy?  Is it edible?  Domovyk has questions!

So we added a rabbit stuffie for bonus bunny-points and let the kitten be a kitten!

Domovyk quite enjoyed the photo shoot, and the bunny isn't talking.

HAPPY EASTER!!