A truely blessed christmas

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December 30th 2011 2:04 am
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I am sorry we have not been on dogster much lately, but my mumma can not keep secrets and has been finding it very hard to contain herself!

It all started the night we moved home and Mumma told the family that she wanted her sister here to share our first christmas in the new house. She had booked the plane tickets and my Aunty would be arriving on the 21st of December, but we could not tell Nanna as it would be a good christmas day surprise.

Ever since Mumma had been bouncing round the house getting ready for christmas and parties and visitors. She counted the sleeps as she just could not wait to see her sister.

The day finally arrived and then she came home late from the airport with my Aunty and her boyfriend. My Aunty loves German Shepherds and looked quite tearful when she saw me and said I reminded her of my puppermumma so much.

Her boyfriend was a bit scared of me to start with but within about a hour, I had him charmed and we were best mates for the whole visit. He quite often was thought missing and then seen out the window playing stick with me in the garden.

Sadly on the 23rd of December we had some really awful earthquakes and a lot of people were at breaking point. I was home alone at the time but like clockwork, the whole family were home within an hour.

We were explaining to our visitors that when a big earthquake hits, we all drop what we are doing and head home, it doesn't shake much out here and if it was really bad then at least we are together. Just then there was a rather long earthquake and we all felt rather sick. It was a magnitude 6 in the city but out here the ground rolled for a rather long time.

Mumma phoned Nanna, things were not very good and they both agreed the best thing was to have a wine and go to bed!

Christmas eve arrived and it was decided that as they were still having shaking in town, that we would have to get the Grandparents out here.

Mumma rang Grandad and this is what she told him "Hi Dad, how are you?" "good" "you are coming here for christmas lunch tomorrow and if you do not, you will wish you had, I have a surprise for you, OKAY!" Who knows what he thought the surprise was.

Christmas Eve there was a rather loud party here and it did not end until 3am, they laughed, they drank, they ate, they baked up a storm and they were very tired in the morning!

Christmas day dawned and the family all slept in except for Mumma, she was up fluffing around at 6am, feeling grumpy, but putting the finishing touches on christmas.

I got a squeeky fox and an edible christmas stocking, it was good.

At 1.30pm, a blue sports car pulled up the drive and the drivers door opened. I climbed on Grandads knee and he said how happy he was to see me. Nanna patted me on the head and said "just think, seven years ago today, we put you in this car and took you to be a christmas surprise". Grandad laughed and said I was "blessed to be such a loved christmas puppy".

I chuckle to myself and thought "I have a nice surprise inside for you".

I escorted them into the house and Nanna started talking and Mumma said "before we do anything else, Nanna had to stop talking (how bossy) and go and look in the lounge for her presents". I think Nanna was a bit scared so I went with her.

When she opened the door and saw her youngest daughter, she screamed and then blinked and then screamed again.

Everyone else was laughing and had tears rolling down their faces. "How on earth did you keep that a secret?" grandad said to Mumma, he knows her so well.

We had a really wonderful day, it was like happy tears were an immunisation against all the terrible stress this year has bought.

I think it made a very clear imprint in all our minds that no matter how bad things get, no matter how much we feel alone, our family is only a phone call or an air plane ride away.

Touching base with the people we love is a way better present than any diamond necklace or flash new gadget.

It doesn't shake out here and Nanna and Grandad came every night for dinner, I got lots of treats, straight off dinner plates and I had so many cuddles. If I could bank all those cuddles, I would be one rich puppy.

Freddie came to play and didn't want to go home, Harry came and had to sit in the van because he was a naughty boy and kept running through the house when he was told to stay outside.

I had a blast!

Sadly, all good thing must come to an end and no one wanted it to happen, but my Aunty had to get back on an air plane and go back to the country she lives in.

Last night they went to La Porchetta Pizza and my master bought me home a box. Mumma came home a few hours later, sad and deflated and needing a rest.

All up, as a family, we had the most blessed christmas a family could have.