Hi, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my two crossbreed dogs, Lava and Hela.

Christmas time finally! Filled with joy, family traditions, great food, and laughter. Or if you ask my dogs, tasty treats, new toys, and long walks. And then it begins. With social media madness, you can’t avoid seeing pictures of other people’s pets in various festive costumes around the tree and the like. They all look so happy and content! And I had to wonder, what would Lava think of this? Well, I should have known better; she wasn’t impressed. But the look on her face was priceless.

Does Lava Hate Christmas or Just Dressing Up?

Lava is a grump. She has a knack for making the types of facial expressions that show the utmost displeasure and annoyance. It’s so funny, and she must have realized we find it entertaining, so she keeps doing it. Lava is a very stubborn dog. She hates everything that wasn’t her own choice. And this is where costumes come in.

In all honesty, I haven’t even considered getting her a proper body costume, as she is so big and has such dense fur that she would be too hot in it. But a headband is a different story. I found a cute reindeer one, but it wasn’t easy to get her to keep it on. It took me days and a lot of treats to get her to tolerate it for at least a few minutes, and for her to realize it’s nothing that dramatic. But she disagreed and put up a face like it was the worst thing that ever happened to her. At least in her memory.

But She Looks So Cute

I don’t think that Lava cares much about Christmas as such. But she does care deeply about the headband. She hates wearing it. I did, however, manage to take a few pictures of her. Some look adorable, while others almost appear as if she is being tortured. Lava is a drama queen, and this is obvious in many of the photos I’ve taken of her over the last few years, as well as last Christmas. This year, I decided to respect her wish to not wear the headband.

What Lava Loves About This Time of Year

Otherwise, I know Lava loves the wintertime. Although she enjoys the great outdoors, lying down next to the fireplace, at least for 15 minutes until she realizes it’s way too warm for her, and snoozing throughout the afternoon are her second-best pastimes. Third place goes to picking up the logs and sticks that will be used in the fireplace, but instead of taking them to the fireplace, she carries them to the sofa and chews them on there. And she looks completely confused when I take them from her and try and clean the mess before my mum sees it.

And then we sometimes get snow. If we’re lucky enough to have enough of it to stick to the ground, Lava can’t wait to be out, running around like a loony, rolling in it on her back, chasing the cat, and getting her whole head under the snow, sniffing for things underneath. It’s a joy to watch her.

The Christmas Tree Is Far More Interesting

Lava also loves the Christmas tree. When she was just a puppy, she tried to take the decorations down and chew on the branches. She loves a good stick. Now she knows better, but her waggy tail is even more of a hazard. It knocks down the ornamental balls from the lowest and furthest branches. This is one of the reasons why, for this year, I am seriously considering having the tree outside, where it’s out of the reach of two clumsy and curious dogs, and now three cats. Otherwise, it may be a short-lived Christmas tree.

Festive Season With Pets

I enjoy the Christmas time of the year, but I wouldn’t say I’m crazy about it, like some. And having dogs and cats limits how many decorations you can put up. And where. Everything needs to be very high up and out of reach of these five creatures; otherwise, it would be chaos. But it still feels like Christmas.