Creating Holiday Traditions - Dec 10

by Pat Hennessy

European legend says that at midnight on Christmas Eve, animals are given the gift of speech for a moment or two. This belief dates back to the birth of Jesus, where it was told that the surrounding animals in the manger were given voice to praise the child.
Well you may never hear your animals speak, with words, but if you could they would be telling you to be sure and include them in your
holiday customs.

Holiday Traditions
Holiday traditions are cultural, religious, or developed within families to make the holiday personal and special. They may have been passed down for generations and some are centuries old. Traditions are a great way to strengthen bonds and build lasting memories. It is easy to create a new one, or embellish an existing one, to embrace your animal companions.

If you currently get a family portrait, or a portrait of the children, during the holiday season – why don’t you add in the family pet? If your animal companion won’t sit well for a photo shoot, take pictures with your own camera and build a scrapbook. Getting photos of your beloved furry family member will build a history that you can look back on in the years ahead and something you will dearly treasure when your companion crosses the rainbow bridge.

Some customs include opening gifts in a series of celebrations, such as the twelve days of Christmas or eight days of Chanukah. You can incorporate your furry or feathered friend into the holiday spirit of daily giving with gifts such as a toy, a special treat, or an interactive reward from you like playing a game or giving a massage.

Help a Shelter In Need
If one of your traditions is to help a family in need (and what a wonderful one that is), you can add one more member to that list – a shelter/rescue animal (and you will definitely earn your wings!). Local shelters have lists of items they can use (each one is a bit different, so call them or check their websites). You might also search for local rescue groups (breed or non-breed specific), to see what items they could use (as their funds are pretty tight, especially around the holidays). It is not recommended to give animals as gifts, because the recipient may not be able to provide a life long commitment to that animal. As an alternative, if you or your friends could foster an animal, it would not only be a gift to the shelter or rescue organization but a wonderful offering to the animal. You would be giving the gift of companionship, love, and a home environment, which is so powerful and more meaningful than toys and treats to a homeless pet.

Another lovely tradition is to visit a retirement/care facility, where people may not have the opportunity to get out and visit family (or may not have family). If you have a mild mannered well socialized dog or cat, take her along on the visit (with the facility’s permission). An animal may brighten the day of someone who is shut in, lonely, or incapacitated. If you find that your animal companion has a knack for visiting, you might consider becoming a therapy pet team. As a bonus, while visiting with elders ask them what childhood memories they have of the holidays, and see if it sparks a new tradition that you could add to your family.

Creating New Traditions
You might want to consider creating new traditions with your companion animals. Try teaching a new “cue” or new trick each autumn, and then you can ask your furry or feathered companion to show off what he has learned this holiday season.  If you start when your pet is young, you could easily end up with at least 12-15 tricks in his lifetime. Your holiday guests will look forward to seeing what Rex has learned since last year. If you have a multi-pet household, get them all in on the act. You could easily have three dogs doing opposite “sits” and “downs” to the tune of Jingle Bells. Remember, even if Rex enjoys hamming it up for visitors, he needs a quiet place to get away when activities increase and require all your attention. That is a great opportunity to give him one of his gifts early – something appropriate to chew on (a bully stick or stuffed Kong), because we all know that many holiday “people” foods are dangerous for our animal companions, such as sweets or cooked meats with bones (cooked bones will splinter).

No matter what your cultural background or holiday preferences, you can find ways to include your animal companions in your traditions. They bring us such joy throughout the year and after all, isn’t that what this season is all about? Once the tree is decorated, the gifts have been wrapped, and the candles have been lit, you will sit down to relax for a moment. Take a look out the window and see the snow glistening by the light of the moon. When you hear the clock strike midnight, go sit beside your dog, put the cat in your lap, and tell them that you love them. Open your heart and you will hear their voices. They will tell you that they love you too.
Pat Hennessy, is the founder of N2paws, LLC, an organization that provides companion animal attunement through behavior education, energy work, and positive training methods. Pat is a certified Level 2 TTouch® Practitioner, CPDT and member of the IAABC, IAATH and AWA. You may contact N2Paws via email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , phone 816-522-7005, or visit the website www.n2paws.com.