Unleashing Christmas Cheer by Tara Randel and Karen Rock




Can you believe it’s almost Christmas! I know, we all utter those words every year, but it’s the truth. Staying busy with work and Christmas projects means the time slips by and the holidays are upon us. But that’s a good thing. The holidays are a time for family, fun, reflection of the past year and looking to what lies ahead in 2019.

Karen and I have lots in the works, so we’re excited for next year. And it’s even better because we know our readers are with us all the way! We love sharing stories, since we’re writers, and this year we’re going to talk about pet mischief around the holidays.

Tara...

There is always that one pet who can’t keep out of the decorations. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. We’ve had many cats over the years, and mostly they would bat the ornaments hanging on the lower part of the Christmas tree. Or get into the boxes while we were trying to decorate the tree. My older cat loves to curl up on the tree skirt and nap. 


But my daughter’s cat wins the honor of most mischievous.

When Megan moved into her first apartment, she moved in with a kitten. Belle was always a lively cat, but her true colors became apparent when Megan put up her tree. At first Belle chewed on the branches. Then she’d pull ornaments down and chase them around. But the best was when Belle started climbing up the tree, right up the trunk. Megan couldn’t get her out and Belle would be rustling around, finally knocking the tree over. This happened a few times until my exasperated daughter called and asked for help. We gave her a few ideas, which didn’t work. Imagine our surprise when we went to visit and found she’d rigged the tree upright by getting some rope, tying it around the top of the tree and fastening it to the rod that held up the sliding door blinds. Then she decorated the rope. After all these years, we still laugh about how industrious my daughter was.
I’m sure Belle was retaliating for this indignity.







This year I have a new kitten so his story will probably end up To Be Continued.


Karen...




Everyone in the Rock family loves Christmas—especially our pets. For my cat, Angel, Christmas joy meant our decorated tree. He adored anything shiny and the combination of bright lights, ribbon and colorful bulbs on something he only glimpsed through a window- a real tree- brought him endless happiness. From the moment we began decorating it each year, he’d watch closely, waiting for his chance to bat at the ornaments, tug at the ribbon and—best of all—curl up on the soft, red plush tree skirt and fall asleep beneath the twinkling lights. Best of all, he could pretend to be a lion on the Savannah awaiting his prey (my hapless dogs). The moment they’d wander by, he’d pounce and send them bolting away in sheer terror! Angel never topped ten pounds, but he ruled our home as the alpha in our four-legged pack. 

You’d think my dogs would avoid the tree after Angel’s stealth attacks, but no—they enjoyed it too, and strolled by the tree practically begging him to leap out at them to keep playing the game. So when our veterinarian diagnosed Angel with terminal lung cancer this July, our hearts broke for our formerly mischievous, fun-loving kitty. We couldn’t imagine him not  in our lives anymore and struggled to make the painful decision to spare him suffering and pain by ending his life... which of course was selfish because by delaying the inevitable, we were sparing our own suffering and pain. The choice was not really a choice. Angel would have to leave us sooner than we wanted or were prepared to handle. Yet we didn’t want to end our time together on such a sad note, with him listless and withdrawing. We tried to think of ways to cheer him up, but he wasn’t interested in playing or interacting with the family and then it came to us. The Christmas Tree! It might have been green outside with temperatures in the 80s, but we put up an artificial tree, decorated it and placed his beloved tree skirt beneath its boughs. Seeing him limp across the living room to the spot that’d always brought him so much comfort and joy brought tears to our eyes. For those final days, he lay beneath the tree, occasionally batting at an ornament and sticking out a paw when the dogs poked their noses in to check on him. It lifted his spirits and comforted him, taking away (I hope) some of his fear and pain. When the day came for us to say goodbye, we sang him Silent Night in the veterinarian’s office and held him as he crossed the rainbow bridge. Five months later, our tree is up again, and while my heart aches not to see him under it, I’m thankful we got to celebrate a last Christmas with our sweet little Angel. It’s the greatest gift I’ll ever receive. May he rest in peace. 



Today, we’d would like to take this opportunity to wish all the faithful Heartwarming readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It’s such an honor knowing that you take time out of your busy schedules to sit down and read our books. We also love interacting with you throughout the year. So to thank you for enjoying our stories, we want to give a little something to you in way of thanks.

Leave a pet story in the comments and Karen and I will be giving away two prize packs. A cute snowman ornament along with one of our Heartwarming books. Either an autographed print copy of Christmas at Cade’s Ranch or a print copy of Karen’s February release, Winning the Cowboy’s Heart. From Tara, an autographed print copy of The Lawman’s Secret Vow or a Kindle ebook of Our Christmas Promise. Readers choice. We’ll announce the winners on Friday.

Merry Christmas everyone!






Tara Randel and Karen Rock look forward to their February 2019 releases, HIS HONOR, HER FAMILY and  WINNING THE COWBOY’S HEART . OUR CHRISTMAS PROMISE, a 2018 Christmas Town story by Tara, is available now.  Visit Tara at www.tararandel.com or on Facebook at Tara Randel BooksSign up for Tara's newsletter here. Visit Karen at www.karenrock.com or on Facebook at Karen Rock.





Comments

  1. My little dog Mistletoe gives loves and she smiles. She is 15 and is now blind in one eye and can't hear but she still gives loves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love her name! How fitting for the holidays!

      Delete
    2. I love her name, too :) What a sweetie. I bet she gets lots of kiss all year long. My dog, Lizzie, lost her sight in her last years, but she still went on walks with me and played. It never slowed her down, either :)

      Delete
  2. The year Mom wrapped the dogs gifts and put them under the tree and other gifts on top - she then went to run her bus route - when we got home EVERYTHING was unwrapped and laying everywhere and the dogs each had their chew toys and were happy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing like the dogs taking over! At least they were happy.

      Delete
    2. LOL! Santa Paws came early... those little vixens...

      Delete
  3. I had a cat when I was little named Sara, and she was the most patient and understanding cat there ever was! She used to let me dress her up in baby clothes (complete with diapers) and push her around in my toy stroller. She also used to keep the monsters away at night when I was little by sleeping with me. She was the best pet ever, hands down!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww...Sara sounds like the best pet ever. What a lovely memory.

      Delete
    2. What an absolute doll! My childhood cat used to drag in birds and mice- yikes- she never would have let me play dress-up with her. I bet you have such wonderful memories with your little Sara :)

      Delete
  4. What a poignant story, Karen, about Angel, but you and your family certainly had a lot of love for him and he surely had a wonderful life with you. And Tara, loved the cat story! That photo...he (?) doesn’t look at all happy. A nice post about how our pets enrich our lives.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Janice :) We were very blessed to have our own Angel on earth. I'm glad we celebrated that last "Christmas" with him and it makes the real Christmas this year bearable having those memories.

      Delete
  5. I think Angel's story is so special, Karen, and I'll bet Belle and Megan are both great family entertainment! Merry Christmas to you both!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Liz. I can't begin to do him justice because he brought so much to our lives. Giving him his Christmas tree was the least we could do for all the love he gave. Merry Christmas to you, too <3

      Delete
  6. I love the great stories. I remember when I was a teenager & my sister was in her early 20's she was dating a guy & his family owned a minature schnauzer, we both fell in love with it. We begged my mom to get us one & she finally gave in & we got one & we names him Shotzie. I have to say that was my favorite dog of all times. Thanks for your great generosity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww! Shotzie is the perfect name for a miniature schnauzer. They're so cute. What a wonderful holiday memory :) Thanks for sharing it.

      Delete
    2. Your mother was a wise woman to give in and give you the gift of a dog you loved. We all have that favorite pet we remember. Thanks!

      Delete
  7. We had a cat who loved our tree and loved the lights - one day while we were out he decided to play and got caught in the tree and we came home to the tree being dragged around - what a mess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no! Cat-mas fail- lol. The poor kitty... he got a lot more than he bargained on when he climbed up that tree. Pets bring us so much love and laughs that's for sure!

      Delete
    2. That's the magical thing about Christmas. If you have pets, you never know what you'll come home to! Great story.

      Delete
  8. Snickerdoodle is such a ham! He loves Christmas and enjoys putting on his Santa suit with matching booties for our family holiday photographs. He also has his own chihuahua Christmas tree that has bones made into the star on top, garland made of hotdogs, and the ornaments are fire hydrants and food bowls. So the tree doesn't take of the spotlight, there is a chihuahua train in front of his little display as well. However, with all this Snickerdoodle KNOWS it Christmas when his stocking comes out. He will go and sniff that stocking begging for us to take it down daily so he can check for contents. Naturally, we play this little game every evening. On Christmas morning, he's super excited when we take the stocking down and low and behold Santa Paws has been here leaving our good little boy lots of treats and toys. We leave the stocking down on the floor and he will go back crawling on the way in to check to make sure he had gotten them all out. Some of the cuties photos we have are of his stuck way down in the stocking with his foot or tail sticking out wiggling around in there.

    Thank you for the great opportunity to be one of the fortunate two! May you both have a merriest of Christmas' and the happiest of new years enjoying it all with your furbabies which is what makes the world go round!
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I LOVED this story, Kay! Thanks so much for sharing Snickerdoodle's exploits with us. I can picture him in that stocking sniffing out every last inch to make sure he didn't miss anything from Santa Paws. Pets get just as excited about presents as we do and it's so fun to give them their stockings and see them go through everything. I have to admit- I already caved and broke down and gave Zoey and Leia knew bones because they've been sharing one after the other three (10?) went missing. But Santa Paw has more surprises for them... Wishing you, Snickerdoodle and family very happy holidays ahead <3

      Delete
    2. Snickerdoodle is one fortunate dog! I can just see him crawling into the stocking looking for his treats! The most I get from the cats is them playing in the wrapping paper after we open gifts! Enjoy your Christmas!

      Delete
  9. Aww I love your stories. My boys are at the Rainbow Bridge now. They were Dachshunds,so I left the ornaments off the bottom branches because Oscar would lay under the tree❤Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My sister had a long-haired Dachshunds named Freddie and he was SO adorable. I'm so sorry to hear your boys are no longer with you, but glad their happy holiday memories remain. Thanks for sharing Oscar with us. Merry Christmas <3

      Delete
    2. What a sweet way to remember your boys! I love it. Merry Christmas!

      Delete
  10. Wonderful set of books! We don't have a cat but our dog which is part Jack Russel and Whimpit is crazy he's the best, he runs so fast up and down the stairs. I do keep the Christmas tree up on a high box there is a couple of ornaments little teddy bears he wants and he knows if there is a present for him and he will get it and tear it open so his presents have to be up high I think he is worse than cats with the tree. Merry Christmas! Penney

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A Jack Russel and a Whimpit is a high energy dog! (*And didn't a Whimpit win the dog show this year?) I bet he's gorgeous and what a determined boy to get those cute ornaments. The pets enjoy the trees as much (maybe more) than we do. It's such a joy to share the holidays with them. Thanks for sharing and stopping by. Merry Christmas <3

      Delete
    2. It's not only the cats who want at the tree. LOL. The funny thing is, when you get a pet you never know how they're going to celebtrate! Thanks for sharing.

      Delete
  11. I have a black lab that thinks he is human. I love watching him on Christmas morning as I hand him a present from under the tree. He uses his front teeth and rips the paper from the package and then pushes it aside waiting for the next present. He will continue to do this until all presents are unwrapped. Sometimes, he helps me open my presents.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness!!! Labs are so smart and loving. I can picture your black lab unwrapping his presents so vividly. He plays an excellent "Santa" on Christmas morning- I bet he'd even fetch the presents and deliver them to their recipient if you asked :) Thanks so much for sharing this and stopping by, Julie. Happy Holidays <3

      Delete
    2. How awesome! We always take turns opening our presents, but if I had a dog like yours, I'd let him open them all! Have a Merry Christmas.

      Delete
  12. Hello Ladies and Merry Christmas To All We don't have an inside Cat but we Have an inside Dog he is a Mini Pinch he is so spoiled rotten my daughter has him a stocking and also adds him some gifts in his stocking also just like her children I get so tickled at him because he likes to get under the tree and look around to see what ornament he would like to play with he takes his nose and hits the ornaments so they will fall on the ground so he can play with them. Thank you so much for this awesome giveaway! Love you Ladies books!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sarah! What can't dogs do with their noses??? They really are amazing. I laughed when I read how your Mini Pinch uses his nose to get down the ornaments. Thank goodness my dogs haven't figured that out yet. Thanks so much for sharing your holiday pet story and stopping by the blog. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas <3

      Delete
    2. Those lower ornaments don't stand a chance! Too much of a temptation. LOL Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas.

      Delete
  13. Love all the pet stories and cried again for Angel.
    So Cain is patiently waiting for Santa I guess. He didn't come to bed last night and there he is just laying in the chair, still staring at the tree, kinda freaky. Not sure what he thinks is going to happen lol, but at least he doesn't mess with it anymore

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Cain! He's just so excited it sounds like he doesn't know what to do with himself, the sweetheart. What a fun Christmas ahead for all of you :) Wishing you the happiest of Holidays <3

      Delete
    2. That is one excited pet! Almost like a child waiting for Christmas morning. Enjoy the holidays!

      Delete
  14. My cat Jupiter loves to take the Candy cane decorations off of the Christmas tree. Merry Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A cat who loves candy! Love it. Merry Christmas.

      Delete
    2. Jupiter has good taste- lol! What a mischievous and adorable kitty :) Thanks for sharing that and Happy Holidays!

      Delete
  15. What wonderful stories. Karen, so sorry you've lost Angel, but glad she was a part of your lives. Roxy loves Christmas. Her favorite parts are barking at the UPS man, inspecting each box as it's unwrapped, and cuddling under a blanket. Oh, and a new squeaky toy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The funniest cat ever was my youngest daughter's cat, Scrapper. He was named Scrapper because he couldn't wait to be fed when he was only a few weeks old. We raised him and his sister the first few weeks and kept him. He takes the grand prize for being funny. He would have a fit anytime I cooked chicken. It didn't matter if it was chicken soup or chicken roast. He thought it was his. One time my neighbor had chicken out on her counter with the back door open. He was so bold! He walked in, jumped on the counter, and out the back door he ran with the half cooked chicken! When we moved I would have him be outside while the chicken cooked. He managed to jump onto the roof, lean over, and look into the window and meow up a storm!!! We never gave him chicken, mind you, but he sure loved it! He would also play for hours with plastic straws and carry them around in his mouth. One winter he decided to always knock down our tree. Every night it would end up knocked down. I never did understand why? The next winter we had moved . I still set up the same tree and it stayed up every night! Go figure! He was the funniest cat ever. He loved riding in the car with our dog, Simba. He would lay with her in the back seat with out a care to the world. It sure made going to the vet's easy. There's a picture that I've seen on the internet that I saved of a grey tiger cat, looks just like Scrapper . The cat is hanging over a shower door reaching for the water. I can see Scrapper doing it! I'm sure he is at Rainbow Bridge hanging over it!!

      Delete
    2. Thanks, Beth :) I'm glad we had our last Christmas with Angel. It makes the real one easier than I think it would have been otherwise. Not to mention we ended up taking in a stray cat about a month after we lost Angel. We didn't intend to keep Yin and planned to find her a home, but she found her way into our hearts and home :) Roxy sounds adorable. My dogs have a love/hate relationship with the UPS drivers, too. They LOVE to bark, but get upset when they come right up on their porch. The nerve! lol

      Delete
    3. Scrapper had so much personality, Pam! What a kitty :) I love his obsession with chicken and inexplicable reason to knock over the Christmas tree every night one year and not the next... maybe he saw it as some kind of adversary in the former house? Who know what gets in their little kitty brains but how we love and miss them so much when they leave us.

      Delete
    4. Beth, isn't it funny how our pets love to greet the UPS drivers or others who come to our doors? But one thing is for sure, our pets do enjoy presents! Merry Christmas.

      Delete
    5. Pam, my new kitty loves to eat. He treats every meal like it's his last. He and Scrapper would have been good friends. LOL. Enjoy the holidays!

      Delete
  16. I remember my sister, Monica, put fabric ornaments on the bottom of her Christmas tree because her cats like to play with the ornaments. It was easier to use those than have the glass ones get broken. The fancy ornaments went higher up on the tree where they couldn't reach.
    Have a Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's actually a great idea, Laura! And I bet the tree still looked lovely. Wishing you a Merry Christmas as well :)

      Delete
    2. Since I have a kitten this year, I'm going to use your sister's idea. Thanks, Laura! Hopefully this will save some of my ornaments from destruction. Merry Christmas.

      Delete
  17. Due to allergies, I don't have pets.

    denise

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sorry, Denise. I bet you'd be a great pet mom :) Thanks so much for stopping by the blog and wishing you Happy Holidays!

      Delete
    2. I have friends who can't have animals for the same reason. It's still fun to hear stories about other peoples pets. Happy Holidays!

      Delete
  18. I have tears over little Angel and how sweet that was for you to put that tree up in the summer. My Cinnamon died of cancer and we had to go through the same thing...making that decision. It was wrenching and that was 30 years ago and it still tugs at my heart. Then 30 days later, Spice, our other cat, mourned himself to death over Cinnamon's death. It was just too much too take. But I wish I would have thought of putting up the tree for them both. Merry Christmas to you both!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Catherine! Now you have me crying over best friends Cinnamon and Spice. How heartbreaking for Spice to lose Cinnamon and for you to lose them both. I know you must have showered them with so much love every minute of their lives because you have the biggest heart and such a caring nature. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, my friend <3

      Delete
    2. Merry Christmas to you too, Catherine!

      Delete
  19. Our 90lb dog Iggy's form of exercise was to move from one sofa to the other without touching the ground where he slept all day long and I mean all day. Iggy would be sound asleep but as soon as you dropped a crumb from you cooking, don't know how he knew it dropped, he moved with the speed of a gazelle to clean the floor for you. He was taken from us to soon but we know he is in Heaven doing what he does best sleeping!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ì have a cat who, no matter where she is in the house, hears when I open the refrigerator door and comes running. She doesn't even eat people food! And she loves to sleep. Merry Christmas!

      Delete
  20. If you are looking smooth and reliable way to sell your cryptocurrency for instant cash payment into your paypal then i recommend this website to you. This trusted by millions of users, here you can withdraw bitcoin from blockchain wallet to paypal account instant US dollars globally euro fiat.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Our new dog is a rescue dog. She has separation issues from my husband. When she is outside and notices he isn’t in sight she starts howling. So pitiful! Finally she jumps up on the bench by the door and continues her howling. Higher up might help him hear better and come rescue her.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment