As everyone gears up for the Holidays, I thought I would share my Christmas Message with you early to sort of get you in the mood. Christmas at a Hospice House Written by the ferrets in residence. Dear Friends, It is that time of year again when Mom picks out the coldest tree outside and brings it inside to get warm. She always gets one with needles on it and they are very hard to climb. But, being ferrets, we manage. Last year, Charity was with us, and she decided that while the star was nice way up on top, she would look better. If you had your choice, wouldn't you rather have a ferret swinging and swaying, and bending the branches on the tip of your tree, than a blinking star that sometimes goes out? People pay a lot of money for moving ornaments, and Mom has us, free. So Charity climbed to the tippity top of the tree, and hung on for dear life. I'm not sure who will climb up there this year, maybe Kitty. When dog walks by his tail sets the bottom ornaments a-swinging, and kitty has to play with them. We have one boy dog, and Mom already said if he lifts his leg, she will not buy a turkey this year, she would use what she has here. Uh oh - doesn't sound good. Bird cannot fly, but she is already making plans to help Kitty out if she can get to the treetop. Kitty has spread the garlands out, and Mom has repaired them once or twice. We ferrets love the tree skirt -- we play hide and seek under it, so Christmas at our house is progressing nicely. We are helping Mom with the present wrapping and have streamlined the process. Mom was cutting paper and taping it around the box. When she found her bows, she stuck them on. But, we had a better idea. We found that the paper tears very easily, the tape sticks to our fur, and we had a great time hiding the bows. We forgot where. So Mom gave up on the rolls of paper and bought bags. These are easier to jump in and out of and they don't tear as easily, and we all decided that everything looks better with a few hairs on it. Mom will be all done in no time. We believe we have the answer to a very difficult ferret problem. Everyone hangs up their stocking on Christmas Eve, except the dogs. They put out their dinner dishes. Believe us, the Shepard has a BIG dish and gets quite a haul. We have thought this over very carefully and after looking at our little feet, we decided that our little socks won't hold anything. Sooooo -- we are calling on ferrets everywhere to unite, and hang out your sleep sack. It is time we got a little respect, and a pile of gifts on Christmas. We are expecting snow here in Charlestown, NH, and our old house is frosty around the edges. Mom is heating up our soup; we love it warm on frosty mornings, so we have to go. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Everyone has problems it seems, but we would ask that try to work with what you have, not with what you do not have. In the New Year, if someone is unkind to you, try to overlook it. As ferrets, those of us who have been abused have a lot of practice doing this. We ask you to remember, time heals all wounds, and it wounds all heels, and true forgiveness is the fragrance of a violet on the heel of the one who crushed it. Our best to everyone, everywhere at the start of this joyous season. Marilyn and the Gang at Ledoux Hospice. [Posted in FML 5813]