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6 Christmas Stores of Wonder & Love 43

6 Christmas Stories of

Wonder and Love

Continued From Page 42

I seethed for the rest of the day, then the rest of
the week. My dad was not someone to whom we
complained about presents (not if we ever
wanted to see another, anyway). Santa always
seemed to lose interest after Christmas, rarely
accepting returns or trade-ins. That left the Baby
Jesus, but He wasn’t answering my prayers—I
could tell because Liz’s bike had yet to crumble
into a pile of rust flakes.
After a few weeks of watching me pout,
my dad finally pulled me aside. “Everything
okay?”
“It’s not fair,” I whined. “I worked so
hard for my bike, and it’s not even new. Then
Liz gets a brand new bike as soon as I make the
final payment. She didn’t have to do anything
for it.”
unbreakable gifts to unwrap—things like stories over cinnamon rolls that tasted bland. We
My dad smiled. “She didn’t have to do
pajamas and steering wheel covers. She proved played games by the tree whose twinkles had
anything for it because it’s not really for her,” he
to be so careful that we soon gave her any gift dimmed.
said, and then left the room.
that wasn’t edible. Every time, Pepper found the That evening, Kaci said what we’d all
What did that mean? I didn’t want her
seam in the wrapping paper with her snout and been thinking: “I wish Pepper could have helped
bike—it had the girly bar that sloped down to
held the present down gingerly with her open presents this year.”
the ground and a flowery white basket on the
forepaws. Her front teeth pried up the lip of We all put down our mugs of spiced tea.
handlebars. I could turn it in for a new set of
action figures, I figured, but she’d been on it paper with the utmost care. Then she removed “Maybe she still could,” Kara said.
every inch of wrapping paper before stepping “But there’s none left,” Mom reminded
every day since Christmas—no way they’d let
back to lie in the midst of our gathering. She her.
me take it back now. I eventually got over it,
never bit or scratched the gifts themselves. Kara jumped up and left the room. We
chalking it up to elf error (the naughty and nice
Friends and relatives who joined our heard her opening drawers and cabinets in the
list can be cumbersome).
family celebrations never believed Pepper could kitchen. She returned with a box of dog biscuits,
By spring Liz and I were riding all over
be so delicate until they witnessed her talents. scissors, and a roll of tape.
town together now that she could keep up. Sure,
Watching our sweet dog unwrap gifts always “Hand me that green paper,” Kara told
I’d lose her on the steep slopes, but I always let
warmed the holiday, which was often a little me, pointing at a large sheet at my feet. She cut
her catch up when we went downhill. Initially,
the youngest children in a large family form a bittersweet because college, studying abroad, or a small section from the paper and wrapped a
work commitments often kept my two sisters single dog treat in it. She held it up as if she had
bond out of necessity—older siblings can be
and me away. just struck gold. “Now there’s a present for her!”
taxing, and there are only so many locked doors
One year, everyone made it home for a I knelt on the floor next to Kara and
one can hide behind. Sometimes, you need
Christmas together. I was back from Ireland, wrapped another dog treat. Kaci and Mom
someone else in the foxhole with you.
Kaci flew in from Arizona, and Kara visited joined in, too. Soon, we had four elegantly
As we grew, Liz and I became true
from college. Mom’s jubilance kept her busy wrapped dog biscuits in a row on the floor. We
friends. We biked down to swim at the local
baking cookies for us all. Our Christmas season cleared the floor of discarded wrapping paper.
pool, then put in seven miles to take the free
should have been perfect. We tucked our legs under us as we perched out
town tennis lessons together. We planned secret
parties when my parents went on trips and It couldn’t feel perfect, though, because of the way on the furniture.
Pepper’s health was deteriorating. Her life had “Go get Pepper,” we urged Mom. We all
played a game of “Who can leave less gas in the
already been longer than we expected—she was bounced like eager children.
tank” when we finally got our drivers’ licenses.
fourteen—and yet her mind was still sharp. Her Mom went into the next room. “You
I relied on her to put names to faces when we
enthusiasm for life made us feel better. But her want to open a present, girl?” she coaxed. In a
were at parties, and she treated my best friends
body could not keep up with her spirit. She’d moment, Pepper stuck her head into the room.
as her personal dating service. We ended up at
already shown the usual signs of deafness and Her ears were fully perked with anticipation and
the same college, and even graduated the same
stiffness. That year, her hips and back legs curiosity.
year.
started giving out on her. We knew we would She skidded on stilted legs to the row of
Still, I wasn’t smart enough to figure out
what my dad meant until years later. That brand soon have to make a difficult decision. presents. She sniffed all four in order, and
It was likely Pepper’s last Christmas, so looked back and forth between them. She’d
new bike was not a gift for Liz—it was a gift for
we decided to make sure she enjoyed it. On never had such a wide choice of gifts before.
me. He’d given me the gift of my sister’s
Christmas Eve, we gathered around the tree to Soon, Pepper selected her first Christmas
company, the ability to stay together rather than
open an early present. We each took a turn and gift. She nimbly turned the present with her
drift apart in the face of my ability to travel. He
then called Pepper to open one more. But her forepaw, just like she was a spry young dog once
gave me my best friend.
tangled legs could not navigate the boxes and more. She tugged every last scrap of paper off
It’s a gift I’ve treasured every day since.
shredded wrapping paper on the floor. She the dog treat before she chewed it with her
- Robert F. Walsh
stumbled over the obstacles, and soon she customary grace.
disappeared into the next room. She crumpled Our family swelled with glee.
Pepper’s Last Gift
back to the floor, as out of the way as she could Pepper licked the last crumb from the
get. floor. She eyed the remaining three presents,
Whatever life threw at us each year, come
We were heartbroken. Could Pepper then turned to Mom as if asking, “May I please
Christmas our family had one constant tradition:
even participate in her last Christmas? open another?”
our dog Pepper opened our presents for us.
Pepper stayed on the periphery of all our “Go ahead, girl!” Mom encouraged.
When our beloved Black Lab mix had been a
holiday activities. Throughout the day, we gave
gangly adolescent puppy, we had only given her
gifts but did not feel very giving. We shared (Continued on Page 45)