Photo By Kellsie Kennedy
People say having a dog is like having a child. This holiday season, I relate to this saying more than ever as we celebrate Riley’s first Christmas in her forever home.
What would Christmas be without a Christmas tree? Since I am a college student (which means I am poor) and live in a small apartment, getting an actual Christmas tree seemed like a little too much. Instead, I found a foot-tall Norfolk Island Pine tree (which I have named Atticus because he is now a member of this family too) for 10 dollars at my local Kroger. This allows me to have a Christmas tree without spending an enormous amount of money, taking up too much space or contributing to the manufacture of plastics. Atticus is doing wonderfully in his new home on my coffee table. I highly recommend adopting this tradition for yourself.
What better way to celebrate the holidays than with cooking? Riley and I make a great cooking team. I do all of the work, and she weaves herself between my legs to try to trip me. She is also great at cleaning up, getting any food that drops to the floor so I do not have to worry about it. This even includes lettuce.
Our third newfound holiday tradition was discovered by accident. Riley and I are avid fans of “Stranger Things” and the only way to make this Netflix series even better is with hot chocolate. Riley has taken it upon herself to help me practice my eye-hand coordination and peripheral vision skills by trying to lap up my hot chocolate any moment it is not attended.
And finally, what are the holidays without taking pictures? Riley and I have agreed that she is far more photogenic than myself and that all of the pictures should be of her. So far none of my Instagram followers have complained.
Riley and I continue to discover new Christmas traditions as we sink further into the holiday season.