We bought a couple of small red bean bag chairs at a garage sale last summer, thinking the grandchildren would love to sit/play/nap in those when they visited. What we discovered, however, is they used them once and then lost interest in them.

What is interesting is the fact that Buster dog kind of had his eye on those bean bag chairs from the very beginning. The night the grandkids stayed, they fell asleep on the bags. Buster seemed to get quite annoyed with that, judging from his insistent whimpers and his pacing back and forth in front of the chairs holding my grandchildren. We finally had to pick him up and carry him into the other before he startled the kids awake.

After Ariel and Eric left, Buster made a beeline to the bean bags, jumping into the middle of the pillow then circling around to settle in for a nap. He let out a contented sigh before dozing off.

The next time the grandchildren came, Buster made sure he was sitting in the bean bag nearly the entire time. He kept eyeing the kids, as if to let them know they weren’t allowed to oust him from his comfy throne. He would never nip or snarl at the kids, but I think he might bark to let them know he was in charge. Fortunately, they weren’t too interested in the squishy chairs after that.

So, since then, my dog has sort of nudged the bean bag over next to the Christmas tree and when he sleeps, he positions himself so he can look at the tree. Sometimes, he’ll drag along his favorite stuffed squirrel, but I’ve never seen him try to do anything naughty (if you know what I mean) around the tree and he leaves the ornaments and gifts alone. I’m not sure why he’s so fond of the Christmas tree, but it’s kind of festive with him in the red bean bag next to the tree. The other night, I put a Santa hat on him as he snoozed and snapped a few pictures.

Toby, our big old retriever, takes no notice of the tree. When we first dragged the tree out of the closet, he sort of sniffed everything. Since that time, he hasn’t been impressed with our six-foot artificial pre-lit Douglas fir. He’d rather spend his time scolding those bushy-tailed menaces that scamper about our yard.

I’m glad my quirky old dogs are part of our lives. They provide occasional frustration, but always offer unconditional love and constant entertainment.

So as Christmas approaches, I hope that you, dear readers, find joy and peace and are filled with the spirit of the season.

Have a safe, healthy and merry Christmas.