Good news! I finally have official notice that I have made Santa’s Nice List! For those of you who may be new to our blog, and others who are in need of a good chuckle, here is a review as to why I’ve been on Santa’s Naughty List since I was a puppy. Spoiler alert: that Jolly Old Elf can hold a grudge! I made one mistake as a puppy, well actually two mistakes, and Santa has never forgotten!
It all began in 2012 when I was a puppy, just shy of my first birthday, excited to get a selfie with Santa. I went to the mall, and stood in a very long line with other dogs waiting to meet the supposedly Jolly Elf. As I did the longest sit/stay known to a puppy, my anticipation built. Did he really smell like peppermint? Does he really have lists of who is naughty and nice, or is that some sort of urban legend? Do I just need to ask for a new squeaky ball and he’ll bring it to my house without any shipping fees? Well it was that last question that got me in trouble. I was so focused on asking Santa for a new squeaky ball to play fetch with, that I may have got a bit obsessed with the idea. So when I saw the pom pom on Santa’s Hat, I couldn’t resist. Rather than ask for my squeaky ball, and pose for a selfie, as planned, instead I leaped into action and tried to steal Santa’s pom pom hat! I have to admit, Santa may not be jolly, but he is spry, and I left that mall with a photo of Santa, with his hat slightly askew, holding me with a firm grip.
The following Christmas I decided to lay low and avoid getting my picture taken with Santa. In fact, I avoided him for a few years. Finally after a considerable time had passed, I felt like it was time to let bygones to be bygones. I went back to the scene of my first crime, the mall. Once again I patiently stood in a long line with a lot of other dogs for my Santa selfie. But this time was different. This time it was 2018, and I was an older, mature dog. Alright, I was still obsessed with squeaky balls, but I wasn’t about to be tempted by Santa’s pom pom hat. However, apparently Santa recognized me, and holds a grudge. Because when I approached for my photo, he spun me around with a very firm grip, while giving an overly jolly smile for the camera!
Not to be deterred, I returned in 2019 with a new plan. I was going to march right up there, look Santa in the eye, and…give him a kiss! After all it is Santa, and who doesn’t love Santa! Thankfully an alert Elf snapped the photo at just the right time capturing this moment. I politely wagged goodbye, knowing that all must have been forgiven. Then the pandemic happened, followed by the dog flu, and I haven’t been back to see the Jolly Old Elf since.
To be honest, I had forgotten about Santa’s grudge against me. It wasn’t until scrolling through my spam folder looking for missing tracking info for Asa, that I stumbled upon this email, letting me know all is forgiven! It says, and I quote, “Hello Chuck Billy, It’s official – your loved one made it onto Santa’s Nice List!” FINALLY!!!! Santa has forgiven me for that little mistake I made as a puppy. I am officially on the Nice List!
“I don’t want to ruin your celebration, Chuck Billy,” said a slightly hesitant Asa. “But did you read that email carefully?” Of course, I did! Why do you ask? “Well it says, ‘your loved one.’ Nowhere does it actually say you made the Nice List. That loved one could be referring to me. After all, it is your email account, I don’t have one for Santa to reach me.”
