Christmas 2007

Well, Christmas 2007 is now one for the history books, photo albums, and your memories. I do hope yours was as good as ours.

Christmas in our house is bird centered as I've got no kids of the human variety, just the feathered variety. Tiels, for those who don't know, have the average intelligence of a 1 to 3 year old human child. What that human child can comprehend, understand, and figure out, so can a tiel. Obviously on a smaller scale, however. So, I do Christmas for my tiels as you would your little ones. The tiels, well they just light up and their curiosity goes on overload! Their favorite has always been the twinkling lights I string around the room for them. Their stockings, each hand made by me, of course (from a pattern from a company called Vanns of LA), hold very little interest until Christmas morning that is.

My two oldest, Cleo Chaquita Pattee and AsaMina Sura, have both celebrated all their Christmas' with me and knew what their stockings were the instant I pulled them out of their box. They were very dissappointed, however, to see them empty. Cleo hissed her disgust at me and AsaMina turned her back on me. My three boys, however, have never celebrated Christmas or never celebrated it with me. The baby, Worthington Israel Wentworth, who just turned 10 months old on Christmas day, wasn't even thought of last Christmas. Tyson Parker has seen Christmas before since I know he's not a baby and I guestimate his age to be about 5 years old (he was one of my two rescues this year), but I doubt if he's ever had a bird centered Christmas before since he had no clue what I was putting up around the room and watched with rivited attention. Then there is little Edgar Allan who's 2 years old, his first two families (I'm his third family and he's my second rescue this year), kept him in a tiny cage with two tiny parakeet toys. So, this really was his first real Christmas, too. He, too watched with serious attention to what I was doing to the livingroom.

The month of December wore on. Tiels eyeballs glued to the twinkle lights for most of each and every day from December 1 when the lights went up, to December 28, when I took the lights down. Christmas eve was now upon us and it was time to officially begin Christmas. How? Simple, we watch A Muppet Christmas Carol. Yes, the tiels really do watch. Well, AsaMina watches intently as does Cleo and Worthington. Tyson Parker snoozed and listened (tiels heads twitch 'no' when they are listening, and his little head was twitching up a storm). Edgar Allan wasn't sitting where he could see the tv, but he was awake, twitching and listening intently. All 5 remained quiet during the movie.

Christmas night, after all 5 are tucked snug into their cages, 'Santa' fills their stockings. They made out like little bandits this year and got 3 new toys each from 'Santa' and one new toy each from my Mom, thier Grandma. Unstuffing the stockings is as fun for me as it is for my tiels. Cleo watched intently as each toy emerged from her stocking. Then watched me and occasionally squeaked directions to me on where to hang each new toy. Her prickle toy is her favorite. She rarely shreds her toys, but this toy was just so fun looking she's been working hard at turning it into toothpicks.

Next was Tyson Parker. I showed him the contents of his stocking and he began to remove one absolutely fun looking toy out himself! He, however, has since ignored the toy due to recieving an even more irrisistable 'toy', a pine cone stuffed with seed. It's nearly nothing but a pine cone now, as I type this, but he's still hard at work at it.

Next was Edgar Allan and his stocking. He watched from the back of his cage, not to sure of what was happening. Edgar Allan is a tiny little tiel, and nearly all of his toys are bigger than he is, so the whole event was a bit overwhelming for him. None of his toys were scary, just new. He did panic a bit when I hung them up for him, but calmed right down as soon as my hand left his air space. Since, he's found a pink teddy bear and bell toy that's a ton of fun, his wood shaving wreath and the toy from his Grandma, a shred toy. BUT, like Tyson Parker, right now his pine cone is getting all the attention.

Fourth in line was Worthington. He really wasn't sure what to think and acted an awful lot like Edgar Allan. He's since discovered his wood block toy and it's being slowly reduced to toothpicks. Worthington, like Cleo, isn't a toy shredder, so his toys should last a bit longer than AsaMinas.

AsaMina was the last to open her stocking. She always is. She has to see what everyone else gets and make sure I hang things up 'just so'. She, like her father before her, runs this house and all who exist within it's walls. No point in arguing with her as, like her father, you won't win. So, AsaMina watched me unstuff her stocking from my shoulder, her normal place of residence. Good thing she IS potty trained! AsaMina spent her 6th Christmas morning as she has for the past 5 Christmas', sitting on her rope perch and watching her toys. Normally she tries to convince me the toys are scary, but this year she just watched. Since, yup, toothpicks! She's been hard at work on several of her new toys and one of her old ones. Nope, they won't survive till next Christmas. Actually, I'll be surprised if they surprised if they survive till February knowing her!

So Christmas 2007 is over and all the festive decorations once again stored away in boxes till next year. But, the joy of the day is still with us and that's how it should be. I do hope your Christmas was as good as ours was. We didn't, for the first time in the 18 years I've been owned by birds, have a single scary toy! So, yes, the joy of the day continues on, without the decorations, without the fancy joyous music playing on the CD, without any of the trappings of the month of December, but still filled with joy none the less.