The Christmas Window

Once upon a time in that enchanted town we love so well there was a little dog named Pooch of no special nor revered breed. Maybe, if one closed one's eyes really tightly and screwed up the engine of imagination to the nth degree, maybe one could conger up a cross among a very wild terrier who had been running on the heath a long time, a droopy hound on his last legs and a perky, perhaps a bit sassy, stump- legged Corgi. But then again, maybe not.

Pooch, like the very best pets, came from the humane society. He lived with an ole Charlie who couldn't resist him one day while he was visiting the facility down in Gloucester. Ole Charlie was the sort of fellow, the best sort, who can't resist any animal found looking up at him from a pen with two big sly and woeful eyes.

Thanks to the kindness of ole Charlie, Pooch had a perfectlife. That is, if one could count a perfect life as being fed two square meals every day, getting a pat on the top of his wiry head each morn and having a warm bed by the wood stove each night where he slept peacefully to ole Charlie's rhythmic snores. A dog could hardly hope for more.

Yet something was missing from Pooch's life. Something really important. Pooch dreamed each night of children. Yes, he knew all about those lovely, rosy-cheeked, wiggly and giggly creatures that roamed the streets of Urbanna each day after school shouting happy greetings to all who passed by, throwing balls, scooting up trees and playing hide and seek.

More than anything else in the world, Pooch dreamed of having a little boy or girl in his life to call his own. A little child to keep as a special pet, to tag after all day long, tuck into bed at night and sleep with his old head on the sleeping child's tummy and love with all his doggie's heart and soul.

Across the street where Pooch lived was a beauty shop that was operated by two nice ladies known as Jan and Karen. Now Pooch knew Jan and Karen weren't children, but they were the next best thing to children as far as he could see. After breakfast each day, Pooch would look carefully in both directions to check for oncoming cars and trot across Watling Street to see the girls.

Jan and Karen loved Pooch and always patted him during their busy comings and goings throughout the day. Sometimes they brought him a little "elevenses" treat in the morning and, if he was really lucky that day, they might even add a "foursies" treat in the afternoon.

Such treats usually consisted of a half peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a really favorite chocolate-chip cookie although Pooch would accept left over jelly beans from Easter, candy corn from Halloween and chocolate kisses from Christmas too.

Every year at Christmas the girls decorated the front window in the beauty shop with a special scene of Christmas. The window was famous far and wide and drew many people each year from far and wide to see it. Pooch loved to watch the girls decorate the window.

"Glue some more sugar candy and lollipops on the front door of the gingerman's house," Jan would advise Karen.
Karen would tilt her head, squint a bit to get a better look, think a minute and suggest, "Maybe we need to add a mouse or a Teddy bear in the children's room or an extra reindeer on Santa's sleigh."<>br>
Pooch noticed something. The children in town loved the Christmas window and every December after the window was completed, they would come from all over Urbanna and the rest of the county to see the display. Pooch loved to see their rapt little faces as they stood in the twinkling lights and saw all the wondrous sights within.

Now Pooch may have not been the prettiest dog that walked this earth. And he might not have had even one purebred gene swimming through his busy little body. But God, in his great wisdom, always hands out at least one gift to every living soul including the most beloved of living souls of all, dogs.
And God had made Pooch smart. Very smart. Pooch figured out very quickly how to get a child in his life.

Each December as Jan and Karen completed the Christmas window, Pooch would position himself neatly underneath the display pretending to be asleep. Dogs are very good at pretending to be asleep. All the better to keep a constant eye on the business of human beings.

When Miss Jane brought her children down the hill from the Baptist school to see the Christmas window, or any other children would come by with their friends and family, Pooch could arrange to awaken from his nap. He would then carefully wiggle in close to the children.

Occasionally Pooch could even hit the jackpot and get a hug and a pat from a child, which caused his furry body to immediately go all warm. One evening, when a star hung in the heavens and was especially bright and low in the night sky, a child even threw her arms around him and kissed him on both perky ears!

"You are the most adorable dog I have ever seen!" the child had said. What heaven! Pooch walked on the very fluffiest cloud of all for the rest of the week.

As the years went by, many different scenes appeared in the Christmas window: Santa's workshop, Christmas trees, country store, grandmother's attic, lighthouse, Santa's sleigh, even a real wooden bridge that passed over a river. Pooch loved every Christmas window.

Pooch grew old and grey over the years for even dogs as perfect as they most certainly are, age as the years go by. His muzzle was now white as if a few wintry snowflakes had just fallen on his nose. His gait was a bit stiff and his walk across Watling Street to see the Christmas window each day in December was much slower then in previous years. But Pooch still showed up to his spot directly under the display so he could be with all the children.

"Say, Pooch, how would you like to be in the Christmas window this year?" Jan asked the first day of December as she and Karen were preparing for the new display. Pooch knew exactly what Jan had said. He jumped right up, old and stiff as he was, and waggled his spikey little tail. The girls were working on a Christmas window this year that depicted "The Night before Christmas." They had a stuffed a pretend Ma in her kerchief and a Pa in his bed and two little children in bed with dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads.

"I wonder if Pooch would be up to an entire month of Christmas window duty for he's getting quite old now," Karen said. Pooch cocked his old head and looked up at Karen as if he were a darling puppy just waiting to be picked up and cuddled. Karen laughed. She picked up Pooch and put him right in bed with the children. "There, Pooch," she said patting him on his white head. This year you get to be the star feature in the Christmas window."

From his nest in the bed, Pooch blinked up at the girls. Had he died and gone to heaven, he wondered? Then he settled down to do his hard work of an entire month of sleeping in the Christmas window.

Talk about the fox in the hen house. Pooch had finally arrived. He knew perfectly well the live dog in bed with the stuffed children routine would lure real children. He could barely contain his elation as he lay in anticipation of the coming children.

Pooch did not have long to wait. The children were soon gathered outside to see the Christmas window happily laughing at the display. "That looks like a real dog," a child said.

"No, that's just a stuffed dog," answered another.

Pooch lay quietly snuggled up against the doll children. He did not move a hair all the while peeking up at the real children with one clever eye who were pressed up against the window pane.

When the moment was just right and all the children's eyes were absolutely glued on him, Pooch leapt up out of bed barking and danced around the floor like a firecracker on a round of pops. The children squealed with laughter. He then hopped right back into bed and started the trick again.

Word passed like wildfire. Everyone from near and far had to come to the Christmas window in Urbanna and see the real, live Christmas dog. Pooch became the most famous dog in all of Middlesex County and the surrounding counties too. He became so famous that if your child did not see Pooch, then your child had not experienced Christmas.

The beloved Christmas window in Urbanna that everyone loved so much is now gone. Well, times change. People do different things. But who knows? Jan and Karen's Christmas window might return one day. And even better, one really special day, Pooch, the real live dog from the shelter may one day appear in the Christmas window.

Merry Christmas to all.