Christmas With Blue

The beautifully organized chaos that we call the holidays.

Ah, the holidays! A wonderful time of year to spend with your family and the ones you love. For me, that means bringing my sidekick, Blue along. From packing to driving to the stay at my parent’s house and everything in between, is beyond challenging with her. Would it be easier to leave her behind? Probably. But she is my family! And it wouldn’t be Christmas with my family if my biggest supporter wasn’t there.

While the packing may seem like the most tedious, it is actually the easiest part for me. Making that pre-travel list of all of the things she needs or might need along the way, and packing up her very own suitcase is the fun part! Measuring out her and bagging her meals, packing those ‘just in case’ meds or toys or boots, are the first step in our journey across 9 states for the holidays!

The actual drive is probably the best part, to be honest. Her hammock in the back loaded with her snuggly blankets, squeaky toys, and water bowl up in front with some snacks is where she stays for the 13-hour car ride up to Connecticut. Stopping every 3 hours for a potty break, and a quick 15-minute walk to stretch her legs and do some sniffing, keeps her satisfied during her time in the car. I have found that those short and frequent stops allow for her to sleep and relax comfortably in the car, instead of being restless and anxious.

Arriving at my parent’s house is the same every time; we have to meet and greet the dogs properly outside before we can rejoice in hugs and stories from months apart! My parents have 2 large dogs, a 130lb yellow lab named Boomer, and a 100lb Bernese Mountain Dog named Jack. Both dogs get along well with Blue and tower over her in size (she’s 86 lbs of solid Pitbull). But as a safety precaution, and because it is usually a year between visits, we always introduce outside in a neutral environment and go on a short walk together to ensure no territorial issues have emerged since our last visit!

Once the pack is all friendly and good to go, they all enter the house and enjoy each other’s company for a bit. Unfortunately Blue has a high prey drive (she has been through so many dog training courses, and even the Germans couldn’t train it out of her), and my parents have 5 cats; so Blue is kept on the leash at all times, even in the house as a precaution (unless she is closed into my bedroom with me for the night).

I make sure to fill her days there with adventures, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, to keep her exercised and also tired. We explore the beach, the trails, downtown, and the state parks every day! I’ve found if she adventures to exhaustion, she will sleep soundly in the bedroom for a few hours while I spend some time with my family.

The nieces and nephews love Blue and know that it’s not safe to let her out of the bedroom without me or without her on a leash, so they like to come in and watch movies with her to keep her company!

Christmas morning is tough for me. Blue is a huge part of my life, and I want her to be able to enjoy all of the things that bring us joy (like opening her own presents and helping me with mine). But for the safety of the cats, we leave her in the bedroom while we open presents and have a big family breakfast, and then she can open hers with me in the bedroom.

While I love my family deeply, and enjoy spending so much time with them, it is often difficult to be able to give them my full attention when so much of my time is spent keeping blue safe from the cats. I fight with the guilt of leaving her alone in the bedroom while I am enjoying myself too.

The 13-hour drive back always seems to go quicker and smoother than the drive up there. Getting back home to North Carolina is often a relief, and we both crash for the night almost immediately. Although it is tedious, difficult, and at times frustrating to bring blue home for the holidays I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I firmly believe that she is my other half, and therefore will be included in anything and everything that is important to me. This organized chaos we endure every year, although sometimes taxing, is my absolute favorite part of the year. Having my entire FAMILY together for an entire week is what keeps my heart so full.