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Pipi’s Pasture: A little extra for the animals at Christmas

Diane Prather
Pipi's Pasture

When my siblings and I were growing up, we were taught to think of others, and that went for animals as well. Thinking of animals might have been as simple as leaving some berries on the chokecherry tree when we picked them in the fall — so that the birds would have food. There are lots of everyday examples as well.

At Christmas, although our domesticated animals were always well-fed and watered, we made an effort to give them a little extra, to show them how important they were to us. We opened up our gifts before it was light on Christmas. This way there was time to enjoy what Santa left, eat a little breakfast and do our chores on time.

At the barn, the milk cow got a little extra grain at milking time. The horses used for feeding got a little more grain, too, and every animal at the corral got hay. So did the herd of cattle down in the pasture by the haystack, a little bigger portion for the holiday.



Besides that, there were plenty of little meat scraps in addition to their usual food, and the dog got a bone. “Merry Christmases” and “pats” for the animals we came close enough to touch.

After I grew up and married Lyle and we had Jody and Jamie (and in the years we had livestock), we followed the same tradition. The only difference was that on Christmas morning, we got up early and the boys checked out their Santa gifts and stockings, and then we bundled up and went out to do chores.



First the animals and then we finished opening up gifts. As with my childhood days, the cattle were fed a little extra, and we made sure they had plenty of water and fresh straw for bedding.

Later on, at the house, the dog and cat got a few treats — a bone for the dog — and maybe even a toy such as a catnip mouse for the cat. Besides that, they got to play with the boys’ toys, even using their paws to stop the cars that were running around a race track.

While I was writing this column, I had some fun trying to imagine what animals might enjoy finding in their stockings (if they had stockings).

Here’s what I dreamed up…

• Twigs to build a spring nest

• 3-way grain (for a cow or sheep)

• Carrots or apples

• A bone

• Dry cat food or dog food

• Sugar cubes

• Bird seed

• Warm cloth to line a bed

• Catnip mouse

• A ball for chasing

• Chewy toys

• Dried berries

• A can of tuna

Merry Christmas, everyone!


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