Ben and I keep meaning to do "family" Christmas photos (you know, with the cows and pigs and such) with santa hats and garlands and festive attire, but we keep remembering much too late to do it. We need a scheduled time allotment because someone will fling their hat off or eat the garland or not be looking at the camera...sheesh. Next year maybe you can look forward to some seriously dorky photos...or maybe we will remember to do them on Christmas Eve...again.
Ben and I both have very mixed feelings about the holidays. We love the spirit of giving and of cherishing family, but neither of us understand why that spirit needs to be confined to the Christmas Holiday. For us, Christmas is a day like any other. We go up to the barn, feed the calves, feed the pigs and piglets, feed the chickens, feed the sheep and the cattle. Ben waters everyone while I clean the steers' pens. Ben collects eggs when he's done watering, and I move on to cleaning the pig pens. Ben cooks potatoes for the pigs and helps me re-bed them if they need it. We talk about how well the piglets are growing and chuckle at how happy the beef cows are to get their potatoes. I pat Fudgie (eventhough he's incredibly annoying when I clean his pen) and take pictures of anyone looking photogenic. Ben feeds the cats who have come from unknown places and now inhabit the barn. We both laugh as "our" kitten, Tipsy, harasses the calves by nesting in their hay, effectively forcing them to give her attention.
When our days are spent doing what we love, every day is precious. We cherish our families, each other, and our livestock. We would not be where we are if any of those pieces were missing. In a way, instead of Christmas being like any other day, its almost like any day is Christmas.
From all of us at MooShine, we want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.