Our Amazing Christmas Gift
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Wonder of Christmas
By Kathie Leier

It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.
~John Grogan, Marley & Me

It was a bitterly cold Yuletide drive from Regina to Saskatoon, my birthplace, but it was truly beautiful, with its stands of snow-covered trees and arched bridges along the South Saskatchewan River. We'd loaded up our trusty Jeep on December 21st with suitcases, survival gear, boxes of wrapped presents, and our ten-year-old Shih Tzu named Keiko. We'd adopted him six years earlier, and he seemed to love road trips as much as we did.

We enjoyed sumptuous dinners and quality time with family for a couple of leisurely days in Saskatoon. Then we headed to Ivan's brother's farm outside Yorkton, which was Ivan's first home, to celebrate Christmas with his parents, brother and sister-in-law, and nephew. Smoky, their five-year-old Siberian Husky, was there, too, lying on a mat recovering from emergency surgery after being hit by a truck. (Keep reading)