Hey Mom,

Snowy stage set in Spencerville? Nailed it with tail wags and jolly barks! Dodgeball with snowballs didn’t go as planned, but hey, improv’s my middle name. Katiebug’s solo turned duet at the last bark – a Yuletide miracle! We found our holiday howl and it’s a furry tale ending. Snuggles from your Little Dude, Jasper. 🐾🌨️🎄

Love,
Jasperoni

Listen to the story here

You know the kind of day when the snowflakes fall so thickly you could swear they were fluffy popcorn from the heavens? The kind where you have to squint to see past your own snout? Yeah, that was today in Spencerville, and let me tell you, it was the paw-fect backdrop for our Christmas show.

So there I was, Jasper – the Chihuahua-Jack Russell blend with the charisma of a leading pup in any canine rom-com. I was trotting down Main Street with my tail curled in excitement. The holiday buzz was infectious, even if I couldn’t have the peanut butter cookies everyone raved about.

As I passed by The Dapper Dog Salon, I caught a glimpse of myself in the window. “Looking sharp, Jasp,” I thought, although I dared not get too close; I had my fur just the way I wanted it for the show. I had places to be, snow to prance in, and a performance to give that would knock the booties off every four-legged friend in town.

Our cast was a ragtag assembly of Spencerville’s most spirited tail-waggers. Reo had been rehearsing his tap number for weeks, and despite the occasional misstep, his enthusiasm could melt even the iciest patch on Siberian Summit. Nigel (the old hound) had come out of retirement to narrate, his voice rich like the gravy at Doggy Delight.

Then there was Katiebug. My charming co-star’s absence left a Beagle-shaped hole in our lineup. Rumor had it she’d been seen at the Upper Collie Canyon, attempting a “solo career.”

Anyhoot, with my entourage (and by entourage, I mean Daphne, my Beagle sis who trotted along like she owned this winter wonderland), I made my way to the amphitheater beside the Golden Retriever River, our makeshift stage. Fairy lights twinkled, and garlands of chew-toys sparkled like canine treasures. We weren’t just putting on a show; we were stitching together memories.

The rehearsals had been a jolly old mess if I’m honest. I remember when I tried to juggle snowballs, and they ended up more as impromptu snow-pats for the Terrier twins. That’s when it hit me – perhaps I had been too ambitious with my “Jasper juggles Joy” number.

Now, with the soft hush of snowflakes as our curtain, we were ready. We kicked off singing, “Deck the Howls,” a unanimous favorite where dogs barked in chorus, harmonizing like we imagined reindeer might if they had a hankering for showbiz.

Midway through my solo—a heartfelt ballad to the tune of ‘Oh, Holy Night,’ rechristened ‘Oh, Hairy Delight,’ because, obviously—I spotted Katiebug. There she was, ears perked atop the ridge at Upper Collie Canyon, her gaze wandery as the scent trails we followed in our dreams.

Our eyes met; time paw-sed. Perhaps the howling wind carried a note of our shared past because she bounded down the slope, her beagle-camouflage perfectly useless against the stark white snow. But it didn’t matter—not the mishaps, the cold, nor the culinary temptation of Doggy Donuts wafting on the chill air.

Katiebug joined our ensemble for the grand finale. As our voices lifted in ‘Paws Silent Night,’ a chorus of love and longing, it felt like no one, not a soul, could wish for more. And when the snow settled and the applaws subsided, I realized Spencerville was more than a waiting room. It was a stage for second acts, a place where friends found each other against all odds.

Our human-like existence didn’t prepare me for the fuzziness in my heart as the cast took a bow, the audience’s barks echoing our mirth. Spencerville was home, the rendezvous of every cheeky tail-wag and clandestine kiss under the mistletoe. Here, amidst the tinsel-topped trees and ivory drifts, we understood the magic wasn’t in the waiting but in the living, together, tangled in a story spun from white Christmas whiskers.

The End.