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What not to give for Christmas
Filed under: Development/Milestones: Babies
A couple of years ago my daughter, Cassidy, wanted a guinea pig more than anything in the world. Well, she actually wanted a puppy, but seeing that her canine needs would be unmet, she instead set her sites on a guinea pig. Her small pet yearnings coincided with the holidays, so her father and I set about the task of making her dreams come true. We live in an area where, at the time, there was not a wee piggy to be had anywhere so we ended up special ordering the cavvy to be delivered to the local pet store on Christmas Eve. I ventured out on Christmas Eve to gather the guinea, feeling ever so clever about the wonderful gift we were to bestow on our daughter.After the kids finally slumbered off that night, Matt and I assembled the guinea pig cage in just the right location so that it would be the very first thing Cassidy saw on Christmas morn. Sure enough, it was her first vision, for she ran up the stairs screaming in delight, "Mommy, Daddy, Santa brought me a guinea pig! It is just what I wanted. Except, why is she sleeping so hard?"
Oh. No. I sat straight up in bed with a chill in my heart. No guinea pig could have slept through Cassidy's shrieks. I ran downstairs and sure thing, she was lying there inert and barely breathing. What followed was not the mad scrambling of present openings, but many tears as we held the dying animal on our laps. By lunchtime she had gone to great beyond.
Although I had some initial reservations about getting our daughter an animal for Christmas, I threw common sense to the wind and did it anyway. We learned our lesson and there will never again be another caged animal waiting under the tree on Christmas morning. What about your family? Any disastrous holiday gifts?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
11-27-2006 @ 4:12PM
Trisha said...Sad story, I wish it would have turned out better for your daughter.
My husband got me a kitten as a surprise Christmas present two years ago. It was the most heart-felt gift he's even given. She(the cat) has been a good pet but it's a lot different than a regular old present. It's something that lives and has to be taken care of. We love her though!
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11-27-2006 @ 5:56PM
ann adams said...Nothing quite like that. We have a houseful of cats and a white rat but the cats have just turned up and stayed.
The worst I've done is misjudge what the kids like since I can't usually afford what they think they want.
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11-27-2006 @ 6:50PM
Wendy Mac said...I've volunteered in several animal shelters, and good rule of thumb is to never buy a pet for someone else, as that is a common reason pets end up in the animal shelter (guinea pigs notwithstanding!) You'll find when you go to adopt at a shelter, most require everyone in the household (whether you're related or not) to be present to meet the animal. That's the reason why, if you've ever wondered.
It's a romantic notion to gift an animal, but personality is a very important factor in animal compatibility.
When my husband got me a kitten for my birthday, he had me pick him out from the shelter. He's the best cat I've ever owned! Same with our dogs, everyone met the dogs before the came home.
For Christmas this year, we are giving my daughter the hamster cage, and then taking her out to pick her own hamster later. Your experience sounds just dreadful, I'm so sorry that happened! We've already had a discussion with her about the hamster. She's had a fish die, and she needs to be aware that we all need to enjoy the hamster while we can, their lives can be tragically short.
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11-28-2006 @ 12:16AM
R Biernesser said...I have to agree with Wendy. My husband got me a Kitten for Mother's Day and my brithday (they were two days apart)he called everywhere to find a kitten and found one and he let them know it was going to be a surprise and that I might not pick one. He had one adoption group meet him at my work and asked if I wanted to pick one. It was the sweetest thing he ever did, b/c not only did I always want a cat, he is allegic to them.
For Christmas this year, my 5 yr old wants a fish...we are planning on getting him a small tank from Santa complete with rocks and plants, and a gift card to the pet store for him to pick out the fish.
If you are going to do the whole pet think, let the person pick the animal out...it's more meaningful that way.
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11-28-2006 @ 2:53AM
Santa Claus said...That is a sad story. I wish it had turned out better for your daughter.
I'm actually going to update my blog later this week - www.clauschronicles.blogspot.com - with a story on my updated Live Animal policy. It's currently in review and once we finalize the revised policy, I'll be posting on it.
Anyway, I hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Love,
Santa
Santa Claus
CEO, North Pole Inc.
www.clauschronicles.blogspot.com
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12-08-2006 @ 12:44AM
hayley said...that is very sad!!! I got a guinea pig for my 6'th birthday, and when I was around 8 years old and my guinea pig was 2, I put him in the laundry basket to make him nice and cozy, and then promptly forgot. Yes, my mother did laundry. It was very sad for me. However, I've had guinea pigs after that, and still do at 22 (she's pregnant in fact). They are good gifts for children (I did pick out my own as well), but it depends on the child really, not so much on the age! Other that being scatterbrained I was always very careful holding the guinea pig as a child, "is this how i hold it mum, am I hurting it?" etc.
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