“You ruined Christmas!\u201d I hissed at Hank. He stood guiltily next to the empty Bundt pan on the kitchen floor, swallowing the last bite of raw dough for my favorite and most an\u00adticipated family tradition: Christmas pull-aparts\u2014delectable doughy treats mixed with butter, butterscotch pudding mix, sugar and nuts.<\/p>\n
Then he licked my hand as if to say, \u201cThose were delicious! May I have more?\u201d The nerve!<\/p>\n
I should probably mention that Hank is a dog. My sister Meggie\u2019s golden-retriever-poodle-mix puppy, to be exact. He was always getting his paws into some\u00adthing. But now he\u2019d gone too far. I had been looking forward to those pull-aparts this Christmas more than ever.<\/p>\n
A year earlier my fianc\u00e9, Jeremy, and I got married and moved from my home state of Washington to California for his new job. I \u2019d missed my family something fierce and was thrilled that we were back at my parents\u2019 celebrating Christmas with them and my three sisters.<\/p>\n
We had a blast on Christmas Eve preparing the pull-aparts\u2014our family\u2019s breakfast tradition for as far back as I can remember. We rolled two dozen dough balls, all of us joking and laughing\u2014my sisters and I wear\u00ading our matching pajamas (another beloved tradition my mom keeps up even though we\u2019re all grown).<\/p>\n
Then we\u2019d put them in the pan and set them on the counter to rise over\u00adnight. Now, thanks to Hank, they were his\u00adtory. And so was my perfect Christmas.<\/p>\n
I stomped out of the kitchen and plopped on the couch. \u201cUgh. I can\u2019t believe Hank ate all the pull-aparts,\u201d I said, sighing, expecting my family to be just as annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Lacie, you\u2019re so dramatic,\u201d Mom said. My sisters and Jeremy burst out laugh\u00ading. \u201cReally, Lace. It\u2019s not a big deal,\u201d Meg\u00adgie added. \u201cWe\u2019ll eat something else.\u201d What? Was no one else upset that this rambunc\u00adtious puppy had spoiled our extra-special Christmas breakfast?<\/p>\n
Dad sensed my aggravation. \u201cC\u2019mon honey,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s see if there\u2019s a gro\u00adcery store open. Maybe you can make a new batch.\u201d I nodded and grabbed my coat. Hank followed us. What did he want now? He dashed out into the snow and stopped suddenly. Uh-oh. Yup, you guessed it. Hank got sick.<\/p>\n
Serves him right, I thought. Meggie ran over and rubbed Hank\u2019s fur, her eyes filled with worry. My heart softened a little. But I just couldn\u2019t shake my anger.<\/p>\n
Dad and I found an open grocery store and they had all the ingredients I needed. Back home, I sprinted inside, anxious to get started on round two of the pull-aparts. But Hank was sprawled out on the kitchen floor, whining. He tried to get up, teetered forward and hit his face.<\/p>\n
Oh, no! I dropped the grocery bags, helped him to his feet and took him outside. He swayed back and forth and got sick again.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Meggie frantically looked up Hank\u2019s symptoms online. \u201cSounds like alcohol poi\u00adsoning caused by the pull-apart dough fer\u00admenting in his stomach,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to take him to the vet. It\u2019s serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
We piled in the car. At the emergency veterinary clinic they confirmed that Hank had alcohol poisoning. They pumped his stomach and attached an IV bag of fluids to his little leg. I\u2019d never seen him look so in\u00adnocent. So helpless. Lord, forgive me for not forgiving Hank. And help him get better.<\/p>\n
A few hours later we took Hank home. He rested quietly on his doggie blanket while we worked on the pull-aparts. They were a hit, as always. Warm, gooey and delicious. I looked around the room at my husband, at my family\u2014the ones who\u2019d do anything to make me happy\u2014and at Hank.<\/p>\n
I knelt down and petted his golden head. \u201cI \u2019m so sorry, buddy,\u201d I said. No, he hadn\u2019t ruined anything. He\u2019d made me realize that I had all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas right in front of me. Including one sweet, mischievous puppy.<\/p>\n