"How will we wake up the Diva and the DJ? Let's get Pepper (one of the three guinea pigs). She's the scurriest!" What a precious awakening.
"No, Tweenie, you cannot bring all your Christmas presents to Florida. They will rip off the wrapping paper and we [are too cheap] to pay for more baggage."
"Ah, yes, a Christmas hound." The beagles enjoyed a good frolic through the wrapping paper before they headed off to the kennel. That was not their best Christmas surprise, to be sure. Poor babies.
In my rushing around the local strip mall for essentials such as medication, Timothy hay (we also own three guinea pigs), and gluten-free goodies, I stopped by the small animal cages at PetCo. Unlike those of us who have a plane to catch rather than a Christmas eve service to stumble into half an hour late, much of the western world is taking advantage of one last shopping day. With regard to pets, 'tis the season to find a furry little friend under the Christmas tree or the Hanukkah bush. In other words, domesticated animals are in very high demand. This is taking into account that birthdays and animal feedings occur at an equal rate undifferentiated from other times of the year. Of all the animals to be found under the tree, the common white rat, Rattus norvegicus, is not one of them. Regardless of the high demand for pets, the supply of rats exceeds the demand for the beasts. This is what we call a surplus. There's your principles of microeconomics lesson of the day, a "simple gift" from me to you.
On a brief personal note, I gave myself a fantastic Christmas present. It is probably the best so far in my brief adult life. I gave myself the gift of fitness. Since being home, I went to the JCC-happy Hanukkah!-and worked up to running/jogging/continuously moving more than six miles! This is a most appropriate gift before a beach trip. I built up my willpower, pushed my boundaries, and held off gratification. Excellent.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!
