Ani’s Advent Calendar 2018! The real Santa, Victoria Zigler and a letter from Lilie

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Sue Vincent

I had a letter from Lilie… she was writing to Santa and saying she wants to see him this year, and I’m in a bit of a quandry. Lilie is only a pupster… should I tell her the truth about Santa? There isn’t one… there are hundreds of ’em! Frankly, this time of year, it seems as if everyone wants to be Santa…

Sonu Singh who owns Ritu Bhathal

No matter where you go, there are wannabe Santas. Even the birds get in on the act!

Big tall two-legses, little tiny two-legs pups… even her grandpups had to have a go…

And if that isn’t confusing enough, there are pictures and models ….even eatable ones…

Robbie and Michael made this one

How is a dog supposed to know which is the right one? Well, I asked her about it one night, after we’d had a Santa Claus in a chimney come down the street, all lit up and singing carols… collecting for people who don’t have a family or a Christmas.

She said that, in a way, they are all real Santas, if they make people smile and be friendly. And they do, mostly, it seems. There must be a lot of real magic in the real Santa if he can make that happen all over the place. Two-legses don’t smile enough really and it makes them look like bulldogs… and although that is fine for a bulldog, it doesn’t look so great on a two-legs.

Me, I smile a lot. Maybe that means I have a bit of Santa’s magic too… ’cause it makes her smile with me. I’d rather be Santa than a ruddy reindeer any day…

Lilie’s Letter to Santa…

Dear Santa Paws,

The humans say you’re coming to visit again soon. I’m really happy about that.

I didn’t see you when you came last time. It must have been because I was still a little puppy. I’m older now though; I’m going to be two in March. Maybe being older means I’ll have better luck staying up for your visit? The squeaky things in cages don’t think so. They’re older than me, and say they’ve never seen you. But they’re stuck in cages, so maybe that makes it harder? I don’t know, but I’d like to see you. I love visitors!

Anyway, I’ve been a very good dog this year. Well, mostly. I’ve tried to be good anyhow, and that counts. At least, it should. Is it my fault if the humans leave things at my height, and they happen to fall apart while I’m playing with them? No! Just like it’s not my fault my toys happen to fall apart when I’m playing with them… Even Noodles isn’t looking so great these days.

Speaking of which: I could do with some new toys. Could you bring some with you when you come to visit? I like balls best, but also really love cuddly toys with squeakers in them. Also, the humans still haven’t gotten me a harder puzzle toy, so one of those would be great. I love doing puzzle toys!

I love treats too, so if you also want to bring some of those, that would be awesome! My favourites are things that taste like chicken or cheese, but I also love a good piece of rawhide. Just so you know.

Lots of licks,

Lilie

About Lilie and her two-legs, Victoria Zigler

Lilie is a very friendly and energetic West Highland White Terrier, who makes friends wherever she goes. She lives with her humans in a town by the ocean. Lilie also shares her home with a degu named Joshua, and a pair of chinchillas named Mollie and Maizie, all of whom refuse to come out of their cages and play with her, much to her disappointment. If she’s not playing with one of her toys, reminding her humans that things at dog level will become claimed by said dog, going walkies, eating, or trying to persuade the squeaky things in cages to play with her, it means she’s finally tired herself out enough to need a nap.

Lilie appears in the book “Where’s noodles?” as well as in many of the poems in “Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes” (both of which were published in 2018). She also appears in several posts on her humans’ blog and social media accounts, most notably many of the “Furkid Friday” posts on the blog.

Where to find Lilie and her humans

Website Blog Goodreads Facebook author page

Twitter Google+

Where’s Noodles

Author: Victoria Zigler

Narrator for audio version: Judith Bareham

“Noodles is a strange red creature with a squeaker in his tummy, who just happens to be the favourite toy of a West Highland White Terrier named Lilie. At least, he is now, since the bushytailed squirrel and cuddly triceratops fell apart while she was playing with them – totally not her fault, by the way!

Now noodles is missing.

Lilie’s sure she left Noodles on the living room floor when she went walkies. But when she comes home and goes to fetch him so they can have a nap together, Noodles isn’t there.

Where’s Noodles? Is he somewhere else, or is he lost forever?”

Where to find the book:

Audible Smashwords Barnes & Noble Kobo iBooks iTunes Amazon UK

Amazon US Amazon Canada Goodreads

Many other books by Victoria Zigler are available from:

Audible Smashwords

Barnes & Noble Kobo Chapters-Indigo

iBooks & iTunes Amazon UK Amazon AUS

Amazon US Amazon Canada Amazon India Book Depository

An Invitation from the Small Dog

If you would like to help Ani make her advent calendar this year, send your letters to Santa, festive memories, short stories, flash fiction or poems to the Small Dog. She will post them every day through December until Christmas…and there are still spaces left!

She would especially like to hear from her four-legged or feathered friends (she has a special place very close to her heart for turkeys)… but she says that two-legs are better than none, so she will accept submissions from humans too.

To get in touch, please use the form on the contact page or email Ani at findme@scvincent.com

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.

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