The New Family Pet ...Chickens?...

While other families may invest in a sweet Maltese or Persian princess for pets, the Van De Graaff's decided on chickens. When I say Van De Graaff's, I mean Buzzer. They're a welcome addition of pursing cheeps and calming chirps: like springtime in a box.

I got up late to check on their first night in our front room. I walked down the hallway after a soft buzzing light, fuzzy with the narcotic of sleep. I saw crosslegged next to the polypropylene cage and lazily dribbled my hand over the side and gave them each a petting. Like babies. A wave of nostalgia hit me when I woke up several minutes later, and thought for a second I was in the front room under the Christmas tree.

When I was young, I would climb over the post of my bunkbead and head to the Christmas tree, always finding a coziness to sleep in. I'd wake up under the tree, behind the couch, next to the fireplace, always in a place where the light was bright; mostly with the cat licking my face. It was a way for me to sleep under magic, when I'd sleep under the tree. Good old magic of twinking lights: that comes when you're happy.