Merry Monsters!

It’s the holiday season again! Do you know how I know? I don’t watch TV. I’ve never been to the mall—and I hope I never will be. Mom doesn’t play Christmas music in the barn and she hasn’t taken us to see Santa.

Give up? Those horrible, horse-eating monsters are back on the front lawn! Don’t worry; those monsters only eat horses, not kids. In fact, I think they’re hoping I’ll be the horse on their dinner plate. I see them licking their chops when I’m in the paddock next to them. I wonder if maybe Mom wants to get rid of me.

When it gets dark, the monsters get all bright and shiny. Since most predators hunt at night, I’m sure they’re getting ready to pounce. I told Beau to keep a watch on them from his stall so he can warn us if they start creeping up to the barn.

He laughed at me and said, “Sonny, you’re the dumbest horse on the planet. Those aren’t monsters!”

I didn’t believe him and for days I wouldn’t even talk to him because he really hurt my feelings. “Ha! I’m dumb? That’s the last time I’ll ever warn him about monsters hunting for a horse dinner. In fact, I’ll tell the monsters to pick him for their meal. He’s so tall, they can really have a feast.”

I turned my butt to him and was sulking in the corner of my stall when suddenly I remembered seeing them last year. I almost smooshed Mom trying to escape those sparkley demons.  Luckily I didn’t smoosh her and she didn’t get mad at me. Okay, maybe she was just the teensiest bit annoyed, but she’s used to my act-first, think-later ways. She explained they were statues made out of wicker and white lights

Would you believe Mom even decorates us? She doesn’t wrap us in lights; she attaches Christmas hats to our halters. Everyone else has Santa hats–which are bad enough–but mine has giant reindeer antlers on it. It’s so embarrassing my face joins in the Christmas spirit by flushing bright red. I guess I shouldn’t complain because she also puts fuzzy white and red leg wraps  on Trinity.

Nothing embarrasses him! He says the leg wraps keep him warm and highlight his snappy moves when he’s prancing around the paddock. Leave it to him to love being the center of attention! Since Mom knows he’s a show-off, she even put a big red bow on his tail one year. He should have been embarrassed about that!

All of us in the NEIGH-borhood wish you a happy holiday season. We hope you get lots of nice presents and delicious treats, but don’t forget to be thankful for having a loving family and good friends. After all, whether you celebrate Christmas or Hannukah, the holidays are really a celebration of sharing, caring, and joy.

Like millions of youngsters, Nancy Di Fabbio was infatuated with horses and never gave up dreaming that one day she’d be riding one of her own. She eventually realized her dreams and got her first horse, followed quickly by her second, third, fourth and finally fifth. Passionate about sharing her love for this amazing animal, she’s written Saddle Up! – And Live Your Dream, a comprehensive how-to for the budding equestrian which will be released this fall. She also writes a children’s column about the exploits of her herd, but the stories are informative, funny and touching enough to appeal to everyone. You can share their adventures on TheExaminerNews.com website under the heading: NEIGH-borhood Tales

Adam Stone

Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.