What a fantastic Thanksgiving we’ve just celebrated. Wasn’t it wonderful spending time with those we love, enjoying great food, incredible company and tender thoughts of gratitude?

I adore the holiday season. Decorations are going up, parties are being planned, gifts are being purchased and I’m hearing “The Twelve Days of Christmas” played for the first of ten gazillion times between now and Christmas.

But please don’t start baking fruitcake. I don’t know who invented fruitcake but I’d like to have a word with them.

I’ve only been an observer of the holiday season for a few years now, but the way I figure it, Thanksgiving signals the beginning of a race where everyone runs like crazy at breakneck speed without stopping to catch their breath until the week after Christmas.

Is there a little elf somewhere waving a green racing flag shouting “And we’re off!” and then the frenzy begins? I don’t think I’ve seen the kind of racing around like folks do between Thanksgiving and Christmas since I had my last bath.

Yes, a good bath can make a boy run and roll like crazy as if an invisible playmate is chasing him and has him almost within reach. There’s nothing quite like a wet dog running through the house bouncing off the furniture.

My mom seems to love it, too, because after my bath she chases me around the house squealing with delight as my drenched body hops from her sofa to her chairs. It always helps me dry quicker if I roll on comfy furniture sharing my wet dog fragrance. It’s the simple things in life I enjoy.

Another observation I’ve made about the holiday season is that folks seem to get so busy and anxious they don’t spend a lot of time with their pets. Sometimes pets take a back seat to all the shopping, cooking, entertaining and traveling and get neglected. But they need love and attention no matter what holiday it is.

I wonder if we could make it different this year. I wonder if we could make it a point to have some quiet time during this season where we take time to just breathe and spend quiet time with those we love, especially family pets.

And we could help animals that don’t have families yet. Choose a pet from a rescue group to help find them a home. Donate supplies to a local rescue group. Take a doghouse to someone that needs one.

There are so many ways to make this a blessed holiday season, reduce our anxiety and reach the finish line with the checkered flag waving and our sanity intact. Spending time with animals is one of the best ways to stay sane. Try it, you’ll see.

Send questions for AC Pup to acpup247@yahoo.com. Visit www.acpup.com or see his Facebook page.