Christmas Carols and Critters

 
Last night roughly thirty melodious people – and one pawsome rat – gathered in the Village of Rex, Georgia, to sing to our neighbors the songs of the Season. (Well, the humans sang … I squeaked.) Starting by the old mill and crossing infamous Big Cotton Indian Creek Bridge, we hiked up the hill to the homes of many a happily startled resident: startled because caroling has sadly become an increasingly rare occurrence in the United States, and happy because they saw that our spirited serenade was sung simply to bring them joy. Several of them were so delighted that they joined us in singing to their fellow neighbors as we visited more houses. We had more fun than you could shake a candy cane at!
 
It was also the first time I made a public appearance, decked out for the holiday in my bright red Santa Paws duds. (They match my eyes.) I have to admit: my whiskers twitched with nervousness (and with cold, as the night air added a certain nip to my little rat nose) as I visited the people, but it was squeak-tastic to finally meet many of my Blog and Muzzlebook fans, and I loved making new friends with those who hadn’t yet heard of me.
 
After bringing happiness to the hearts of many Rex residents, we scampered back to the Village to make merry with each other. Supping on spiced cider, coffee, cookies, and homemade cupcakes lovingly provided by historical Rex Mill owners Jerry and Gayle and members of the Historic Rex Village Association, each of us (present rodent company included) toasted each other a wonderful Christmas, and I was happy to find no shortage of cookie crumbs as I scuttled around the feet of all the cheery people.
 
Rex has a rich history (including ties to the White House) extending all the way back to the 1800s, and is full of legends and traditions. (I told you about some of the scarier ones in my Halloween blog, The Revenants of Rex.) This was our first gathering of Christmas carolers in the Village, but with all the fun we had we plan to make it an annual event that will last for many years to come. All of us were very happy to add our own tradition to the long history of this tiny town.
 
As we concluded our caroling at each house, we sang one last song to the smiling residents: “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” So in that tradition I will squeak the same to you:
 

I wish you a furry Christmas,
I wish you a squeaky Christmas,
I wish you a cheesy Christmas,
And a ratty new year!

 
Keepin’ it squeak,
Bob