My family has a Christmas tradition that goes back as long as I can remember. We always open at least one present early. Sometimes, that has been just a few days before Christmas, other times it has been several weeks ahead of time. This occurred to me as I stood in the check out line at Whole Foods, looking at a display of what appeared to be life-sized penguins made by Melissa & Doug (a great toy company, if you're looking for real wooden toys or stuffed animal penguins). I tried to pass on the penguin, but my eyes kept straying back over to them as I got closer to the front of the line. When it was finally my turn, I grabbed the penguin and added it to my purchases. Add odd shopping list, to be sure: beer, cat food, penguin.
Esme, to my surprise, seemed to actually notice and enjoy the penguin. It's still larger than she is, but I'm sure she'll take care of that within a year or two. For now, the penguin, wearing a Santa hat, stands next to our Christmas tree, like a sentinel of Christmas future.
Esme now has quite a collection of stuffed animals. These include a lion, a tiger, a cow, a penguin, a dog, a bunny, several bears (in various colors), and an Ugli doll. (I don't know if that last one is considered a stuffed animal, but it seems to fit in with the general category.)
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