No One Was Dreaming of a Zoom Christmas.

But somehow the Christmas spirit found us anyway.

Christmas is supposed to be about peace, and I guess we got that. Me, my beautiful wife and our geriatric dog.

Home alone, only without even the excitement of an inept burglar duo trying to break in like the storyline of the iconic holiday movie.

Silent night. Silent Christmas morning.

What excitement we had was entirely provided by the dog.

He has decided Christmas is his holiday. His memory seems to be fading along with his vision and his hearing. But he is razor sharp on the knowledge that once a year a stocking filled with dog treats gets hung on the mantle.

For weeks he has been standing at the fireplace, looking up at the spot where his stocking would hang. When the tree went up the intensity of his anticipation only grew. This is a dog who normally sleeps the day through and lists like a drunken sailor on his deteriorating hips.

But when the stocking was finally hung by the chimney he was stretched up on his hind legs like a puppy, sniffing at the toe. Hoping dog treats soon would be there. When he finally ripped open a small package on Christmas Eve and devoured the frosted dog cookie he only redoubled his efforts to find more.