PUPPIES MAKE POOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS

uExpress, December, 2002 by Gina Spadafori

I am no fan of Christmas, to the bemusement of my friends and family, who consider my attitude some strange personality quirk. I neither give gifts nor accept them -- aside from an exception I make for my young niece and nephew. And I do my best to avoid malls and other places where the trappings of Christmas are on display from Halloween on.

Christmas is too much stress, too much hustle, too much spending, and I prefer to avoid the January hangover by not imbibing in the season at all. Now that you know how I feel about Christmas, you can imagine how I feel about the idea of giving children a puppy for Christmas. I simply cannot recommend it, and in this aspect of "bah humbug" I am not alone.

Despite the warnings from experts, every year parents give in to the...