At Christmastime everyone needs a big, big dog to sit by the fire, wait by the door, or look mournful at the dinner table till someone throws it a cranberry. In The Bishop’s Wife, a 1947 holiday classic, the Brougham family had Queenie — a lovable (but brandyless) St. Bernard dog:
Christmas is also a time for remembering those no longer with us. They may have caused us pain, they may have pooped on the rug (literally or metaphorically), but still they were part of the family. So when we think of Christmas mirth, of banquets and balls, it is incumbent upon us to remember one whose name is synonymous with banquets (if not balls): Boris Johnson.
Though fortune turned against him, and cries of “Save Big Dog!” quickly turned to cries of “Spay Big Dog!”, still we can all wish Boris a happy, healthy, and hopefully more hygienic New Year:
Here’s hoping the Christmas spirit grabs hold of you like a crazed pathologist with a nutcracker!
Michael Howard
The views expressed are my own, and do not represent any other person or organization.
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Ethics and Spirituality 