• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Bishop Robert Barron
          • George Weigel
          • Question Corner
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Suzanna Molino Singleton
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Paul McMullen
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Father T. Austin Murphy Jr.
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
  • Advertising
  • CR Radio
  • Printing
  • Subscribe

Oh, I want pugs for Christmas. Oh, only pugs will do.

Rita Buettner January 6, 2018
By Rita Buettner
Filed Under: Blog, Open Window

This Christmas season as we were making paper towel snowmen and paper towel nativity figures to give as presents, I had an idea for a gift for a friend and her family. They are former pug owners, and pugs seemed to crop up quite a bit as we were counting down to Christmas this year. My friend and I had even jokingly discussed “Pugmas” at one point, and I couldn’t seem to shake the pug theme from my mind.I decided to create a pug family, and our boys immediately agreed it was the right gift. All we used were a few markers, paper towels, toilet paper, and my fabulous new hot glue gun. I had thought we might make a whole litter of puppies, but my sons thought the parents and child were just perfect.

So I stopped making pugs and wrote a poem. But how could we tie pugs to Christmas? It felt like a stretch. Because my head was full of Christmas carols, I wrote a poem that could be sung to “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”

They came upon a midnight clear,

Those glorious pugs of old,

Their faces squashed, their legs too short,

Yet somehow dear to hold.

The Star shone down on the stable where 

The Baby Jesus lay,

And with the people who entered in

Were pugs who gathered to stay.

Close to the manger they waddled in

With snuffles and stumbles and pants.

The world in solemn stillness lay

As the pugs spilled the frankincense.

“What’s that?” said Joseph, while Mary watched

The pugs inching toward the Child,

Their mashed-in faces were quite out of place,

But He looked at the pugs and smiled.

And so the donkey was there and cow,

And sheep who were gathered galore,

And birds and camels and little lambs,

But somehow lost from lore,

Are pugs, who crept in on legs so short

And may have looked out of place,

But they were there, angels that they are,

Though no wings…instead a pug face.

Our older son even found styrofoam pieces to put underneath the one pug that was on its side. I am not sure that paper towels lend themselves well to pugs, but our friends seemed to enjoy their gift, apparently sang the song with gusto, and I am sure they will make use of the towels, if they haven’t already.

Of course, we don’t know that pugs came to the manger, but I suppose there’s always a chance that the magi from the East brought a pug along for the journey.

And, as my niece Elise tells me, all creatures great and small came to see the Infant Jesus. So it’s possible there were pugs. And, if not, well, at least we can celebrate pugs and have a little fun doing it.

 

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Rita Buettner

Rita Buettner

Rita Buettner is a wife, working mother and author of the Catholic Review's Open Window blog. She and her husband adopted their two sons from China, and Rita often writes about topics concerning adoption, family and faith.

Rita also writes The Domestic Church, a featured column in the Catholic Review. Her writing has been honored by the Catholic Press Association, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association and the Associated Church Press.

View all posts from this author

Recent Commentary

A Lent full of promise, steak success, cooking with children, and more (7 Quick Takes)

Archbishop Lori reflects on the Year of St. Joseph

Reason for celibacy/ Blessing for non-sacramental marriage?

Pandemic Stories (or why there’s a Nerf gun in the tub)

A pandemic Lent, ox cookies, and Valentine’s gifts (7 Quick Takes)

Recent Local News

Deacon Davis, who served Overlea parish for decades, dies at 84

Archdiocese of Baltimore plans ‘Safe Haven Sunday’ to fight pornography

Pasadena parish cites pandemic in decision to close preschool

Father Snouffer, information technology trailblazer for archdiocese, dies at 83

‘Blessing bags’ a focal point for merged St. Casimir Parish during pandemic

Catholic Review Radio

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • A Lent full of promise, steak success, cooking with children, and more (7 Quick Takes)
  • Archbishop Lori reflects on the Year of St. Joseph
  • Health care chaplains in Baltimore and beyond embrace self-care in COVID-19 work
  • Religious order withdraws request to transfer founder’s remains to U.S.
  • Deacon Davis, who served Overlea parish for decades, dies at 84
  • Reason for celibacy/ Blessing for non-sacramental marriage?
  • Archdiocese of Baltimore plans ‘Safe Haven Sunday’ to fight pornography
  • Heroes of love: New pathway open for future saints
  • Some English Catholics object to transfer of nun’s remains to Philadelphia
  • Bishops: If passed, Equality Act will ‘discriminate against people of faith

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2021 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED