Celebrating the winter holidays with pets

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Put a paw up if advent calendars and stockings stuffed to the brim are your favourite part of the holiday season. At Christmas time, those who celebrate go all out and Pet Valu staff and store owners are no different.

“Christmas is probably one of our favourite holidays here at our store,” says Janna Rezansoff of Quesnel, BC’s Bosley’s store. “We love to have community involvement. We usually have donations for food or blankets or winter stuff. We ensure that we always have lots of treats available for our customers that come in — candy canes, little treat bags, that kind of stuff.”

This year, the Quesnel Bosley’s store will be bringing back a much-loved tradition: “We're going to be having Santa photos. Due to the pandemic, we weren't able to do that so we're really excited that this year is going to be our first Santa photos since 2020,” says Janna.

At home, Janna has four dogs that she makes a part of her Christmas celebrations. “Each one of them has an advent calendar, a stocking, and usually one or two presents under the tree. Most of the time my animals get more gifts than my husband and myself do,” she adds.

Her two chihuahuas celebrate the holiday by cozying up in Christmas-themed pyjamas and all four dogs dig into a celebratory meal. “We buy four pouches of Portland Pet Homestyle Dog Food,” she says. “They get their normal kibble plus they get one of the Portland Pet additions to their meal. Everybody gets Christmas dinner.”

Do her dogs understand that it’s Christmas? Janna thinks so. “I think animals in general are very intuitive. When we're excited and start decorating my one dog stares at the Christmas tree. The minute it comes out of the box they know that something's happening.”

Including pets in our Christmas celebrations only serves to strengthen their understanding of the season. “Christmas isn't always about what's under the tree,” says Janna. “It's about the people who are around you, your pets included.”

Diwali, a sweet celebration of lights

In India, Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most important holidays of the year. Canada’s Indian community celebrates by getting together with family, enjoying festive meals, and adorning their homes and workplaces with traditional Diwali decorations and lights.

In Vancouver, BC, Bosley’s franchise owner Ekroop Chera (alongside her pup Enzo) celebrates by bringing clay lamps called deepa into the store along with flowers and sweets to share with the staff. “We have customers coming in and they see a deepa at the front entrance. They always recognize that it's for Diwali.”

For those who celebrate, Diwali is a reason to get dressed up—pets included! “You can include your pets by putting some nice clothing on them,” says Ekroop. “In India, you can actually get full pet outfits but here you can DIY something. Sometimes we'll get a nice bandana on him. Sometimes we'll get some embroidered cloth and just wrap it around his neck like a collar.”

Then of course, there’s celebratory food. Traditional sweets include halva and rice pudding, which Enzo loves. “When my mom makes it,” says Ekroop, “she doesn't put a lot of sugar because it's not good for pets. We eat it with sugar, but we just put in a little bit for him or we'll put some out aside before putting in the sugar, just so he gets to participate in all the celebrations.”

Being a festival of light, Diwali can also feature fireworks. Enzo loves the lights, but isn't a fan of loud noises. “The only thing that scares him would be the fireworks,” Ekroop says. “So with our family we don't tend to do the very loud fireworks, we just do the quiet ones that just light up with sparkles.” Enzo approves.

A Kwanzaa celebration of life and unity

December 26th to January 1st marks the period when Kwanzaa is celebrated.

The holiday features the exchange of gifts, celebratory meals, and giving thanks for the best things in our lives (like our pets, of course). Since 1966, the holiday has celebrated Black culture and is inspired by traditions rooted in Africa.

Pet parents include their animals in the celebration by dressing them in the colours of Kwanzaa (red, black, and green) and by treating them to special meals that include ingredients (like sweet potato) typical of a Kwanzaa feast.

Since Kwanzaa is all about unity and togetherness, spending quality time with a furry bestie is a way to mark the occasion. It’s a chance to strengthen the bonds we have with our pets by investing time in the relationship and choosing some special activities to enjoy together like taking an extra long hike or baking some homemade pet biscuits.

The countdown to a new year

While most pets aren’t actually party animals, marking another year with our BFFs is absolutely something to toast to.

New Year’s Eve is a great reason to dress up pets who enjoy strutting their stuff in a special outfit. Janna says she’s seen her four-legged customers decked out in glitter, top hats, and anything that sparkles. “I've seen little tuxedos on dogs,” she adds, “people will dress their dogs in our wedding stuff for New Years, which is really cool.”

For pets who aren’t as keen on the bright lights and big noises that define the holiday, Janna recommends that pet parents make sure to prioritize their feelings.

“Be mindful that if you do have people over, pets need a safe space. Have their crates available, have thunder jackets, and just make sure that they're taken care of and their needs are met, not just yours.”