Christmas is a time for celebrating and, if you’ve got a new pet in the last year, you’ll no doubt want to introduce them to all of the fun, too.
Here, Kirsty Prankerd, Managing Director of Write From The Heart, discusses some of the best ways you can ensure the festive season is enjoyable for your furry friend.
The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner! With the pandemic ruining so many plans this year, you’re sure to be excited for the holiday season to begin — especially if you’ve recently added a new furry friend to the family. You’ll want to make this a Christmas to remember for everyone, including your pet.
Here, I’ll be sharing some of the top ways you can mark your pet’s first Christmas as part of your family and how to keep them calm throughout this exciting season.
Treat them to some festive snacks
We all love to indulge over Christmas, especially when we’ve been so good all year long. So, before you bring out the cheeseboard and the chocolates, it’s worth thinking about treating your new pet to something, too. There are plenty of festive pet-friendly goodies for them to snack on, so keep your eye out for Christmassy flavoured and shaped treats to get them involved with the magic.
Although it’s perfectly fine to give them a treat every now and again, do take care not to feed them too much over the festive season. Your new pet will likely only have a small tummy, and you don’t want to risk them getting sick during the Christmas period. A treat or two every so often will be more than enough for them.
Hire a pet photographer
Great memories will last a lifetime, but it’s always nice to take photos of important events so you can look back on them. So, why not hire a pet photographer? These specialists will be able to take fun festive photos of you and your pet together, which will make for some amazing keepsakes.
If you get the photos taken early enough, you could even use them on your Christmas cards to send to your nearest and dearest. This is the perfect opportunity for you to all get dressed up in Christmas-themed outfits and have some fun with your new pet. You could even make this a yearly tradition and add the photos to a scrapbook as a beautiful keepsake.
Buy them some festive jumpers
Christmas jumpers are one of the best parts of the festive season, with so many bright colours and merry designs to choose from. Now you have another addition to the family, you might want to consider getting matching ones with your new pet. There are plenty of options out there for pets of all sizes, and you could even look at getting them personalised with the year or to highlight it was from your pet’s first Christmas with you.
They’ll likely grow out of these by next year, but they can always be kept as reminders of your pets first Christmas that all the family will love looking back on.
Create some keepsakes
Sentimental gifts and decorations are the icing on the cake at Christmas. Despite gifting being a big part of Christmas for so many, the festive season is mainly loved for being a time when your nearest and dearest can gather. But it’s always nice to remember the day.
So, why not look at having some keepsakes made to commemorate your pet’s first Christmas with you? This could include the likes of cushions, treat tins, or photo frames — anything you think will fit in nicely with your home and also be a cute nod to the festive season with your furry friend.
Keep their stress levels low
Christmas is an extremely busy time of year, with guests coming and going, presents being wrapped and exchanged, and tree decorations and lights being put up. Not to mention the festive soundtracks that’ll be blaring through your home on repeat until the 25th of December. But, when you have a new pet, you’ll need to take great care to keep their stress levels as low as possible during this time.
When you’ve got a young pet, too much sensory information can become overwhelming and cause them to feel scared or stressed. As a result, you might find your four-legged friend panting, hiding, or whimpering, which will be upsetting for all of you. To manage this, consider introducing them to something new every few days rather than all at once. For example, put the tree up one day, and then lay out the rest of the decorations another day. It may take some time for them to become comfortable with everything but, if you begin introducing them to things early, they will soon become accustomed to them. If you do notice something repeatedly upsetting your pet, though, it would be better to remove it. After all, it’s their Christmas, too!
Christmas with your new pet is bound to be a magical experience, so be sure to celebrate it in the right way. From making sure they’re comfortable, to treating them and getting them involved with your family traditions, you’re sure to all have a Christmas to remember.
