Stollen Lovers

So, today's Cute Chappy anecdote?

You've read all about the Stollen and how much Dad loves it, and of course, it's a Christmas present. (Frankly, I think it's the only one from me he really, truly wants.) But this means that he doesn't get to eat it until Christmas morning. All the loaves get stashed in the freezer to keep them fresh and every year on Christmas Eve, I take one out, put it in a box, wrap it, and put it under the Christmas tree (to the annual delight of our dogs on Christmas morning who get very excited sniffing around the tree).

Well, in yesterday's mountain of Stollen, there were two mini-loaves. One gets stashed in the freezer until Father's Day, but the other? Well, I'm not heartless. With the house smelling of Stollen and the counter piled high with loaves, well, the poor guy deserves at least a taste, so . . . he's officially allowed to eat one of those mini-loaves now, while the rest waits for the 25th.

The other thing to know, though, is that Dad is very, very jealous of his Stollen. He doesn't like to share. Even when his brother was alive and I'd send 2 loaves down to the farm for him and his family (all of whom love it), Dad would complain that I was giving too much away. (Okay, he was joking about it . . . mostly.) And he never even shares with his grandchildren. We were trying to remember last night if he'd ever given a taste to my niece or nephew, and . . . nope. Don't think so. And Dad really does love his grandchildren, so . . . that says a lot.

A couple years ago, though, I pointed out that he lives in the same house as the Stollen Baker AND the Stollen Baker's loving dog, his granddog, who adores baked goods. And that it might behoove him to stay on the Baker's good side by sharing a few crumbs with her dog. He grumbled, but gave in, so that when he eats his Stollen for breakfast, he'll leave some crumbs on his dish for Chappy.

Turns out, Chappy is just as crazy about this stuff as Dad is. I mean, really, really crazy about it. He'll position himself right behind Dad's chair and drool. Now, you have to realize, we don't feed Chappy from the kitchen table. There may be the "vacation rule" and the "dining room rule" where he gets some food from the table, but we never, ever give food on a regular basis from the table. If he's going to get scraps--and he does--he gets them in his own dish after the meal is over. He respects that, and almost never begs at the table. He might position himself nearby if there are small children around or something particularly delectable being eaten, you know, just in case, but he doesn't beg. But, with Stollen? Chappy--still not begging, and still being patient--will quietly drool on the floor as he stares up through the table at Dad's dish.

So . . . this morning. Chappy somehow knew that Dad was eating Stollen. I was sleeping late (I earned it!), but somehow through his doggy-psychic powers, as soon as Mom took the Stollen out of its bag and put a knife to it . . . Chappy jumped down off my bed. Now, again, he's patient about getting up in the morning, too. He's not the kind of dog who pesters to go out to the bathroom or for breakfast--no, no, once he hears activity from my parents' end of the hallway, he might move around the room, but he won't come over to wake me up before 8:30. But this morning, he was a little more fidgety than usual, and when I got up at 8:45 and opened the door . . . well, normally, he runs down the hallway to my parents' room first thing. Saying "Good Morning!" is top priority, even before going to the bathroom. And he doesn't get his breakfast until after I've had mine.

But, this morning? I barely had the bedroom door open and he was gone like a flash, down the stairs, skidding around the corners to end up right at the kitchen table, where Dad had his stollen crumbs. It was just adorable. No time wasted saying good morning. No thoughts about going to the bathroom. It was like he was saying, "I've been really patient and good and, and, and, I helped Mommy make that yesterday, and . . . . I looooove you, Grandpa . . . "

Really. All that cuteness? All of us were chuckling at him this morning. SO cute. He doesn't get as excited about anything as he does about Stollen (not even peanuts, which he truly adores). How he knew Dad was allowed to eat it this morning, though, I don't know, but lord, he was adorable.

I guess the Stollen is a Boykin-boy thing....

And, if you made it this far through the story--congratulations!

Comments

[Jennifer]

It's a Stollen conspiracy, I tell you! I love it when man and dog bond. What a cute story.

[CindyCindy]

I love adorable puppy/stollen stories. After all that hard work, it's only right that we enjoy a good stollen story.

[Jessica]

Awww... too cute! They just know, don't they? And seriously, I had no idea how much "stuff" was in Stollen. Good thing you have a Kitchen Aid or you'd be burning out a mixer motor every year!

[Faith]

How precious! Those stollen pics make my eyes water, they look so delicious!

[Chris]

You have a glass table? I want to see a picture of Chappy staring up through it! :D

[Kim]

Sounds like I'd have to break & enter your freezer to get any stollen between your Dad & Chappy. Stolen stollen. hahahaha

[JessaLu]

Very cute! :o)

I'm glad you survived Stollen Weekend - and was very glad to see a picture of Autumn Leaves in there, too! Almost done!

[Carrie K]

That is adorable. The puppy loves his stollen.

And his grandpa, of course.