It started with Flurry...

It wasn't meant to be a Christmas tradition.
The year was 2002.
The Len and I were engaged. It was my first Christmas in my own little apartment.

I came home from work that night to find the free tree I received from a coworker crying out, 'I've fallen, and I can't get up!'  Ornaments and lights and needles, oh my!

We ended up going to Sears to find a new tree... maybe a few ornaments. And Flurry.

Each year Sears sells a small Christmas plush toy for $4, to support youth across Canada.  I didn't realize it was an annual event when I saw Flurry. He was sweet. I wanted him.  So I took him home.

The date on his foot probably should have been a clue.  When it finally dawned on me, The Len and I decided that we would buy the small plush toys each year as a little tradition for just the two of us.

Over the years we've faithfully collected the sweet little animals.  They now have their own sleigh that they no longer fit in.  Some of the stuffies are relegated to run along side it.

Flurry, however, always gets to ride in the sleigh. 

At the front.  He likes to feel the breeze against his shiny black nose.

Krismoose and Baxter are two of my other favourites.

Baxter nearly beat out Flurry for the cutest in 2003.  However, by the time Krismoose came along in 2005, it was well established that Flurry would always be the favourite.

Apparently, in 2009 we forgot to make the ten minute trip to Sears to buy Reginald.  I'm disappointed that we missed a year, and still plan to email Sears to see whether I can find his cute self and have him join the others in the sleigh.

I'm hoping he'll let me borrow that hat.



This year Crispin is set to join Team Flurry.  I felt it necessary to warn Flurry that another bear would be joining his team.  We sat together and looked at Crispin's photo, and Flurry just laughed.

"He's not a polar bear?  Pfftt...  He's got nothing on me."

True dat, Flurry. True dat.