Dec 3, 2018 3 min read

I must really like my jobs. I have often forgotten that payday is approaching and have needed reminding on more than one occasion to even invoice certain employers for payment. It drives my husband bananas. He’s all for me enjoying my work but feels I should remember that compensation is part of the arrangement.

I can understand it.

But I also have to tell you that I have some amazing jobs. I get to go to conferences, meet interesting people, hear amazing stories, and write about all of it. And at my day job, I get to talk with some incredible, hard-working, resilient people and help them shop for their needs. It is a fulfilling work life.

In a job filled with great days, this past Saturday was one of the most enjoyable days ever. We hosted Pet Pictures with Santa at the store, and it was a blast.

For a $10 donation to a local pet rescue, people were invited to bring their pets into the store to sit with Santa and have a photo taken. We had a beautiful backdrop set up to look like a board fence that was covered in snow and Christmas decorations, with a snowman and poinsettias in the bottom corner. The scene was set in front of a glass door, and the light coming in behind it made the whole scene appear three-dimensional. The atmosphere was festive, with music playing over a wireless speaker.

Our Santa was played by the dog trainer who holds classes in our store every Tuesday evening. Rachel Warrick (of Warrick K-9) was a wonderful sport, dressed to the nines in our Santa suit. She even added round, wire-framed glasses to complete the look. Two of Rachel’s class assistants came as well, dressed in elf hats and holiday attire.

Some of the dogs were more nervous than others, but Rachel worked with their individual comfort levels until they were happy to sit for a photo. The donor received a printed copy of their photo in a cute frame. I was fortunate to be the photographer, and hope people were as pleased with the results as I was.

Too soon, the scheduled time was over, and we had to clean up. The scene was taken down and packed away until next year, Santa took on her normal persona, and the floor was swept and mopped. The extra-funness (did I make that word up?) was over, and we went back to the normal level of fun that my job entails.

But we were all pleased to say that we raised several hundred dollars for the rescue in the few hours Santa was available. We had a wonderful time doing it.

Oh, and I guess at some point I’ll see a paycheck as well.

Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.