Dear friend,

Happy holidays from the Laugh Letter staff! Take a "time out" from the hustle and bustle of the season to enjoy the Christmas chuckles and other antics here. Then share them with family and friends...after all, grins make great gifts!

Here Comes Sandy Paws

SHOULD pets get Christmas presents? Gladys H. of Yuma, Arizona thinks so.

"When our children were small, they wanted to give our little dog, 'Pud', a Christmas gift. She loved rubber balls, so I started an annual tradition of putting one in a stocking for her.

"Several years later, I forgot to get a ball and figured that it wouldn't really matter to Pud. But after we'd opened all our gifts and cleaned up, Pud lay in the middle of the floor looking sad. I realized what was wrong.

"After a while, she took matters into her own paws. Going over to the Christmas tree, she knocked off a red foam ball ornament and chewed it up.

"She had never before touched anything on or near the Christmas tree, even as a puppy...and she'd never in her adult life chewed up anything she wasn't supposed to have.

"From then on, she always got a Christmas gift!"

Stop and Go

FROM Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, Jo S. tells the following story with a twinkle in her eye.

"Shortly before Christmas one year, Mom made a healthy investment in a new vacuum cleaner. She couldn't wait to try it out, so she plugged in the electric marvel and turned it on.

"Without warning, the motor shut off. Then the motor started...and went off again within seconds. Then it started again. Mom tried to vacuum, and off it went again...then back on. Faster and faster Mom tried to vacuum between the on and off cycles, until she finally gave up.

"Mumbling under her breath and preparing to give the salesman a call, she went to unplug the vacuum cleaner. To her dismay, she discovered that she'd plugged the machine into the Christmas tree light-blinker switch!"

You'll Love These Little Dears

BET you can't look at this dolled-up duo without smiling!
For more Christmas cuties, click here.

QUICK-WITTED Sylvia G. of Parkinsville, Vermont relates an experience she had at her local supermarket.

She'd finished her shopping and was at the checkout counter. The clerk, uncertain about the price of a large onion, asked her, "Is this a Spanish onion?"

"I don't know," Sylvia replied with a grin. "It hasn't said anything yet."

Helping the Poor

THE NUNS at a small suburban convent were happy to learn that an anonymous donor had left each of them $50 in cash to give away as she saw fit.

Each nun announced how she would share her bequest. Sister Catherine Ann decided to give her share to the first poor person she saw. As she said this, she looked out the window and saw a man leaning against the telephone pole across the street. He certainly looked poor.

She immediately left the convent and walked toward the man, feeling sure that he had been sent by Heaven to receive her charity. Pressing the $50 into the man's hands, the kind sister said, "Godspeed, my good man."

As she left, the man called out to her, "What is your name?" Shyly, she replied, "Sister Catherine Ann."

The following evening, the man returned to the convent and rang the bell. "I'd like to see Sister Catherine Ann," he said. The nun at the door answered, "I'm sorry, but she's in the chapel. May I give her a message?"

"Yes," said the man gleefully. "Give her this $100 and tell her that Godspeed came in second at the horse race!"

Homestead Tip

A COWBOY who had worked for years on cattle ranches didn't have much experience with traffic in the big city.

One day while driving downtown for veterinary supplies, he pulled up behind another car at a red light. When the light changed, the woman in the car ahead didn't respond.

After waiting a bit, the cowboy politely called out, "Ma'am, if you're going to homestead, you better get closer to water!"

Disappearing Act

A TEACHER was explaining to her first-graders about water evaporation. "When you go home," she suggested, "put some water in a pan. Look at the pan tomorrow and see what has happened to the water."

The next day, little Johnny was beaming as class began. "Teacher, I did the experiment. I put some water in a pan and it disappeared."

"So the water evaporated," the teacher replied.

"No," Johnny proclaimed. "My dog drank it!"

Give Bucks...and Yucks

OUR Bilz Trivia adds fun to giving cash as a gift. Slip cash into the 7-1/2"L, reusable Bilz Trivia box. Receiver must answer six questions to unlock cash. Comes with three question cards, each with a different difficulty level, plus you can create more. Audible voice prompts, plus ticking, chime and gong sounds. Batteries included. Money not included.

To order Bilz Trivia from Country Store On-line, click here.