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What makes a Christmas tree attractive? Where do Himalayan Persians, beagles, and hamsters fit into the Christmas scheme? How do pleasant, well-intentioned seasonal gestures such as decorating the house, baking cookies, sending Christmas cards, purchasing gifts, giving parties, and going to events become stress-inducing obligations? In Have Yourself a Hamster Little Christmas, author Sarah Shell Teague presents a collection of essays that describes the ups and downs of what can be a most hectic holiday season. From the activity at Grand Central Station in Manhattan, in the solitude of the Grand Teton National Forest, and most of all at her home in South Arkansas, Teague describes familiar yet comical aspects of the Christmas season. In her holiday mishaps, Teague relates how she nearly comes to blows with a Christmas tree farmer, an imaginary mountain lion, and a crowd intent on reveling at the annual parade. With humor, sensitivity, and faith, the stories in Have Yourself a Hamster Little Christmas provide the antidote for too much Christmas pressure and stress.