“Hey!  Watch where you’re walking!  I’m down here!  Don’t step on me!  Won’t somebody stop and pet me?”
This little dog was as cute as can be in his holiday collar and in the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve, no one was paying any attention to him!  Everyone was so wrapped up in getting to their destination, finishing their shopping, or just getting out of the cold that they didn’t notice this sweet little dog who wanted to play.  They just walked on by, nearly stepping on him in the process.  Of course the dog was on a leash and with his owner, but no one seemed to notice him.  And so it seems that this has, sadly, become the way of Christmas.  People exhaust themselves with shopping, decorating, cleaning, baking, etc. and often they totally overlook the reason for the holiday just like people were overlooking this little dog on Christmas Eve.  If I could wave a magic wand I would change that so the holidays were kept simple and without expectation.