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On Christmas morning 2018, Paula Bailey awakens her two rescue dogs, Jake and Peaches. Jake sleepily follows Peaches over to the Christmas tree, where they discover that Paula has left them each a large bone to gnaw on. They find a pair of stuffed animals, a moose and a fox, in the living room. Jake eagerly chooses the moose for his own and retreats into Paula's office to play with it, but Peaches, who never had toys as a puppy, doesn't seem to know what to do with her toy. Before long, Jake has thoroughly disemboweled "Moosie," though he continues to guard the cloth jealously. "Foxie," however, remains in pristine condition because it puzzles Peaches, and Jake obediently refuses to steal it.
Based on real events but suffused with the author's lively imagination, this charming Christmas tale is a treat for dog lovers. At moments during the story, Bailey takes readers into the dogs' heads, playfully speculating what they might be thinking as they puzzle out the mysterious rituals of Christmas. The text is punctuated throughout by full-color photographs that depict the progress of the dogs through all stages of the morning. Tension is maintained through the subtle introduction of obstacles—a bone that Peaches has trouble eating and some conflict over the moose toy—which balances the all-pervading whimsy. The overall mood is cozy, almost as if the reader has been invited into the author's home. A short introduction and author bio further illuminate the dogs' personalities and their relationship to the author.