Christmas is almost here. You can feel the anticipation building in the air.

Soon, families will be reunited, gifts will be exchanged and memories will be made. Unfortunately, they won’t all be good memories. Through the years, our family had a series of holiday hiccups that made life very interesting.

I’d like to share a few of our major blunders with all of you out there in Dallas County in the hopes that you will not make the same mistakes.

First of all, if someone shows up at your house in a Santa suit, make sure it’s Santa. This time of year, the Santa look is also very popular amongst those who have had one too many and feel the need to spread holiday cheer. It ain’t holiday cheer he’s full of.

There should always be a very strict screening process for people that arrive at your house in Santa suits.

Couch Christmas mistake No. 2, a Christmas Eve rabbit-hunting trip. If you’ve ever been rabbit hunting, you know it’s not the easiest terrain to maneuver. And, when you’re chasing a couple of beagles with their eyes on the prize, it can be even tougher. When I was 9, my dad decided we should load up my mother and sister for a holiday trip on Christmas Eve. The weather was perfect, not too hot, not too cold. The rabbits were on the move. There was just one problem … turns out girls don’t like running through the woods in rubber boots trying to put down Peter cottontail. We ended up with what you would call “a house divided.” Two dudes and two dogs going after a rabbit, and two ladies screaming “run rabbit, run!” It was a mistake we never made again.

The most recent blunder goes to my sister. If you have a dog, and that dog has a reputation for stealing a snack here and there, don’t leave that dog alone in the kitchen. It seems like a common sense move, but her overly curious Weimaraner named Boo Radley saw an opening during the holidays and helped himself to an entire pan of dressing. He was wise enough to self impose a trip to his crate, where he was discovered with dressing all over his face and a guilty smirk. But that punishment did not bring back the dressing. When I look back on some of these mistakes, it seems a little common sense could have prevented each incident. But, then we wouldn’t have such great stories.

Here’s hoping you use your brain to make sure EVERY member of your family has a Merry Christmas.