Topper was a pet cockatiel. He was just beginning to talk. He had a friend Toy, in his cage. Toy was also a cockatiel, a beautiful snow white and grey baby. He was very affectionate. Toy liked to be petted, on the top of his crest like a dog. His eyes sparkled like diamonds as he played with Topper, as he flew he copied his every movement around the room.

These two birds were a delight to watch. They played for hours together climbing up and down their tall cage ladder only to stare into a large picture mirror overlooking their cage. They sang to music during the day and in the evening, both would waddle across the carpet to their favorite easy chair and fly to greet Mom McFabit, Paula or her father to play and talk.

Topper was much larger then Toy. He moved quite rapidly when he flew. Topper's eyes were devilish and also stuck out from his head. He was sort of poppy-eyed. He was grey with bright orange cheek patches. His yellow face glowed at night. He had a more dominating personality than Toy. Toy was unique because he was born in the basement of the McFabit home and handfed with an eye dropper. He was different than the other birds because he loved to play and be held like a baby. His favorite trick was to lay on his back and be kissed on his chest. He loved this and he would coo as his eyes sparkled.

Topper and Toy got along very well except occasionally they fought over their toys. The family had to buy two of each. Since both cockatiels were males, they were quite vocal when they fought. The family could hear loud screaming as they tore at each other's wings, usually choosing to finally bite each other's feet. The first bird to get some attention would consider himself to have won the battle. Things would calm down as they flew to Paula and her mom in comfort. "We are sorry you fought! Here is am empty spool of thread," mom would say. They would tear at the spool for hours. Cockatiels naturally love wood as their ancestors come from the rainforest of Australia.

Sometimes the birds got naughty. They would chew on the McFabit oak furniture.

When the holidays began, the McFabit's had the pleasure of taking their pets to grandmother's house on Thanksgiving. Then, Christmas was on its way. The McFabit's decorated their home placing a Christmas tree by the front picture window. This presented a problem, as both "boy" birds would love to fly to the window sill and look outside. The tree bcame a new "toy" for them. They would race to it and land in its branches. Toy loved to look at his reflection in the round glass ornaments. He loved the color red.

The shopping season was upon them. Paula said, "Wouldn't it be fun to go into a toy store and look for something for the birds!" One discount store was having a Midnight Madness sale. That made it more fun. The family could hear the Christmas songs in the shopping malls. It was very exciting. One day the family went to Michigan City, Indiana. They walked into a store looking for something for their two pets. Mom saw a Barbie swimming pool. She purchased it as she knew birds love water. "I bet your little girl will love this," the clerk said to her at the checkout. Mrs. McFabit said, "No, maam, this is for the birds!" The clertk looked puzzled. She looked at Mrs. McFabit in sympathy. Little did she know it was for the birds. "Please don't tell anyone that again!" Mr. McFabit said. "They will think we are feather-headed."

As the season progressed, the boy cockatiels got more devilish. They seemed to know. The McFabit's became more obsessed with finding cute toys for their pets. They wrapped them and placed them under the Christmas tree. Christmas Day had finally arrived. Yes, the family had wrapped cute bird toys and placed them under the Christmas tree. The tree was brightly lit. Paula would include a little seed tree on top of a gift or inside as an incentive for the birds to unwrap the paper. Mom McFabit brought a camera out so she could take a picture of each pet opening his gift.

After the toys were opened, the birds played a little only to get into their usual domestic struggle over a favorite toy. Toy suddenly flew away from Topper only to land at the top of the Christmas tree. Mrs. McFabit quickly grabbed her camera. She took a picture as he proudly posed. He seemed to know he was the center of attention. He loved it! He began to sing a new song.

After Toy's song ended everyone was happy. Having these new pets in the McFabit home made Christmas more cheerful. You see, the previous year Paula's grandfather had passed away just before the holidays. The McFabit's now referred to both Topper and Toy as their winged gifts from heaven.