I suppose you have heard of the old legend that refers to the animals talking on Christmas Eve. I had the opportunity to witness this first hand a couple of weeks ago. It was around midnight and I had just stepped out of a Waffle House off 1-35 south of Dallas. I had just lit up a cigarette when I heard a rustling in the bushes near the road. I walked over and encountered an armadillo foraging in the drainage ditch. He looked up at me and said, "Did you know animals can talk on Christmas Eve?"
I said I had heard of that but had never experienced it myself until now. I said, "Can I ask you a question?" He nodded, no easy trick for an armadillo. I asked why there were no armadillos in the nativity scenes, that considering the arid nature of the middle East should have been home to his ancestors. He told me that an armadillo was on his way to Bethlehem and was following Joseph and Mary and the donkey. He was quite a ways behind and saw a Roman chariot bearing down on the holy travelers. The armadillo ran under the wheels of the chariot causing it to topple over, losing his own life to save Mary and Joseph. He said it was not known by many people but the armadillo became the first road kill at the first Christmas. I thought it a rather touching story especially since when he finished he ran out onto the interstate into the path of a semi loaded with used tires.