No Cat for Christmas
December 9, 2022 – Poway, California, USA
The line to talk with the mall Santa was forbidding. The Grimes family arrived during prime Santa hours and at least twenty-five kids were in front of them.
“You sure we want to wait?” Jeff Grimes asked his wife and two kids.
“I do. You said we could,” answered six-year-old Lincoln.
Jeff’s wife, Cristi, shrugged her shoulders like they were obligated to stay in the line for as long as it took.
During their halting crawl to the front, nine-year-old Madison decided she was too old to be interested in Santa. She would let her little brother do all the talking. When Lincoln’s big moment arrived, there was no lap sitting. He simply stood next to a seated Santa and held a conversation while Cristi Grimes snapped pictures with her phone.
“All I want is a cat. Can you do that for me?” Lincoln said loudly.
The mall Santa pulled at his fake beard and replied, “Sounds like a fine present for someone your age.” Then Santa looked up to find Jeff Grimes emphatically shaking his head. Santa cleared his throat and continued. “Unless your parents don’t want you to have a cat.”
“I want a cat too!” called Madison. “We’ve been asking for one forever.”
The mall Santa suggested to Lincoln that he might like a scooter or some video games more than a cat. Lincoln was not convinced. He left Santa’s chair dissatisfied. He and Madison nagged about a cat during the entire ride home.
“We’ve already told you no,” said their mother in frustration. “A cat will leave a mess and hair all over the house. And I’ll end up taking care of it.”
“What if all we get for Christmas is a tiny kitten to share?” asked Madison.
“We already said no,” answered her mom.
“Then I’ll hate Christmas!” cried Lincoln dramatically.
Later that evening, when they were alone, Jeff and Cristi worried about their suffering children. “Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to get a pet now that they’re a little older,” said Cristi.
“You can’t give in to the manipulation,” replied Jeff. “You’re dealing with propaganda masters. We have to stay tough. We already agreed that under no circumstance are we ever, ever allowing a cat in this house.”
“I know. You’re right.”
“It’s only a passing fad for them. We’ll make this Christmas so good they’ll totally forget about a cat. They’ll open their presents and we’ll never hear them complain again.”
Jeff’s plan for the perfect Christmas began the next day with a trip to a bike store. At first, he was interested in upgrades to the kids’ current bikes. Then he discovered e-bikes with pedal assist. Madison and Lincoln could go faster and farther. Jeff imagined long family rides along nearby bike trails. He would have loved to unwrap an e-bike when he was a kid. The price was steep, but Jeff paid $1000 each for the bikes and hid them in his garage’s closet.
Cristi’s approach to Christmas contentment included every possible caroling concert and holiday play she could find. The family went ice skating and watched a light parade of boats in the San Diego harbor. As a culmination of their celebrating, she revived a tradition from her childhood: her family would find and decorate a tree on Christmas Eve.
Jeff was afraid all the good trees would be gone, but when they pulled into the dark lot, there were plenty of thick firs to choose from. The family settled on one that was seven foot tall and nearly the ideal shape, all the way around. The bottom was especially thick with dark green branches.
With the tree draped over the Grimes’ car, they drove slowly home. Then they pulled it through the front door, leaving a trail of green needles along the way. Jeff hoisted the tree into one corner of their living room and the entire family set to work applying lights and ornaments. Cristi made cocoa and played Christmas music. The kids pushed wrapped presents below the tree. The scene looked like a classic Norman Rockwell painting.
“How could anyone not love this?” Jeff whispered to his wife.
“They haven’t said anything about a cat all day,” Cristi whispered back.
Jeff thought of the e-bikes in the garage. If the kids were happy now, just wait until they saw the bikes. With a final look back at the living room, he pushed his family off to bed and left the tree lights softly glowing in the otherwise dark house.
Unknown to Jeff and the rest of the family, there was still something alive and breathing in the living room. It had hitched a ride into the house.
Hours earlier, a family of stray cats had skittered through a Christmas tree lot, looking for something to eat. One of the skinny kittens was curious enough to investigate a specific tree. The little cat hurried up its trunk as the Grimes family approached. Then it clung to the tree’s branches as it was carried to the car and tossed on the roof. The kitten was well practiced at staying quiet and invisible and it remained that way through the journey to the Grimes home and while the tree was decorated.
The cat’s tiny heart raced as it watched the Grimes children dance around the tree and shove boxes under the branches. But it did not dare to move or make a sound until the living room was silent.
The tree’s lights illuminated branches and needles in front of the cat’s frightened eyes, but the space beyond was forbidden and dark. The cat dropped onto a wrapped present and sniffed, trying to make sense of its new surroundings. It meowed softly, a call for help to its mother and siblings. When it did not hear anything in return, the cat settled into an exhausted lump between presents and waited for the light of morning.
Madison was awake before dawn. She crept into her brother’s room and shook him into consciousness. Together they watched a clock on the wall until they decided it was reasonable to sneak to the living room.
“Let’s pull out all the presents and put them in piles,” Madison said to Lincoln. “My pile will be right here. Yours can be by the couch.”
As they reached for presents and decided what to open first, they heard an almost imperceptible MEOW. Madison looked at Lincoln, thinking he had made the noise. Then they heard the MEOW again. Madison pulled away a box and there, under the tree, was a kitten too tired and bewildered to run away.
Madison’s eyes bulged and she forgot to breathe as she reached out to clutch the cat. It had white spots on its dark coat, including on its paws. They reminded Madison of the white trim around Santa’s coat.
“Oh, look at her blue eyes!” Madison cried to her brother. “She’s perfect.”
“Let me hold him,” urged Lincoln.
“Me first. You’ll get your turn.”
By the time their parents were awake and had trudged into the living room, the Grimes kids had named the cat “Christmas”. It had learned to relax and let the kids stroke its head and back as it lay curled in their arms. Most of the wrapped presents still sat under the tree.
“Oh, thank you Mom and Dad! We love her! She’s perfect!” called Madison.
“Yeah, he’s the best cat I’ve ever seen!” cried Lincoln.
Jeff Grimes stared dumbfounded at the smiling faces of his children. Madison sat cross-legged with the cat snuggled between her legs. “Where did that come from?” Jeff muttered.
“Under the tree,” answered Lincoln. “I already love him. You made this the best Christmas ever.”
“We promise to take care of her. I love you both so much,” added Madison.
Cristi Grimes remained speechless, but inside her body, all resistance melted from her heart. The cat meowed sweetly to echo all the sugary feelings in the room.
Jeff knew he was hopelessly outnumbered. He had tempted fate and discovered the one single circumstance in which a cat would be allowed in his house. “Okay . . . uh . . . I guess I’m glad you like it,” he said with a sigh.
The first bought present was not unwrapped for another hour as everyone got to know Christmas, the cat. The e-bikes stayed in the garage and Jeff returned them the next day. He did not want his expensive gifts forgotten because of a cat which had somehow teleported into his living room. And he would use the money to pay for cat food, trips to the veterinarian, and carpet cleaning.
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