text: You hear voices and laughter and you are becoming quite restless in your box. Rearing up on your hind legs, you bump at the lid until you manage to open in a crack, then peek out. This is a strange place full of humans and everything smells different, and you lay your ears back on your head in fright. One of the voices is familiar however and you spot your human boy standing near some others, so that's all right.
  
  You nudge a little more of the lid aside so that your head is poked out of the box and watch them. They don't seem to notice you, because your box is hidden among other boxes and all of them are nestled beneath a green tree covered in lights and brightly covered toys. You see one of the toys, a red ball, hanging quite close to you and stare at it in fascination, noting that you can see your reflection. Reaching out with a paw, you bat at it and are delighted when it falls off the tree and is lost among the boxes.
  
  Wriggling the rest of the way out of the box, you start your stealthy way up the trunk of the tree in search of more of the marvelous toys. You've only climbed a short ways however when you realize you're not alone. Some little feathered creature is sitting on a limb, nestled up against the trunk and half obscured by a string of lights. It's about the size of a bird, and with the wings you don't know what else it could be. Your mouth begins to water and you flex your claws, tail and back end wiggling of their own accord as you get ready to pounce!
  
  "Don't even think about it, kitty," the creature says, sounding amused and not a bit afraid.
  
  You stop, disappointed and uncertain now. Birds are not supposed to talk the way humans do. But pawing the cord with the lights out of the way, you get a better look at your intended prey and see that the creature is indeed quite human-like. It appears in fact to be a tiny woman in a shiny gold dress, with a pair of white, feathery wings.
  
  "You're not a bird," you say reproachfully, as if she did that on purpose.
  
  You're surprised when she turns out to understand you. "No, I'm not," she says with a bell-like laugh. "I'm a Christmas angel. Every year when an angel ornament gets set on top of the tree, a real one like me comes to watch over the family. Anyway, my name is Miracle, and you are?"
  
  "I...I guess I don't have a name," you admit after thinking about it a moment. "But what's Christmas?" you ask. "My boy was saying something about that too."
  
  "Oh dear. That's quite sad. But Christmas...well, this is what it looks like," she waves an arm around at the green tree with the lights and all the bright boxes. "Or at least this is the way a great many humans like for it to look. But more importantly, is what it feels like." The angel indicates the family nearby and as you watch, you are struck by a feeling of belonging, togetherness, peace, and joy that radiates from them.
  
  "Why, Christmas is wonderful!" you exclaim.
  
  "Indeed. And it's all because of the First Christmas," the angel explains, pointing out past the shelter of the tree again, this time at something you hadn't noticed before. On a table was a kind of open wooden building, small enough to be just the right size for you. Inside it were painted ceramic figures of a mother and father and a tiny baby, and others that were animals, though not any kind you had seen before. There were other humans too all dressed in robes, and watching over them was a winged figurine that looked similar to Miracle. The whole scene reminded you of the way you felt looking our at the human family here in this room.
  
  "It's so peaceful," you say.
  
  "That little baby there was a gift from Heaven to all humans everywhere. And their pets! Only by remembering the First Christmas and that the true meaning of Christmas is giving and having love for others can such peace remain. Which is why I'm glad you're here, little kitty. There are wicked creatures about, nasty little goblins called grunches that want to destroy everyone's happiness, and you can help to guard the family against them during the times when I'm not able to be here. Although it may be dangerous for you, if keep love and faith in your heart at all times you will be much stronger."
  
  > But you don't care about goblins. You only want these humans to feed and pet you and then let you alone to sleep.
  You yawn in the angel's face and stretch a little. "Oh...well that's interesting, but I don't really care about any of that. Sorry. I'm just here to eat and sleep and be comfortable and play with toys. Life was tough on the street and I've wanted to be a housecat for a long time. Now that I'm here I'm going to enjoy it. Human happiness isn't really any of my concern as long as they can still open a can of catfood on time."
  
  Miracle frowns. "I know it seems like everything is perfect for you just now, but you have to be aware that in the long run, your well-being depends on theirs. And being someone who has suffered and been neglected and alone, doesn't that make you want to prevent the same from happening to others? Especially those who love and care for you and are keeping you off the street...don't you feel a sense of gratitude, and compassion?
  
  "No. Not really." You shrug and begin to lick your paw.
  
  "I have to warn you kitty, that kind of selfish attitude makes you extremely vulnerable to the grunches. It attracts them like...like catnip, and without love and the Christmas spirit in you you won't be able to protect yourself, and I can't really help you either."
  
  "Yes but you're just a dumb bird lady, and if the grunches are as small as you I'm not worried about them at all. I bet I've seen pigeons and rats that are bigger."
  
  Miracle looks perturbed, but you've lost interest in the conversation now and start climbing the tree again, your eye on a tantalizing glass ball overhead. As you near it however, something seems odd. A reflection moves on the glass, but it's not yours. Instead you see a distorted, mean little face, brown and shrunken like a rotten apple. It parts its lips in a sneering grin and reveals a set of razor sharp fangs.
  
  "Hah!" shouts a triumphant little voice from behind you, and something pounces on you from behind. The little creature, a grunch you suppose, is dressed in a peaked green cap and vest with black tights, and carries a sack. He's not much bigger than you, but when he grabs you by the scruff of your neck he's so strong you can't get away.
  
  Yowling and hissing you flail your claws to try and fight him off, the fur on your back standing up in terror and your tail poofing up to three times its size.
  
  "What on earth is that noise?" asks a human woman standing across the room, near your boy.
  
  "Ummm..."
  
  You never get to hear his explanation however, as the grunch stuffs you in his sack, which seems to grow around you...or perhaps its you that becomes smaller.
  
  Pawing uselessly at the inside of the bag and mewling for help, you feel yourself being slung over his shoulder and then flying through the air again and again only to land with jarring thump as he leaps what seems to be impossible distances. Where is he taking you?
  
  "Oh, just wait till the others meet you, little kitty," the grunch cackles. "You'll fit right in!"