The Christmas Kitten

Santa’s head elf, Steve, was working late in the toy shop, when he heard a noise outside the door. He stopped what he was doing and listened. It sounded like someone was crying. Curious, he opened the front door. He didn’t see anything, but the tearful sound was coming from outside and it sounded like it was right in front of him. Then he saw something move in the snow and a pair of blue eyes staring up at him.

It was a kitten! She was all white and that’s why he didn’t see her right away. She blended in with the snow. Steve picked the kitten up and held her to him. She was shivering.

“What is a kitten doing in the North Pole?” He asked.

The kitten mewled at Steve and licked his nose.

“You poor thing, I bet you’re hungry.”

Steve carried the kitten into the break room. There were a few elves in there enjoying eggnog and Christmas Tree shaped cookies. Mrs. Claus always made them for the elves when they were working late. The elves all gathered around the kitten.

“Where did it come from?” Ed asked.

“Can I keep it?” Tiny asked.

“I don’t know,” Steve answered, and, “the North Pole is no place for a kitten.”

“But where’s its mother?” Ralph asked.

“I don’t know,” Steve said, putting a bowl of cream in front of the kitten, “but I’m sure Santa would know. He knows everything.

After the kitten finished the cream, Steve bundled her in a blanket and began the short walk to Santa’s house. Along the way he saw some of the reindeer playing.

“What have you got there?” Dancer asked.

Steve showed him the kitten.

“How did a kitten find its way to the North Pole?” Vixen asked. She rubbed her nose against the kitten’s fur. “Poor thing needs her mama.”

“I don’t think she has a mother,” Steve said, sadly. “I’m taking her to Santa. He’ll know what to do.

Steve continued on towards Santa’s house. The wind was picking up and he wanted to get the kitten back into the warmth as quickly as possible. Soon he ran across Frosty. He was pacing back and forth, looking worried.

“What’s the matter, Frosty?”

“I just brought a last minute letter to Santa. A little girl. She isn’t having a very good Christmas.”

“That’s too bad,” Steve said, “but I’m sure Santa will make it right with her. Santa knows how to fix everything.”

“What have you got there?” Frosty asked.

“A lost kitten. I found her outside in the snow.”

“The North Pole isn’t any place for a kitten,” Frosty said. “It’s too cold, just like it’s too hot some places for me.”

“I know,” Steve said. “I’m taking her to Santa. He’ll know what to do.”

Steve continued on his way to Santa’s house. The kitten was snuggled against him and he could hear her purring. She didn’t seem to mind the cold, but he knew that was only because the blanket, which was a special thermal blanket, was keeping her warm. It was too cold in the North Pole for her to be able to run around and play. He wondered how she had gotten there. It was lucky he had heard her crying.

Soon he was at Santa’s house. Mrs. Claus met him at the door.

“Santa’s in his study,” Mrs. Claus said. “He got a letter from a little girl and he’s really troubled. He said he doesn’t know how to fix things for her.”

“But Santa knows how to fix everything,” Steve said.

“Not everything,” Mrs. Claus said. “There are some things that are beyond even Santa.

Steve looked at the kitten, worried.

“What have you got there?” Mrs. Claus asked.

“A kitten,” Steve said. “I found her in the snow. I was hoping Santa would know what to do with her. She can’t stay here.”

“Well it certainly can’t hurt to ask him,” Mrs. Claus agreed, “and it might distract him for a few minutes from his worries.

Steve took the blanket from around the kitten and then knocked on Santa’s door.

“Come in, Steve,” Santa said.

“How did you know it was me?” Steve asked, as he entered the room.

“I’m Santa Claus, I know everything… or almost everything. There is one thing I don’t know how to do and that is how to mend a young girl’s heart.”

“Can we make her a special toy?”

“Toys are good, but when it’s love you need, it doesn’t fill the hole. She is an orphan and she feels all alone.”

Steve’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh Santa, that is so sad.”

“She asked me to send her someone to love. I could send her a doll… but that isn’t what she needs. She needs someone that can love her back.”

“Santa, I think I have the answer,” Steve said.

“You do?”

Steve held the kitten out. “I found her in the snow. She is lost, alone and needs someone to love her.”

“Steve, that is just what she needs!”

When Christmas Eve came, Steve road with Santa. He carried the kitten in his arms. They made a lot of stops, but Steve never let go of the kitten, holding her so that she would stay warm. Then they arrived at a big house. It was an orphanage and Santa told him it was time. Steve went down the chimney with Santa, being careful not to get any soot on the kitten.

Santa placed gifts under the tree. Then he put gifts in each of the stockings. When he got to one small stocking, he took the kitten from Steve and placed her inside. The kitten poked her head out and meowed.

“It’s going to be okay,” Steve said. “A little girl lives here and she needs you… and you need her.”

Then they left.

The next morning all the kids came running down the stairs, looking for their presents. One little girl came down more slowly. She looked sad and didn’t want to open her presents. She knew they didn’t carry anything she wanted. Then someone yelled, “Meghan, look at what Santa put in your stocking.”

Meghan went and looked. She rubbed her eyes. It was a kitten. She pulled her from the stocking and hugged the kitten. The kitten rubbed her face against Meghan’s and purred.

“What are you going to name her?” Tina asked.

Meghan thought about it. She was so happy, and the kitten’s name came to her.

“Joy,” she said. “Her name is joy.”

Steve never did find out how the Christmas Kitten, as all the elves had begun calling her, found her way to the North Pole, but he knew it wasn’t an accident. He suspected… Snowmen could be very sneaky. They were the ones that delivered messages to Santa Claus, so that every child would get just what they needed, and the kitten showed up the same day that Meghan’s letter to Santa did. But Frosty wouldn’t admit to it, and Steve wasn’t going to push. Sometimes miracles didn’t need an answer; they just needed a little faith.

©L. Hollar