Carmine wasn't happy. Cats don't like things to be different, and certainly everything was very different. O certainly, there were some new places to be explored - there were boxes with bright wrapping all over the floor of the music room, with ribbons on them that were ever so much fun to chew on. Except when someone would catch her at it. She didn't like being scolded - not one bit. And there was the tree that the family had put in the room as well, with pretty, shining things hanging on it. It was fun to climb up in the tree and play with the shiny things. Except when she would be discovered by the family - they didn't seem to like that, either. In fact, right now, she felt like they didn't really like anything she did. Everything was so curious, though, and so different, and cats do like to explore.

The worst thing, however, was when the rest of the family came, and brought that dog! It was just on of those little wiener dogs - not even as big as her. But the noise that it made: "Yap! Yap! Yap!" Oh! It was enough to drive a cat to distraction! And it was always running around in circles, chasing one thing and then another, like it didn't have a brain in its head. And every time someone picked him up, his whole body went into convulsions, and he started licking the humans' face! Well, it just made Carmine want to throw up! Such carryings-on!

So she just resolved herself to stay away from all of it. She crept up the stairs, jumped in the old cradle and, after kneading it a bit to make sure it was soft enough, curled up on an old comforter. "Hmmpf!" She said to herself. "Dogs, and people, and trees in the house, and yelling, and - so much change! I don't like it! I don't like it at all! A fine way to treat a cat! I'll just stay here." And with that, she was already asleep.

Now, you do have to realize that cats really don't know about Christmas, so it's hard for them to understand why things are the way they are that time of year. Dogs can accept things much more easily - hardly without a thought. "That's the trouble with them," Carmine would say. They don't give a thought to anything!" But cats have to know the reason for everything, and are generally sure that they won't like anything new. That's just the way they are. And that's the way Carmine was as well.

As it turns out, it was Christmas Eve, and all the family was visiting the Roths. There was his dad and Mom, and his two boys, Luke and Jeff, and Luke's wife, Kim. And the dog - that little, obnoxious wiener dog! "The Inn," as Mr. Roth was fond of saying, "is full!" Which didn't make Carmine very happy either, since she liked to spend her days exploring the house, one room after another, just to see anything interesting - perhaps a ladybug, or a skink that might have found its way into the house; even a bit of dust would do. And, of course, there were those lovely sunbeams that came to visit every day. She knew just where they would be at any given time of day, and in winter, she loved to stretch herself out in them just as long as she could get, and fall asleep while they warmed her body.

But with the rooms full, doors were kept shut; even if she did manage to sneak into one or the other, she was quickly picked up and cuddled - as if they expected her to act like that unruly dog - or else she was shooed out of the room. Either way, she didn't like it at all.

When she woke, it was dark. She listened carefully. The house was quiet. The family, she surmised, must have gone out. In reality, they had gone off to church. Then she heard what sounded like groaning. She perked up her ears, at first unsure what it could be. Then she realized that it was the dog. Of course - they left it in the house. "Great," she thought, "they leave the dog for me to take care of? That's humans for you! No thought for a cat's feelings! A fine thing! I guess I'll just have to stay up here all night as well!" She listened more intently. It wasn't really so much a groan coming from downstairs, as it was a whimper. " What IS wrong with that dog?" she wondered.

Cautiously, she crept down the stairs. She didn't want the dog to hear her. If he did, he would probably decide to chase her, and that would seem undignified. She peeked around the corner of the living room, and saw the dog lying on the couch. She looked him over carefully. Actually, he was really very small, just a puppy. Maybe that's why he acted the way he did. Or maybe something was wrong. She came a little closer, making sure that she kept a safe distance, and a clear path in case he saw and wanted to chase her. It seemed like he was crying. She wished he'd be a good puppy and just be quiet. Finally, she broke the silence: "What's wrong with you?"

The puppy didn't realize there was anyone else in the house, so her sudden voice startled him. "Oh! You're here! My family left me in this strange place, all by myself. I heard noises and was scared. I wonder if they will come back for me?"

Now, this was too much for Carmine. "Scared? Dogs aren't supposed to be scared! They are supposed to protect humans. My goodness! Who ever heard of such a thing! Besides, this isn't a strange place - this is MY HOUSE!. I know every square inch of it!" The puppy whimpered again. "Do you think they'll come back for us?" "Of course they will - they always do! Not that a cat would care! Not that anyone cares!"

"I care. I'm glad you're here." The puppy caught her by surprise, so much so that, at first, she was speechless, which was unusual for her. "Puppies need to have company," he went on. After all, needing and taking care of one another is what family is all about. Especially on Christmas Eve."

Now, here was something! The puppy seemed to have at least a bit of a brain. Of course, she would never admit it to him, but she did want to know a bit more about Christmas Eve. "I suppose you know what all of these things mean, then - the tree, and the decorations, and the boxes and all?" Of course, she acted as if she already knew about them. "Oh, yes!" he said, "I heard the family talk about them! A little baby was born, a long time ago - God sent him to show his love for everyone! So people celebrate his birth, to remember how much God loves them!" The cat thought about this for a moment. "Hmmpf!" she finally said. "I don't see what it has to do with us." "Oh, yes!" the puppy said excitedly - he came for us too! In fact, he was born in a stable, where the animals were kept - with sheep, and goats, and ..." "And cats?" Carmine broke in. "I'm sure they must have been there too!" the puppy said. He came for them, too, so that they could know that God loved them, too."

Suddenly Carmine caught herself. She had gotten far too involved for a proper cat. "Well, this has all been very interesting," she said. "I'll have to think about it. Good night!" She turned to leave, when a little voice behind her said, "Could you stay with me tonight and be my family?"

Dogs are a rather sorry lot. They are, indeed, not at all like cats. A Cats does what it wills. And even if they do like you, they would never let you know it. That would be beneath them. Yet it's also true that everyone needs a family. Especially on Christmas Eve. Even cats. And to be invited to be a part of a family is, indeed, a wonderful gift. In fact, that is the real gift of Christmas - that God sent his Son to invite us to be a part of his family.

So, perhaps it is no wonder that when the Roths returned from church that night, they found something that rather surprised them - although it shouldn't have really. Up in the bedroom, in the crib, curled up on the old comforter, was the puppy, fast asleep, nestled close to Carmine, the cat.