Kringle's Kitty Christmas Escapade

Merlot and Pillow are the family’s two pets,
Merlot is the strong silent type, unless you take him to the vet,
And Pillow is the sweet and friendly kind of cat,
That likes the warmth and comfort of his mamma’s lap.

Throughout the year they made a sunrise routine,
Where they would jump on Daddy’s head like a big bouncy trampoline,
They wanted food and their hungry bellies fed,
"Oh please Mamma, Oh Please Daddy please, PLEASE get out of bed!"

After they were full of kibble and their parents were at work,
This is when the kitties would perform the furry feline super-cirque.
They grabbed their batons and little top hats,
And started riding unicycles like little circus cats.

They played in a frenzy, in a frenzy all day,
Until Pillow crashed in a terrible way,
They were so tired, to tired to do any more,
Until Mom and Dad came home and said, "Look at these lazy cats all over our floor."

They hugged them and loved them, glad to be home,
Thank God they cleaned up all the damage they’d done.
Merlot was so happy and Pillow was gay,
They hoped that things would never, ever change.

But as the year got later and the air was sharp with chill,
Things were different. A little funny, if you will.
Daddy would come home and hide these big sparkly packages,
And get mad at Pillow when he tried to unwrap them.

Then they brought home a tree covered in shiny ornaments,
They dangled and sparkled all to the kitty’s torment,
Finally, Merlot lost it and he knew he shouldn’t have done so,
But he leapt into the branches and the tree started to lean to and fro’.

The tree rocked on its basin with a cat in its branches,
Ornaments and garland shed like holiday avalanches,
Gravity overcame and the tree hit the floor,
And a big orange fur ball named Merlot ran headfirst into the front door.

He scurried and scattered just looking for a way out,
While Daddy was gathering the tree, Mommy from upstairs began to shout,
"What’s all that racket? What’s all that noise?"
"Oh just a Merry Christmas thanks to one of our boys!"

Merlot slinked up the stairs trying not to make a sound,
He crawled into the closet and hid under a blanket hoping never to be found,
Pillow saw his brother crying and shaking and scared,
And Merlot said to Pillow, "We have to get out of here."

"But why, Merlot? You didn’t mean to make the tree fall?"
"Because, because, little brother, this holiday isn’t meant for us at all!
"They don’t want us, all they want is their shiny presents and trees and lights,
"That’s why me and you, we are going to leave this holiday and leave it tonight!"

"This is our family that we can’t just leave," said Pillow.
"This is our home and it’s all that we know,"
"Things have changed," Merlot said hastily,
"They can have their Christmas Day, because they don’t seem to want me!"

So late that night when all was asleep,
They packed some food and headed for the streets,
They eased open the windowsill ever so light,
And Merlot and Pillow slipped into the night.

The dark was harsh and windy and cold,
Especially for two kitties with nowhere to go,
They set off for the nearest light that they saw,
Which was moving across the sky just like a shooting star.

The two runaways started toward the light in a scurry,
Then came a heavy wind that started a snow flurry,
Their little paws moved faster across the cold road,
And Pillow started to cry because he wanted to go home.

"Move faster!" Merlot meowed in a shout,
"No, I won’t go any further, I want to go home NOW!"
And Pillow dropped to the ground with his head in his paws,
Then Merlot stopped running, right before he ran into Santa Clause.

The shooting star they were running towards was not a star at all,
But a sleigh with reindeer and this man called Clause.
He was standing in the streets where the kitties were at,
His suit was bright and red and so was his hat.

Santa looked down at the two shivering strangers,
"Why are you out in these cold streets full of danger?
"You should be at home in bed with your family,
"Dreaming of presents and sugar plumb faries."

"But they do not want us, they forgot we’re there."
"I know they’ve been busy,"said Santa. "But I know they still care.
"I understand around this time,
"People get busy and can even seem unkind,"

"So why don’t you both come along with me,
"I have a warm box with blankets and special kitty tea,
"It’ll be just the thing for two cats like you on this Christmas Eve Night,
"And if your comfortable, you can go with us for the rest of our flight. "

The two crawled into the sleigh and out of the cold,
And found a big box wrapped with a bow,
Once inside there were nice warm blankets they found,
Next to little dishes of tea they sipped as the sleigh took off heading for another town.

They flew all night and began to wonder,
Where would they go when this was all over?
So they asked Santa as he steered his sleigh,
And he said to a new family they would meet on Christmas Day.

"They won’t ever get too busy," said Santa. "And forget about their pets,
"Even on Christmas, they never have before, not now, not yet. "
Because back at their home their parents were searching,
For their beloved Merlot and Pillow that somehow went missing.

"Where could they have gone," said Mom. "Where could they have went?
"Maybe they hid themselves behind the presents?"
Daddy pulled out all of the gifts from under the tree,
But there was no sign of them, not a hair, not even a flea.

As the night got later, the parents went to bed,
They were so worried and hearts full of dread.
There's no way they could get out with all doors locked and no windows open,
This can't be happening, how can we have Christmas without them?

Back in the sleigh Santa was nearing his last stop,
And both kitties were sleeping in their little warm gift box.
They didn't stir or wake as Santa slipped in,
To their new home and to be part of a family again.

He left the package out just in time,
For their new family to come downstairs and find.
They saw the new package, one they didn't know,
Who could have left it? There weren't any footsteps outside in the snow.

Mom sat down on the floor near the gift and the tree,
And asked the dad if it was a gift from he?
He said no, but asked what the gift tag might say,
And it said, "To our loving family on this Christmas Day."

They looked at each other and slowly untied the bow's knot,
And when Pillow saw the Momma he jumped in her arms like a sling shot.
As Merlot woke up, just barely awake,
Even he in the holiday hugs had to partake.

He was back where he belonged and he knew it right now,
As both Mom and Dad asked how they got in the box somehow?
But it didn't matter not at all to them,
As long as this Christmas, they were all together again.