Gift for You: A Gift for Karen, by Laura Fazio

Meet Laura, the Writer

Introduction: 

Laura loved to write. She wrote constantly; creating stories during the day and entries in her diary at night. Laura wanted to be a published writer and a singer when she grew up.

Laura also loved her cat Ping, who she got as a kitten when she was 12 years old. Inspired by her love for Ping, Laura wrote A Gift for Karen, a Christmas story about a kitten, on August 17,1999. That same night Laura read her story to me, then asked me if I could illustrate and publish it someday. I said a resounding yes!

In 2002, one year after Laura passed, I took a children’s illustration class in an attempt to illustrate her story. I found it challenging since I am more of a painter than an illustrator. Paul also drew some illustrations for the story that summer. The project was both sweetly cathartic and overwhelming. Eventually, it got put on hold, and has been stored among my other unfinished projects.

After I posted: The Merry and Not so Merry Christmases, last week on Substack, I had an idea. 

I could publish Laura’s Christmas story on my Blue Sunflower. It would be my holiday gift to you, my loyal readers. I searched through my files and found the story and the illustrations. I am posting the story true to Laura’s original, with only the slightest of edits.

A Gift for Karen, is actually a gift from Laura, via me-her Mom. This Christmas story is only one of many stories our prolific daughter wrote during her 14 1/2 years of life. I hope you enjoy this sweet story as much as I do. 

A Gift for Karen

By Laura Marie Fazio

     This story begins on Christmas Eve.  A time of magic and a time of sweet smells, happiness, snowflakes and love.  A jolly season! But Mary Kokay was one of those children who felt like Christmas was a time for gifts, money, greediness, and not for sharing. She was spoiled from day one. That was nine years ago, and she had yet to learn the true meaning of Christmas. 

      That day her Mom had bought her a brand new kitten, orange as a golden day, with white lines across its fur; sweet and gentle. But Mary was an ungrateful brat who did not want a brand new kitten. Nothing could please her. So she put it out in the snow all alone. 

     On the other side of town there was a girl named Karen who was nine as well and belonged to a poor family of four.  She had been raised that way and acted like a penny was a thousand dollars. She had always wanted something cuddly and warm to love.  

     It was December and she could only sleep on a small mattress with her sister. On that morning at 6:00 A.M., on Christmas, she lay on her cold mattress hugging her five year old sister and grabbing onto the sheet. She would wake up and put on her clothes and go downstairs and find nothing. There would be no candy, no treats, no turkey, no party, no feast. Nothing!  

     Karen looked out the tiny window that morning as the sun rose to see snowflakes fall.  In her mind she smelled sweet peppermint sticks and chocolate and then realized that the smell was coming from the other side of town where Mary was stomping ungratefully out of bed while her poor kitten was lying in the snow. The kitten quickly stood up, and walked up and up and up and came to a walkway. It trudged up ’til it came to a doorstep and lay down its sweet head. 

     By this time, Karen was up helping mother lay the bread on the table. She was right. No Christmas cheer. She sat down and buttered her bread.

     “Good Morning!” Her father said cheerfully. 

Karen brightly smiled a cheerful smile. What is so puzzling, is that one so poor could be so happy, and one so rich could be so unhappy. Karen did not gobble up her bread. She ate it slowly and seemed to think about each bite. 

     “Would you like to go outside and feel the fresh air?” Asked Mama.

     “Yes,” Karen said.

So they headed out for the steps where Mary’s kitten lay.  Karen saw the kitten and scooped it up. She knew that she couldn’t keep it. But Mama said she could keep it for Christmas. It had ice on its head and needed to be warm, so she took him inside. 

     The kitten was named Chris as in Christmas and it sat in a little basket Karen had made with sheets. She stroked his fur and took an old baby bottle and filled it with milk. She gave it to the kitten, who seemed content. Chris slept through the day, finally feeling happy, warm, and wanted. 

     The very next day, ungrateful Mary took a short walk in the snow. She was peeking about, not knowing what she was looking for. Perhaps it was the kitten. Maybe she felt bad after all. But Mary didn't know. It was like a sparkle of goodness floated into her heart without her knowing. Maybe it was because it was the Christmas season. Part of her wanted to suddenly know where the kitten was, but part of her did not care.  

     It was at that same moment that Karen hugged the kitten and said, “I love you.” The kitten purred and nestled up in her arms. Her mother said the kitten could only stay for Christmas and it wasn’t Christmas anymore. But she needed Chris and Chris needed her. She would be warmer with him nested in her bed. 

     Mary walked up the road past Karen’s house. She patted the snow. Maybe she wanted the kitten. But where was it??  At that very same moment Karen stepped outside. The kitten had just been put to bed.  She stood on her front steps and saw Mary. 

     “Good morning,” she said.

     “Hi,” said Mary.

They stood there in the snow looking at each other. Neither one knew that they both knew Chris.

     “What do you do for Christmas?” Asked Mary

     “Not much. My family is very poor, but I was blessed to find a kitten,” said Karen.

     “I got a kitten for Christmas, but I put it out in the snow,” Mary explained.

     “Why???!!”  Asked Karen

     “I didn’t want it,” said Mary. 

     “Was he as orange as a fall day?” Karen asked politely.

     “Yes, he was,” Mary answered. 

     “Thats my kitten! Why did you put him in the snow?” Asked Karen.

     “I didn't want him, but I am beginning to think that was mean.” Mary said feeling disappointed in herself. She looked down at her cold feet, feeling sad and guilty. She was wrong. She had treated one of God’s creatures wrongly. 

     Karen, the kind and generous type, invited Mary in for tea and to see her kitten. Chris remembered her and cried. Mary had treated him with a mean spirit and the kitten was afraid of her.  If Mary had done what Karen had; given the kitten love, he would have gone to her.  So, Mary left and walked down the road. Karen went trotting up behind her with the kitten in her arms.  Mary knew she was wrong and she was sorry. 

     “I was bad,” Mary whispered.

Karen wrapped her arms around Mary. Karen was an angel. She would love anyone, just like an angel. Karen still wanted to be friends with Mary, even though she had thrown Chris into the snow.  So, day after day they played as Mary learned to be good. It was like she was becoming an angel too. As they both turned into angels, day after day they both watched over Chis, looking after him. 

     One day they walked in the snow together. Chris was a month old now and it was January. They would be going back to school soon and poor Chris would miss them. Chris put his paws in the snow.  Step by step he walked. The snow was cold. They liked to take walks in the snow with Chris, but Chris was cold and didn’t like the walks. So one day, Mary took off her two mittens and put them on Chris’s little paws. It was one of the nicest things she had done. And on his back legs were mittens that Karen gave him.

      Now they could walk together in the snow. Through the thick snow they walked, on their way every day until January 5. It was time for Karen and Mary to go back to school. Chris would miss them. Mary had learned to be nice, and to give and take. Karen got to keep Chris. Now he would be safe with Karen’s father at home each day with him. 

Link to my post: The Merry and Not so Merry Christmases: