On a cold Christmas morning, snow fogged the windows of the Purrlington family’s house and slowly piled up on the sills, covering them with a white blanket. Inside, Mama Luna, Papa Oliver, their daughter Lily, and little Max slept peacefully. Papa and Mama were snuggled up in bed, exhausted from the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve: The feast, the gifts, the decorations, and countless preparations.

  Max, the youngest, woke up early and quietly crept down the stairs, taking care not to make any noise that might wake his parents. The chill outside contrasted with the warm Christmas lights and colorful decorations, giving the living room a magical, cozy look. The silence in the house filled his heart with growing excitement.

  When he reached the tree, Max gazed in wonder at the gift boxes. They were huge, wrapped in shiny paper, captivating and irresistible. He looked for one with his name on it, but none were labeled. Then, he saw his tag on the floor, detached from a box. Unable to contain his excitement, he hugged a box almost as tall as he was and, with trembling little paws, carefully unwrapped it.

  A few minutes later, Max’s parents woke with a start.

  “Oliver!” exclaimed Luna. “We overslept!”

  They both jumped out of bed, hurriedly dressing without caring if their clothes even matched. They rushed down the stairs, following the sounds of laughter and squeals of joy coming from the living room.

  At the bottom step, Luna stopped Oliver, signaling him to keep quiet. Max was on the floor, with a piece of pink wrapping paper carefully folded off to the side.

  In his arms, Max cradled a beautiful cat doll with plush fur in a soft creamy yellow tone. The doll’s green eyes sparkled with sweetness and curiosity, reflecting Max’s own admiration and wonder. She wore a pink dress with lace and little bows, and her front paws were covered by white gloves that gave her a sophisticated look. Some dresses and accessories lay on the floor, showing that Max had already spent time trying on different outfits from the package. He had never held anything so beautiful, something that captured his thoughts and imagination like this little cat.

  “Do you like your dress, little Celina?” Max whispered tenderly to the doll, revealing that he’d already chosen a name for her. “If you’d like, we could try on another one—to go out and show everyone how pretty you are. You’re so lovely… I think you’ll be my best friend, always.”

  “What do we do?” whispered Oliver, the father. “Those gifts are for Lily.”

  “Shhh!” Luna signaled him to stay quiet. “Let’s go to the landing; we need to talk.”

  On the landing, Oliver crossed his arms, showing his impatience.

  “Those gifts are for Lily,” he insisted in a low but firm voice, trying to stay calm.

  Luna nodded but doubled down, replying in a hurried whisper, “Yes, Oliver, I know. But… are you just going to take it from him like that? Didn’t you see how he was treating the doll?”

  As if waiting for that question, Oliver turned and started down the stairs, determined—or at least he would have if Luna hadn’t placed a paw on his chest, stopping him.

  “Don’t be so harsh,” she whispered urgently. “Max is delighted, Oliver. You can’t just take it away from him like that.”

  Oliver sighed, looking up as if searching for patience.

  “We can’t just let him have it. We can’t give him everything he wants just because he gets excited, Luna. That’s part of growing up! He must learn to face reality.”

  “Shhh! Keep your voice down, or you’ll wake Lily,” Luna continued quickly, wanting to end the conversation. “Yes, I agree, but at least tell him gently, show him his real gift, and convince him it’s better than the doll.”

  Oliver nodded, taking a deep breath, and began to head down the stairs again. But Luna, once more, stopped him by gripping his shoulder and turning him toward her.

  “And what if he doesn’t like his gift anymore?”

  “So what?” Oliver shrugged and huffed, looking exhausted.

  “What do you mean ‘so what’? You’ll make him cry, Oliver. Do you want to scar him like this for the rest of his days?”

  “He’s a man; he’ll know how to handle it. He won’t get everything he wants all the time; that’s part of growing up. He must learn to cope, or do you think my childhood was easy?”

  “And do you think mine was?” Luna shot back, clearly frustrated. “Did you think my parents were millionaires when you married me? My father barely managed to pay for the church.”

  “So?”

  “So what, Oliver? Just because our childhoods were hard doesn’t mean we should make our kids’ lives miserable.”

  “You spoil them too much!”

  “And you punish them too much!”

  “Well, then what? So Lily goes without presents? Are we going to ruin Christmas for her just because Max got confused?”

  “What if they shared the toys?” Luna suggested, shrugging and showing her paws.

  “What if Lily doesn’t want to? She has the right to say no; it’s her gift, and she decides what to do with it,” he said, tapping his fingers in emphasis on his palm.

  “Well,” said Luna, biting her finger, “maybe you’re right. But at least promise Max you’ll buy him a doll later.”

  “I’m not buying him a doll. Not everything is fixed with money. Do you want him to grow up thinking that’s how life works?”

  “Then promise it for his birthday, you silly.”

  “Max isn’t dumb,” Oliver said, tapping his forehead with a finger. “His birthday is in eight months, and promising him something in eight months is like saying never.”

  “Then promise it sooner,” Luna replied, spreading her claws to show her patience was wearing thin. “I’m not asking you to buy it now; just give him a little hope. Then, over time, you can talk to him, convince him he really doesn’t want the doll, and guide him toward asking for something we can buy.”

  Oliver nodded, understanding Luna’s plan and ready to act according to her directions. But as he turned, Luna stopped him a third time, placing both paws on his shoulders.

  “Let me handle it. I promise you, the doll will be back in Lily’s hands by tonight. Trust me.”

  They looked at each other in silence, trying to determine who was best suited to speak to Max and how. In the end, Oliver yielded, nodding, and Luna responded with a grateful smile. They went downstairs together, with Oliver following closely, not wanting to miss a moment.

  Luna took a deep breath, smoothed her dress a few times, and placed her paws over her heart. Just as she was about to take the final step, a shout echoed from the kitchen.

  “Mama!” Lily exclaimed excitedly, appearing in the kitchen doorway. Luna and Oliver, focused on Max’s situation, had assumed their daughter was still asleep in her room. But there she was, in the kitchen, watching them from across the room.

  Lily held a beautiful tin car painted like a police car. She pressed some buttons on the toy, and the red and blue siren lights and the headlights began flashing. She ran towards her parents.

  “Mama, Papa! Look what Santa brought me; it’s amazing!” Running up to them at the foot of the stairs, she proudly presented the car with both paws. “It has lights, the wheels turn with the steering wheel, and the doors and trunk open! The tires are rubber, it has everything! And it even came with an officer to patrol the city and keep order,” she added, pulling out a gray cat figurine dressed as a police officer, with a firm and determined attitude.

  Oliver and Luna exchanged a glance. This complicated things, but at least Lily was overjoyed. At least, that’s what Luna thought, while Oliver remembered the mission still at hand.

  “Lily, darling.” Oliver knelt down to her height, placing a paw on her shoulder. “I understand how much you like this toy, but you should know…”

  Before he could finish, Luna nudged him gently with her hip, causing him to stumble and fall. Then she went over and hugged her daughter.

  “…you should know that’s exactly why Santa brought you just what he knew would make you happiest. He knows you better than anyone and knows how much you love chasing bad guys in your vehicle, right?”

  “Yes, Mama! Santa knows everything; there’s nothing I would have loved more than this car. Since I saw the wrapping and opened it, I knew this was exactly what I wanted and that Santa thought of me.”

  Later that same day, a beautiful lady named Celine admired herself in the mirror of a well-known clothing shop, marveling at how well a gorgeous sky-blue dress with sparkling sequins fit her. She had decided to buy it for an important event, a sophisticated party where ambassadors from all over the world would gather. She paid for the dress, thanked the cashier, and left, holding her favorite red handbag with golden clasps. As she walked, her heels made a charming sound on the damp pavement of a city just kissed by the rain. She looked from side to side, took out her smartphone, and was about to call a taxi when a masked thief snatched her precious purse and phone, fleeing on a motorcycle.

  “Oh, my precious handbag, with all my cards!” Max said, playing the distraught lady. “How will I attend the ambassadors’ party now?”

  Suddenly, a siren sounded! The roar of a muscle car with an eight-cylinder engine and high-traction tires thundered through the streets.

  “Don’t worry, ma’am,” said Lily, playing the role of the officer. “Officer Charlotte, ready to solve the case. Please, hop in.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t want to be a bother,” said Celine the cat, flustered.

  “It’s no trouble at all. This case will need all the help I can get, and I’ll need the only witness of this crime to help recreate every clue, so please…” Opening the car door, she helped Celine into the passenger seat. The two friends, determined and ready, set out to solve the most important case in Clawson City.

  Oliver and Luna, wrapped in each other’s arms and filled with tenderness, watched their children play this way throughout the house.

  “It seems it wasn’t so bad to let them keep the ‘wrong’ gifts,” Oliver murmured, kissing Luna on the forehead.

  “They were never the wrong gifts,” she replied, entwining her fingers with his and leaning into him. “Sometimes children teach us wonderful things. We were the ones making a fuss, assuming what our kids wanted or didn’t want. Maybe the real mistake was not taking the time to listen, to look beyond our own ideas, and understand what truly brings joy to our children.”

  “You’re right,” Oliver replied, bringing her paw to his snout and kissing it. “Sometimes we think we understand our kids, but maybe it’s just that we want to see in them what we imagine for ourselves.”

  “That’s right, dear,” Luna replied, snuggling even closer, “but there’s always time to learn, and every moment we can try to do things differently.”

  Luna sighed, pausing for a few seconds before adding, “If that’s true, what do you say we take this chance to really get to know them?”

  “What do you mean?” Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Well, I wouldn’t mind joining in to learn about the adventures of the charming Celine and the brave Officer Charlotte. What do you think if we pick out some of their other toys and join the adventure?”

  

  “Are you serious?” Oliver said, a bit hesitant, with the curiosity and nostalgia of reliving a game he hadn’t played in years. But the spark in Luna’s eyes and their children’s faces convinced him that, perhaps, this time would be different.

  “I’ve already picked my character. Let’s go, Captain Steward!” she exclaimed with a wink, heading to the toy box to pick the character that would enrich the world being created in the Purrlington family’s living room.