Hiding a pet in Christmas box has permeated pop culture to the point of being a cliche. Films like Lady & The Tramp and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation popularized the idea, and video-sharing on social media has blown it up in recent years. While most of these clips feature cute animals bonding with their new, usually young owners, we should know by now that cats don’t like playing by holiday rules.
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Heather Brooker, a writer for MotherhoodInHollywood.com, wrote about her and her husband’s attempt to give their young daughter a cat for christmas. After explaining how they planned the gift for months, Brooker explained the exact plan for Christmas morning:
“I don’t know if we saw it in a movie or on TV but it sounded like a good idea,” Brooker wrote. “Of course we wouldn’t close the box all the way, and we would bring it out as her final present from Santa. It would be perfect! But sometimes when you plan things, they don’t end up the way you thought they would. They turn out even better.”
Source: Motherhood In Hollywood Youtube
The video goes on to show the kitten, named Gracie I Love You Brooker, sneaking out of the box without the 3-year old noticing, leaving the girl briefly befuddled before she see’s the cat.
The clip quickly went viral across various platforms, garnering 300,000 views on Imgur and reaching number one on Reddit.
Brooker spoke to Your Daily Dish about the video going viral so quickly.
“To be honest I’m a little surprised by it all. I posted it on my personal page and within minutes people were texting and messaging me asking if they could share it. I think it’s resonating with people because of how genuine my daughter’s reaction was. She was honestly so moved by it and you can hear it in her voice.”
Update:
Heather Brooker and family have reached out to Your Daily Dish to announce that any proceeds from the video will be donated to the animal shelter from which they adopted the cat. In addition, an anonymous doner will match that up to $10,000. More information can be found in the video below:
