Gift Wrapped 1952

On a cozy Christmas morning, Sylvester wakes to find presents under the tree, only to be disappointed when his gift turns out to be a rubber mouse. A cheerful song seems to drift from a gift-wrapped birdcage labeled for Granny, and peering inside, he spots Tweety hiding there. Seizing the chance to claim Tweety as his own prize, he swaps the gift tags just as Granny comes downstairs.

Granny hands the cage to Sylvester and opens the box with the rubber mouse. Believing it to be a mix-up, she goes to give Sylvester his own box and correct the mistake, but once she sees a smug cat and Tweety’s feathers, she immediately gets wise and makes the cat spit up the bird with a firm whack. After a thorough scolding, Granny insists that Sylvester kiss Tweety under a sprig of mistletoe, but the now-sulking cat eats Tweety again, leading to another forced regurgitation.

Granny places Tweety’s cage on a high pole, out of Sylvester’s reach, hoping to put an end to the chase. The ever-resourceful feline is not deterred. On his first attempt, Tweety points out a huge present waiting under the tree. Greed takes over and Sylvester abandons Tweety, rushing to open the package—only to find Hector the Bulldog, who promptly swallows Sylvester. Granny wastes no time and orders Hector to spit out Sylvester, dragging the two fighters away.

Undeterred, the cat resumes his pursuit with a string of tricks, all ending in comic failure. The final gag centers on Tweety playing with a new train set in the living room. Sylvester lays down spare tracks to point the train toward his open mouth and then sets the train in reverse. The ruse backfires in a spectacular fashion: Tweety remains safe for the moment, but the train ends up delivering a bite to the cat instead; Hector gobbles Sylvester again, only to be forced to spit him out by Granny’s stern commands.

The cartoon closes as evening falls. Granny sits at the pipe organ while Tweety—the only one who behaved—sings a cheerful variation of a Christmas carol. Flanking Tweety are Sylvester and Hector, each with giant Christmas-tree stamps taped over their mouths to keep the peace for good.