The Christmas Pig

As they approach, Jack sees a broken angel and a dirty blue bunny. Jack is amazed to realize that the angel is his own Christmas angel, the one that was just purchased to be a replacement for the toilet-paper angel. The angel is distraught to be so uncared for by the family. She explains that in the real world, she is actually hanging off the back of the tree, but no one has bothered to look for her. The Christmas Pig admits that he too is a replacement toy, and he reassures her that she might be found very soon. Compass urges everyone to keep moving.

As they walk, Blue Bunny tells Jack how he has suffered. A badly made toy, Blue Bunny was unwanted by his young owner, who won him at a fair. The bunny was tossed out a window as a joke. Not quite lost but not quite thrown away either, the bunny lay there for weeks until the boy realized that he was lost. Then the bunny descended to the Land of the Lost and was thrown into the Wastes of the Unlamented. Blue Bunny soon befriended Broken Angel, and they decided to travel the Wastes together. This reminds Jack of his own close friendship with DP. He wishes that he could save Blue Bunny from the Wastes. Suddenly, Compass warns everyone that the “Bad Habit” gang is coming.

The group is disgusted to encounter the Bad Habits (a group of bad behaviors that their human “owners” have sworn off: Picker, Chewfinger, Sugarguzzler, and Bullyboss). Jack recognizes Bullyboss’s voice and realizes that the mean-looking fist is actually Holly’s, as Holly resolved not to bully Jack again after throwing DP out the window. Jack is amazed to learn that bullying has made Holly feel better during this painful period of her life; he also learns that she feels like Jack has stolen her dad. Bullyboss hopes that Holly returns to bullying soon. The Bad Habits discuss the rumor about the Christmas Pig and the action figure who are not supposed to be in the Land of the Lost. Suddenly, they are interrupted by the loud footsteps of the Loser.

The Loser approaches with two beams of light, searching the Wastes for lost Things. Jack’s new friends flee, but he feels frozen in place with fear. He sees the Loser for the first time and notices that his huge, robotic body is covered in pieces of broken Things. The Loser scrapes the ground with his glass-and-steel fingers, coming ever closer to Jack.

The Christmas Pig drags Jack out of the way, and they flee the Loser’s reach. Jack grows afraid when he hears the screams of the Things that the Loser catches; he even feels bad for Bullyboss. As Jack and the Christmas Pig scramble away, they see the Christmas angel get captured, but they cannot save her.

Jack and the Christmas Pig hide behind some thistles, and Jack breaks down in tears, grieving the angel and feeling desperate to find DP. The Christmas Pig cuddles him, keeping him warm and reassuring him that he will find his friend. Jack begins to daydream about how the Christmas Pig, or “CP,” could be friends with DP when they all return home together. Jack begins to fall asleep, and CP tells him that they will find DP soon; this will be the first time a living boy has ever rescued a toy from the Land of the Lost.

In the morning, the Christmas Pig finds a set of railroad tracks and shows them to Jack, who believes that they must lead to the City of the Missed. The two are happy to see Blue Bunny, who has evaded the Loser for another night. Blue Bunny reveals that when Things board the train going east, they look quite happy, so the Christmas Pig and Jack decide to head that way. Blue Bunny decides to join them, and the three walk the tracks toward the City of the Missed.

After hours of walking, Jack, the Christmas Pig, and Blue Bunny finally see the City of the Missed. It is a beautiful city overlooking the sea. Blue Bunny wonders why Jack and the Christmas Pig need to go there so badly, explaining that they’ll never get in. When Jack explains his reasons, the bunny realizes that Jack is a real boy. Inspired by his bravery and commitment to his toy, the bunny offers to distract the Loss Adjusters so that Jack and the Christmas Pig can sneak into the city.

The bunny does silly tricks until a little girl happens to find him in the garden. She picks him up and decides to keep him, and he ascends from the Land of the Lost in a beam of light. Jack and the Christmas Pig take their opportunity to sneak past the guards and into the city.

They board a gondola and hide under a blanket in the boat. Jack listens as lost Things board the boat, and the Loss Adjusters steer them toward their new home. Jack notices that one of the Things is quite special; it is someone’s happiness. He and Happiness chat, and Jack reveals his problem. Happiness offers to glow brightly while he and the Christmas Pig sneak off the boat. Jack slips off and swims to the side of the canal, but when he looks back, he sees that the Christmas Pig is drowning.

Jack swims back and rescues the Christmas Pig. Wet but relieved, the two climb out of the canal and begin exploring the beautiful, cobbled city. Jack notices that there aren’t many toys there, either, but he hopes to see DP somewhere. As they walk, Jack feels like something is following them, but he cannot be sure.

The Christmas Pig and Jack enter a grand square in front of a white palace. They join a crowd watching a performance of Knacks doing tricks, and they try to blend in with everyone. Then a lost Voice begins an opera performance. Jack is surprised to hear a voice whispering to him, asking if he is looking for a pig.

Jack turns and sees a woman who radiates violet light through her black cloak, which hides her whole body. She claims that Happiness sent her to help Jack, and she scolds him for all the trouble he has caused. She claims that she can take him to the king of the city, who will know where DP is. Jack feels that she isn’t very kind, but he wants to follow her out of desperation. The Christmas Pig, on the other hand, is suspicious and does not want to go, believing that the woman will lead them into a trap. Jack insists that they follow her.

Jack and the Christmas Pig enter the palace, breezing past the Loss Adjusters as they walk with the cloaked woman. They learn that her name is Ambition; she used to belong to a politician, but she suffered a career failure. Jack and the Christmas Pig grow even warier, but they carry on. She leads them up the stairs and into the king’s room.

Jack and the Christmas Pig are surprised to meet members of the royal family, all of which are human traits. Beauty is stuck-up and vain, while Optimism greets them enthusiastically, and Memory tells them old stories. Then they meet the Principles, all of which were lost by a greedy businessman. The Principles felt that they could not obey the king’s orders to stay in their rooms, so they came out to try to keep the king “on the path of righteousness” (199). Just then, they hear the king coming.

Jack and the Christmas Pig are frightened to meet the king, whose name is Power. A domineering man with an angry face, Power demands that they compliment his kingdom. He then orders everyone to sit down. Power claps his hands, and servants deliver piles of food. Power then accuses Jack of being a living boy.

Jack hears the servants lock the doors, and Power begins to berate him for being a living boy in the Land of the Lost. The Christmas Pig insists that Jack is an action figure, but no one believes him. Scared, Jack and the Christmas Pig listen as the king yells about his plan to trade Jack to the Loser in order to gain more power. As the royal family members vote on two friends’ fate, Happiness comes into the room, glowing brightly.

Happiness comes in with her friend, Hope, and the two vote against sending Jack and the Christmas Pig to the Loser. The Principles are undecided because the boy and the Christmas Pig did break the law, but they also believe that sending them to the Loser would be cruel. Ultimately, the group narrowly votes not to send them away. Enraged, Power yells that the votes do not count and orders the servants to take Jack and the Christmas Pig away.

As the servants move toward them, Hope grabs Jack and the Christmas Pig and flaps into the air with her huge wings. She tells Jack to grab a tapestry, which she uses as a hammock to carry them. Happiness glows brightly, blinding Power and his servants, and Hope, Jack, and the Christmas Pig escape the castle. Hope promises to take them to DP.

As they fly, Hope reveals that she was lost by a political prisoner who is wrongly imprisoned by a cruel leader. She believes that her owner will find her again, since Hope is hard to lose forever. She tells Jack and the Christmas Pig that DP is on the Island of the Beloved, a very special place where only a select few Things get to go. Hope flies over the cold seas as Jack and the Christmas Pig rest in the cozy tapestry and wait to arrive on the island.