A Christmas present

By: Sana Nanda

“Why only me?” asked a sad little girl who had never received any presents before. She looked at another girl of her age who seemed happy, and said to her mom, “Why is that pretty girl so happy? Oh, I know why, because Santa gave her presents. Why does Santa only give presents to rich people, who can already buy them?”

Her mom replied, “Honey, Santa isn’t real!”

The little girl didn’t believe her mom and said, “But if Santa isn’t real, then how did that girl get so many presents?” Her mom didn’t say anything and felt guilty, blaming herself for not being able to give her daughter a happy and luxurious life. The little girl realised she had said something wrong and tried to cover up by saying, “I know, Mommy, we’re not rich, but maybe Santa can help us.” She didn’t know what else to say.

The little girl walked slowly to her broken bed and tore a piece of paper from her notebook. She wrote a message to Santa, saying, “Hey Santa, I know you don’t like helping poor people, or maybe I haven’t been good enough, but I’ll tell you anyway. For Christmas, I just want my daddy to come home. That’s all. Please make my wish come true, Santa, just like you do for the other rich children. Thank you.” She buried the note in her pillow and fell asleep.

Her mom felt helpless and also fell asleep.

On Christmas morning, someone whispered in the little girl’s ear, “You’ve grown up so much.” The girl was surprised and immediately woke up, screaming, “Daddy, you’re back!” It was the happiest moment of her life. Her mom rushed in and hugged her family, tears streaming down her cheeks. After so long, she finally felt complete. This gift was the most valuable thing. She whispered, “Thank you, Santa,” and giggled. Seeing her smile, her parents laughed too.