Grandpa Joe sat all alone in his living room. For the first time in 70 years, he hadn’t bothered to put up a Christmas tree. Why bother with it if there’s nobody else here to share its beauty with this year?
He sighed quietly as he sat in his recliner watching the news, but he wasn’t really watching it. The memory of that dreary Christmas day that shattered his heart into millions of tiny pieces replayed over and over again in his mind, distracting him from this lonely reality.
He was watching the memory of the Christmas shooting at the store where his wife, daughter, and grandson had been last year, the news on TV reminding him of the event due to the reporter talking about it being the first year anniversary of the shooting. Sadly, all of them were claimed as victims, and his grandson had been placed in a coma. It’s been a full year of this loneliness, and he couldn’t stand it.
A knock on the door startled him and he quickly went to it, opening it to find a basket by the door, a blanket covering the contents. He quickly picked it up by the handle and moved the blanket, shocked at what he saw underneath.
Underneath the blanket he saw his young grandson, only about 5 years old, crying and wiggling around. His cries pierced the air and Grandpa Joe quickly held his grandson to his chest, trying to quiet him. He had no idea how his grandson, Asher, had shown up on his doorstep, nor how he had lived through his coma, but he was grateful.
Grandpa Joe quickly took his grandson inside and out of the snowstorm, pulling his rocking chair beside the fireplace and rocking Asher in his arms. He then looked down in the basket to find the note at the bottom.
‘Joe Jones: We’re happy to inform you that Asher Jones has come out of his coma. Since he has no other family left, we decided it would be best if he stays with you. The foster care system would just be a cruel thing to subject him to at this age, and as long as you’re still around, there’s no reason for us to put him in it. Merry Christmas, Joe. -Nurse Stryder’
Grandpa Joe sighed after reading the note. “Maybe the foster care system would have been better for him. How long do I have left on this earth?” He’s already 90 years old now, and he could tell his time was coming to an end.
He looked down at his grandson again and smiled a genuine smile, the first genuine smile in the whole past year. Of course, nobody was there to see his genuine smile; he was completely alone in his log cabin surrounded by trees, and he rarely ever got visitors. Once he had gotten Asher back to sleep, he set him back down in his basket and wrapped him in his blanket before standing up and heading to the storage room. When he had found the box, he quickly brought it into the living room with a smile.
He opened the green box and smiled when the familiar scent of pine tree flooded his nose and the sight of the pine needles brought joy to his eyes.
For the first time in a year, he felt true happiness. Grandpa Joe smiled as he set up the tree, quickly decorating it. He had just received the best gift ever: the gift of family. This was truly a Christmas surprise. “I know it’s not much, Asher, but for this Christmas, happiness is all I can give. Happiness, family... and love.”