“Is this what I think it is, dad?!” Sean asked, shaking the bag.

“Please let it be the tablet I’ve been wanting!” Gregory echoed.

They opened their gift bags at the same time and were disappointed to find that they were given matching sweaters by their dad instead of the things they wanted.

“I’m sorry, guys. We’re a bit tight on money these days, and I didn’t have much left to spend on your gifts. I promise to work even harder so I can give you what you want next year. Okay?” he apologized, ashamed that he could not give his sons their wishes.

It’s been difficult for Stewart to raise his three children alone. Ever since his wife died, he had to carry all the parental responsibilities on his shoulders, and it also meant paying for all expenses alone.

One day, he picked up his daughter Lucy from ballet school. He saw Lucy sitting alone in the corner, crying with her head down.

“Lucy, sweetheart, what’s the matter?” he asked.

“Dad, my classmates are making fun of me because my pointe shoes are ripped. These are from the thrift store! Can we please buy new ones, so they don’t make fun of me anymore? They hurt my feelings!” she cried.

“You always say that!” Lucy cried out before walking straight out the door. Stewart followed behind her in defeat.

Christmas came, and Stewart gathered the children at the dinner table. He tried to prepare all of their favorite food because that year, he had no extra money for individual gifts.

“Lucy, I baked your favorite apple pie. Sean, I made sure to get some baked spaghetti from the store. And Gregory, I baked a whole chicken. Your favorites! Merry Christmas, my sweet children,” he greeted them.

After eating dinner together, the three kids went outside to mold a huge snowman and had a snowball fight with their dad. It was a family tradition that they wanted to keep alive even though their mom was no longer with them.

Many years passed, and Stewart’s kids all had families of their own. Although they all lived in the same city, they never bothered to visit Stewart at home, and he spent most of the year alone.

He recalled having to work more than one shift a day to buy them a good Christmas dinner and small presents, but they were never enough. He glanced upon a photo of his late wife, making him smile.

“You don’t age, honey,” he said, talking to the picture as if he was with his wife. “I tried to be the best father I could be, but our kids wanted more… I miss you so much. You were my partner in everything, and you kept the house together,” he added.

Stewart waited for his children to come on Christmas Eve, looking out the window in anticipation. “How I wish…” he said to himself as he watched his neighbors having fun together in their backyards.

Stewart was convinced that his children had ignored his invitation once again until he heard a short knock on the door. “Who is it?” he called out, somehow hoping that his children decided to show up to spend Christmas with him this year.

“Hi, grandpa,” a small boy said after he opened the door.

Tim nodded sadly. “Even on Christmas Eve, my parents ignore me. They’re too busy with work. I know how much you love Christmas, grandpa, so I decided to walk here,” the boy revealed.

Stewart wanted to cheer his grandson up, so he decided to get dressed. “Well, then. This calls for a celebration! You and I will have a good Christmas together,” Stewart told Tim. “Kids deserve to play under the snow every Christmas,” he added.

The two of them walked outside even though Stewart could not stay outdoors for long. His doctor warned he was at risk of a heart attack or kidney and liver failure if he ever got too cold.

Unfortunately, soon after, Stewart collapsed on the floor, and they called an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

Stewart woke up in the hospital, where he was told that he suffered from hypothermia. It wasn’t the diagnosis that surprised him, but the fact that his children and grandchildren were all surrounding his hospital bed.

“Was this what had to happen to me for you to see me during Christmas?” he asked his children with a smile on his face.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like for Tim on a normal day when even during Christmas, you don’t spend it with him. I hope you do better. Your children deserve your attention,” he added.

Gregory and his two siblings, Sean and Lucy, realized that Stewart was right. All those years, they focused on the material things that Stewart could give them when he tried to shower them with so much more than that – he gave them his time, his love, and his care.

After Stewart recovered from the hospital, Gregory, Sean, and Lucy spoke to one another about visiting Stewart regularly. They knew that their dad wasn’t getting any younger, and they wanted their children to get to know their grandfather as much as they could.

What can we learn from this story?

• It’s not material things that matter most in life, but family. Stewart could not provide his children with what they desired when they were little, but he made up for it in the way he loved, cared for, and worked hard for them. It took his children years to realize that it’s not material things that matter most in life but family.
• It’s not too late to make things right with the people you love. Stewart’s children ignored him for years, not realizing that all Stewart ever wanted was to spend time with them and his grandchildren. In the end, after they realized that life is fleeting and that Stewart wasn’t getting any younger, they made sure to make the most out of their time together by visiting him more frequently.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a delivery boy who would bring free food to an old lonely lady daily, which made her follow him home to see who paid for it.