Orphan Girl Taking Care of Her Little Brother Finds Christmas Gifts on Their Doorstep — Story of the Day

An orphan girl caring for her little brother finds an unexpected Christmas gift waiting at the door of their modest apartment.

Linda Trevor had been waiting years to clock 18, but unlike many other kids who yearned for freedom from their parents' dictatorship, she wanted it so she could leave the orphanage she and her brother Daniel had lived in since their parents died some years before.

The moment she turned 18, she visited a bank and the orphanage custodian, and they helped her access the little cash in her parents' trust fund and the other inheritance they got from their parents, a small apartment in the city.

She was wiser than her years, and the orphanage custodian, Mrs. Steinberg was well aware of that fact, so she agreed to let the girl move into the unit with her little brother, who was just six.

The money in the trust fund was just enough to keep them fed and clothed, so Linda had to get more money by doing menial jobs around town.

Mrs. Steinberg had requested that she let her brother remain a while at the orphanage with the other kids while she settled into adult life, but Linda had made him a promise when their parents died.

"Where I go, you go, I'll never leave you alone on your own," she had said, and she was not about to break the promise — especially since they pinky swore.

She did her best, but they lived poorly in their apartment. Still, the two were very glad to be together, even if they had to live hand to mouth.

When Christmas came, Daniel, who did not yet know that Santa was mostly just the grownups gifting their kids things anonymously, started hoping for a game console.

"This is the kind I would love and I can't wait for Santa to bring it to me," he told his sister the evening before Christmas.

He did not see the little grimace she made because she knew that she would not be able to afford such a thing. Still, she didn't discourage him for fear of making him unhappy.

"Of course, Danny, I'll be sure to leave some milk and cookies out for him. Don't forget to leave your stocking by the fireplace, okay?" she said with a cheer she didn't feel.

The next morning, Daniel raced down the stairs to check if anything was in it. Sure enough, the cookies and milk were gone, so it meant Santa had indeed visited.

However, when he saw his stocking, he knew immediately that it was not a console the iconic man had left him — the only thing in it was a bunch of his favorite sweets.

It made him very upset, but Linda, who had been expecting his reaction, quickly soothed him.

"It's okay Danny, Santa most likely got your presents mixed up," she said. "You can't blame him you know, he has so many gifts to distribute."

That seemed to calm him down a bit as he thought about it. "I suppose he must have been tired, I'll let him off the hook this time," the boy said as he opened one of the sweets and popped it into his mouth.

"That's a good boy, now come have some breakfast and get to school, your bus will arrive soon."

The boy quickly feasted on the sandwich Linda made him, and they both walked to the bus stop. On their way, they met a homeless man begging for alms, but Linda was going to ignore him because she had no change to spare.

On the other hand, Daniel dipped his hand into his pocket and gave all his sweets to the man. "Merry Christmas," he said. "Santa gave me this but I'm sharing it with you because my sister says those who have should give those who don't."

The scene made his sister's heart swell with pride, and she made a mental note to reward him later. "That was very nice of you," she told him as they moved away from the man who smiled happily at the boy.

When Daniel arrived at school, his teacher, Mr. Richard, asked his students to step forward one by one and talk about their Christmas gifts before the class.

Mr. Richard was Daniel's favorite teacher because the man paid special attention to him and gave him treats sometimes — he knew the boy was an orphan.

All the children came forward with their gifts, but Brian sat back, looking sad. "Where is your gift?" his teacher asked when he noticed the boy hanging back when it was his turn.

"I don't have one," he said dejectedly. "I wanted to receive a game console, but Santa brought me sweets. I shared them with a homeless man I met on my way to school."

His statement made his classmates laugh, but Mr. Richard quietened them and asked that he be given a round of applause for his charity, making the boy feel instantly better.

The following day, his sister took him from school, and when they arrived home, they found two gift boxes in front of their apartment door.

"Santa came again!" Daniel yelled.

In one box, they found a new game console, and in the other, which was smaller, they discovered a $4000 check and a note addressed to Linda.

"You are a hero Linda! Us teachers at your brother's school admire you because of how you care for him despite being such a young girl. I wanted to help you and that's why I established a fund-raiser in our school among the parents and teachers and there were a lot of people willing to help you. I hope this makes your Christmas even more special. Sincerely, Mr. Richard."

After reading it, Linda burst into tears. "Are you okay?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"Oh I am Danny, I am!" she exclaimed and bent down to hug him.

"You're squishing me!" he yelled.

"Didn't you always want to see the ocean?" she asked when she let him go.

"Yeah, but you said we couldn't because you don't have enough money," Brian answered.

"Well now I do," she said. "We can go on a weekend trip to Miami but make sure you finish your homework before then or else we won't."

"Yayy!!" the boy exclaimed, dancing around their apartment, his console in hand.

The next day, Linda went to the school to say thank you to Daniel's teacher. "Just trying to help," he said, waving away her gratitude. "Keep up the good work."

Later that weekend, they went to Miami, got a nice view of the ocean and had so much fun. Linda had never seen her brother so happy, which made her feel fulfilled.

What did we learn from this story?

• Kindness is always rewarded. Daniel gave his sweets to the homeless man even though he knew the man would never be able to reward him; however, the kind act did not go unnoticed by his sister or his teacher, who helped him achieve his desire.
• Gratitude is very important. Linda demonstrated gratitude when she went to Daniel's school to thank his teacher for what he did for them. It was good behavior, and it should be emulated by many.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a 6-year-old boy who begs a grocery store cashier to help him find Santa after his mother is bedridden following an accident.

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