Lonely Man Dresses as Santa & Visits Kids in Hospital, Finds Pile of Gifts on Porch Come Xmas – Story of the Day

A lonely townsman disguises himself as Santa and visits children in a hospital every year. One Christmas morning, he finds gift boxes on his porch, and the last present he unwraps brings tears to his eyes.

35-year-old Sebastian loved the Christmas season. It also crushed him whenever he remembered Amy, his late girlfriend. "How she loved Christmas...and dinner...and children!"

They had planned to get married once Sebastian got a new job. He was successfully hired as a manager in a software company, but his wish to marry Amy was never fulfilled. She had died in an accident six years ago, and since then, Sebastian had been orphaned and lonely.

Amy loved kids and often told Sebastian how she used to celebrate Christmas with children in her hometown. He could not move on from her loss and had promised to honor her by doing the same.

Every Christmas for the last six years, Sebastian dressed up as Santa and visited the local children's hospital with presents. Christmas was around the corner, so he decided to continue this tradition and surprise the kids...

"Hello, Mr. Hayes! How are you doing?" Celine, Sebastian's neighbor, greeted him from behind the aisle in the supermarket. She was shopping for Christmas décor and saw Sebastian's cart loaded with many limited-edition toys. She was confused. She knew he wasn't married nor had any children.

"Hey! Am good, thanks! And you?"

"I'm fine, thanks! And these toys?!"

"Huh?... I gotta go...It's getting late. See ya!" Sebastian said and quickly pushed his cart to the checkout. He was in a hurry to go home and pack the gifts.

A grateful heart and soul are magnets for miracles.

It was Christmas Eve a week later. Sebastian disguised himself as Santa and carried a bag full of toys to the children's hospital. He hid his face under Santa's mask, not wanting anyone to find out he was the one who had been visiting every Christmas every year to greet the kids.

"Hey, look, it's Santa! It's Santa!" the children screamed in joy as soon as they heard "Ho! Ho! Ho!" and Sebastian emerged from the doorway in a traditional Santa costume and with a bag full of gifts.

"Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!" he said, handing each kid a present.

The children unwrapped the gifts and showed each other their new toys. Celine, who was a nurse there, quickly recognized the toys. She had seen them in Sebastian's shopping cart a week ago.

Suspicion brewed in Celine's mind as she quietly followed Santa to the hospital's parking lot. Her doubts were cleared when she saw him get into a black car and remove his mask. She recognized Sebastian and realized he was their Santa all these years.

"What a lovely soul!" she thought and devised a plan to surprise Sebastian the next day.

The following morning, Sebastian woke up a bit late. He smelled the joy of the festival as he looked outside his bedroom window. Trees and streets were gorgeously decorated with Christmas ornaments. Children were busy making snowmen, and the chiming church bell filled the winter breeze, accompanied by laughter and carols.

Sebastian yawned and walked over to his door to hang a wreath. He opened the door and rubbed his eyes hard. There was a pile of gift boxes on his porch.

"Gifts?! For me?! But who left them here?"

He picked up a box and unwrapped it.

"Jesus Christ! This is unbelievable!" Tears rose in Sebastian's eyes as he held a beautiful handmade wreath. He inspected the other boxes and found a lot of handmade Christmas goodies.

"But who left them here?"

Sebastian unwrapped the last box, and a note popped up, moving him to tears.

"Wishing you a holiday season full of light and laughter, dear Santa. Merry Xmas!"

Sebastian soon realized where those gifts came from, and it comforted his heart and soul to know he was no longer alone.

That evening, he packed a delicious Christmas dinner and visited the kids at the hospital. But this time, he went as Sebastian and not as Santa.

"How will they react to seeing me and knowing I was their Santa?" he wondered.

As soon as Sebastian entered the children's ward, they flocked around him, laughing and giggling. He had never seen them so happy, not even when he greeted them as Santa. Then he met Celine, who couldn't stop blushing upon seeing the kids' reactions. She'd shown them his photo on her phone and had already told them he was their Santa.

"Miss Celine, how did they know that I was Santa?"

Celine disclosed about following him to the parking lot the previous day. "I remembered seeing the same toys in your shopping cart the other day. I had my doubts but I saw you take off your Santa gear and realized you were the one who came here every Christmas to give gifts to the children!"

Sebastian was at a loss for words, but he thanked Celine for making his Christmas so special and warm and enjoyed a lovely Christmas meal with her and the children.

"So, can I expect to see Santa again next Christmas?" Celine joked as Sebastian headed toward his car. He shyly laughed and drove past her.

From that turning point in his life, Sebastian never felt lonely again. He now believes there's no loneliness if one has the heart and soul to help others and make them happy. Kindness begets love, a hundredfold of it.

Eventually, Sebastian started visiting the hospital not just during Christmas time. And each time, he always brought some lovely presents for the little children there. Gradually, he and Celine developed feelings for each other and started dating.

Although Sebastian had not forgotten about his late girlfriend, he decided to move on. He and Celine soon married, with many guests attending their wedding. The kids who loved their 'Santa in disguise' attended the ceremony as the newlyweds' flower boys and bridesmaids.

What can we learn from this story?

• A simple act of kindness creates a ripple effect. Every Christmas, Sebastian disguised as Santa and brought gifts to the children at the hospital. They returned his kindness by leaving presents on his porch, thus making him feel included and loved.
• A grateful heart and soul are magnets for miracles. When the nurse and the children at the hospital learned Sebastian was their Santa in disguise, they thanked him by gifting him in return. Their gesture made Sebastian's Christmas special and memorable.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.