Colleagues Bring 100 Gifts for Their Boss' Ill Daughter and Prove Men Cry Too – Story of the Day

After an unfortunate event in Steve's life, he let go of the part of him that loved and cared for people. This made him a hard and impossible boss. However, after a particular visit to the clinic and with a few words from Santa, all that changed.

It was another busy day in the office, and Steve was even more callous than his usual self. Steve was the manager of a large logistics company, with over 50 employees in his division.

His employees secretly named him the "Grinch" because of his crude treatment of staff and cynical take on life. Ironically, Christmas was around the corner, and as the fourth quarter was wrapping up, there was a heavy workload for Steve and his team.

"Imbeciles! Taaaanya!!" an irked Steve howled from his office.

Steve's sweet-hearted secretary, Tanya, gave the rest of the team a timid glare before mustering up the courage to traipse into his office.

"Uhm... Y—yes, sir," said Tanya, apprehensively standing at the door.

"Oh, so I'm actually not the only employee here. That's good to know. I would have never been able to tell from these reports you sent. Pathetic! Re-do them and get them to me before the end of the day," Steve barked, throwing the documents at her feet.

"B—b—but sir... That will take forever. And you had said I could leave early for my son's concert today. I asked you in advance," said Tanya, her pleading falling on deaf ears as Steve continued on his computer, completely ignoring her.

A disheartened Tanya returned to her desk as her concerned colleagues approached her.

"So, what's the Grinch upset about this time around?" asked Tyler from HR.

"The quarterly reports. He says we have to do them again and get them to him before the day ends," Tanya said, holding her head in frustration.

"Wow! Sorry, guys. I would not like to be in your department right about now. So, you won't be able to make Devin's concert?" asked Tyler.

Tanya regretfully shook her head, beginning to well up.

"I'm so sorry, Tanya," said Tyler, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Steve wasn't always like this. Six months ago, he was the type of boss who would talk to a janitor for an hour straight, sharing advice on how to fix his life and succeed. He was the type of boss who would randomly buy everyone lunch or coffee. But, at some point, completely out of the blue, that all changed. He became cold and stopped smiling altogether.

"Sorry? You're always sorry! I've had it up to here with your excuses. Tell me, do you still want this job?"

As the work increased at the office due to the coming end of the quarter, Steve's tolerance for his employees seemed to equally decrease.

One day, Tanya was bringing coffee to Steve at his office. She stumbled over the rug and mistakenly spilled some tea on the floor. Steve was furious, barking at Tanya so loud that the whole floor seemed to fall into a dead silence as he spewed insults.

"Are you blind or just stupid?! Huh?" Steve snarled at Tanya as she frantically attempted to wipe the tea with the tissue paper on Steve's desk.

"I'm so sorry, sir. It was..." Tanya begins before Steve interrupts, more enraged.

"Sorry? You're always sorry! I've had it up to here with your excuses. Tell me, do you still want this job?" asked Steve.

"Sir, you know I love my job... I... I—I need it," sobbed Tanya, quickly trying to wipe away her tears.

"Are you crying? Really?!" Steve boorishly snapped.

"N—N—No, sir. I'm just a little... Uhm...I'll be back with another," Tanya stammered, rushing out the door.

"And that goes for the rest of you too! Leave your sob stories at home. We are here to work! If I was dealing with a man, I wouldn't have to entertain such nonsense. Leave your tears and any other form of weakness at that door!" Steve barked.

The room was silent, and the tension palpable as Steve shut his door and a weeping Tanya sheepishly rushed off to the kitchen.

The next day, Tyler was taking his sick father to the clinic for a chemotherapy session. What he saw there would shock not only him but everybody at work. It would all finally make sense now.

As he was taking his father into his session, he spotted Steve at the clinic with a young girl undergoing chemotherapy. She was bold and frail, and most color had left her face.

Who would have thought that this gentle, caring father in the clinic was the same harsh, stubborn boss at work? Tyler thought, sympathetically looking on as Steve caressed her hair.

A few days later, as the employees huddled together in the break room, Tyler came forth with his discovery.

"So, you sure it was his daughter?" asked one of the employees.

"Yep! Confirmed it with one of my buddies at the clinic. Her name is Annabelle. Say she's been there for almost a year," Tyler explained.

"Woah! That's a lot. Guys, I think we should do something for her. We have our yearly Secret Santa coming up; I think it'd be the perfect opportunity," said Tanya.

"Really?! Oh, wow... That's pretty admirable of you, Tanya. Especially considering how he has been treating you," said a staggered Tyler.

"Believe me, I know. But, I'm also a parent, and quite frankly... I don't know if I'd be any better under such circumstances. I mean, watching your child go through all that. It could change anyone," Tanya exclaimed.

Everyone solemnly nodded in agreement. And so it was decided the staff would dedicate this year's Secret Santa to Annabelle.

A few days later, it was the day of Secret Santa. Tyler, Tanya, and the others all waited on Steve to join them, a large pile of presents behind them as they anxiously waited on their boss to pitch.

They moved aside as Steve approached the team, revealing the large heap of presents behind them. Steve looked at them in confusion and annoyance, particularly considering the hopeful smirks on all their faces.

"What is this? Just give me my present, so I can go... Which one is mine?" Steve asked.

Everyone's smirk widened as they gave each other a brief nod of approval, then:

"All of them," everyone said.

"All these gifts are for Annabelle," Tanya said.

"All 100 of them," added an employee.

"But... H—h—how did..." murmured Steve, trying to find his words.

Steve stumbled, floundering for the nearest chair. He finally found it and sat, burying his face in his hands. The room went silent, and then, a hushed sniffle sounded from Steve. Without warning, the staff all gathered in to embrace and hug Steve. The more they piled in, the louder his weeping got.

"Y—you... You have no idea what you've done," Steve said, sobbing. "I mean, for almost a year now, she barely knows what gifts are. All... All she has come to know is pain... I... I have no words," Steve continued, crying even louder.

The next day, the staff was shocked to see a rather jolly Steve storm into the break room. He invited everyone to the clinic with them, asking that they give Annabelle her presents in person.

It was quite a scene, about 50 people piling into Annabelle's ward with a bunch of presents. Everyone at the clinic looked on in awe and excitement as they saw the massive visiting party.

Tyler came dressed as Santa, and Annabelle instantly lit up with joy when she saw him strut in beside her father.

"Ho-ho-ho! Hello, Annabelle," Tyler said with top-tier, jovial Christmas spirit.

"Hi, Santa," Annabelle responded with a warm smile.

"Now, I've brought you a couple of presents today because I've heard all about how good and strong you've been. But..." Tyler said before pausing, holding his chin to think animatedly. Annabelle draws closer, intrigued.

"But?" Annabelle asks.

"But, I want to know... What else would you like for Christmas?" asked Tyler.

"I'd like to get better, Santa," she replied, slightly downcast.

"If you continue to fight like you've been doing. If you give it all you've got, Annabelle, you, my dear, will fulfill that wish all by yourself. And I know that you can; I believe in you just like you believe in me," said Tyler.

Time passed, and Annabelle took Tyler's words to heart, fighting every day harder than the last. Simultaneously, Steve worked at becoming the kind, optimistic individual he used to be.

After a while, her cancer began to go into remission, and before you knew it, Annabelle was back on her feet. As lively and joyful as ever, grateful for life and eager to share it.

Since then, she would often visit her father's office. Everyone loved having Annabelle around; she would liven up the place with her smile and cheer. At one point, she even approached Tyler, and with a cheeky wink, she said;

"Thank you, Santa. You really inspired me!"

What can we learn from this story?

• We shouldn't easily judge people because you never really know what someone is going through. While Steve's behavior was hurtful and wrong, it was from a place of pain and disappointment. He was going through a difficult situation, and being unable to express it was probably a large part of what was eating him up.
• It really is better to 'kill them with kindness.' Despite how he treated them, the employees chose to be sympathetic. They chose to show Steve kindness and, in the process, created a better working environment for them and helped Steve regain a piece of himself he had lost.

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

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a rich man who refused to help his son's teacher with cancer and then ended up in the same room with him later.

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.