Especially during the Christmas holiday, people love to hear heartwarming stories. After all, this season isn’t about gifts but instead, love and kindness. So, when you hear about something special that happened, it makes everything better.
Bah humbug
This story begins with a man named Mike. He wasn’t very fond of Christmas or at least the commercialization of it. You know, people running around for last-minute gifts and spending more than can afford…that kind of thing.
Something different
Knowing how her husband felt, Mike’s wife wanted to give him something different for Christmas. She didn’t want to buy sweaters, ties, socks, and all the expected gifts. Instead, she wanted something that would live on forever.
School wrestling
Kevin, the couple’s 12-year-old son, wrestled for his school and turned out to be the inspiration for mom’s idea. There was a non-league match scheduled right before the holidays. The opposing team consisted of inner-city kids who showed up in worn-out tennis shoes that stood out compared to what Kevin’s team wore.
“These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.”
The match
Watching the match, Mike’s wife also noticed that the other team members didn’t have headgear. Being from the inner city, they couldn’t afford it. To make a long story short, Kevin’s team beat the other kids pretty badly, winning every weight class.
“As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler’s ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.”
Mike’s reaction
Throughout the event, Mike sat beside his wife. Feeling bad for the other team, he commented,
“‘I wish just one of them could have won,’ he said. ‘They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.’ Mike loved kids – all kids. He so enjoyed coaching little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That’s when the idea for his present came.”
Feeling inspired
The combination of the other team losing and Mike’s statement gave his wife an idea of what she could get him for Christmas. So, she headed to a sporting goods store where she purchased a variety of wrestling shoes and headgear. From there, she sent them to the inner-city church that had sponsored the losing team, anonymously, of course.
“That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes, and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed a small, white envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done, and that this was his gift from me.”
The little white envelope
The night before Christmas, Mike’s wife wrote a note explaining to Mike what she’d done. She then placed that inside of a small white envelope before putting it in the branches of their Christmas tree. The envelope didn’t have a name or any description on it.
A tradition was born
Of all the Christmases, this was the one that Mike loved the most. Inside the envelope, his wife explained what she had done for the inner-city church kids.
“Mike’s smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. And that same bright smile lit up succeeding years. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition – one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.”
So, every year going forward, the couple did the same thing.
“The white envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children – ignoring their new toys – would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents. As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the small, white envelope never lost its allure.”
It’s a constant reminder
As part of the annual tradition, the original white envelope became part of the tree’s decorations. It’s only after the family opens all their gifts that they then take out the note to read it. While the children grew up and the presents became more practical, the envelope was constant.
A sad yet heartfelt ending
Unfortunately, Mike passed away last year from cancer. Filled with sadness, his wife struggled to get into the Christmas spirit.
“You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree. And the next morning, I found it was magically joined by three more. Unbeknownst to the others, each of our three children had for the first time placed a white envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing to take down that special envelope.”
Come to find out, the couple’s three children had each placed a small white envelope in the branches to carry on an important family tradition. Someday, mom hopes their grandchildren will do the same. Even though Mike is gone, he’s always there.
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Source: Sunny Skyz, Facebook
