When we grow up, we come to realize that Christmas is often a much more magical time for kids than it is for adults.
That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of adults who are ecstatic when the first snow falls and go all-out every holiday season , but this time of year tends to be pretty stressful when we come of age, and that’s especially true for parents.
So whether it’s to try to steer their kids away from the materialism of the season or prevent past disappointments from happening again, some parents are finding unorthodox ways to lighten their loads at Christmas while still keeping the magic alive for their children.
And since the presents weren’t really the problem for one mom, her creativity ended up leading her in a different direction that’s helped more families than she would’ve imagined.
For Stephanie Davisson of Fort Hood, Texas, celebrating Christmas seemed like it would be pretty tricky one year.
As she told Good Morning America, that’s because her husband Brent is in the Army and found himself scheduled for Christmas Duty.
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This meant that it didn’t seem likely that he’d be able to make it home for Christmas morning.
And since Davisson figured that Christmas wouldn’t be the same for her two boys without their dad present, she decided to try and reschedule it instead.
But she also knew enough about her kids that she suspected this wouldn’t be a decision they’d just accept coming from her.
As she put it, “My oldest is 8, and I want to keep the magic alive for him as long as I possibly can. He’s a very logical kid and I knew an ‘official’ letter from Santa, with boxes to check, would do the trick for him.”
So on December 11, 2018, that’s exactly what she created.
As we can see, she definitely did her part to make this letter look official as she included a seal indicating that it’s 100% certified and “elf approved.”
It also included boxes that allowed the kids of military and first responder families to choose their preferred delivery date as well as a message of thanks for their cooperation.
As it said, “Always remember, Christmas isn’t about a box on the calendar, but the feeling we keep in our hearts.”
And it didn’t take long after Davisson shared her letter on Facebook for it to resonate with professionals in similar situations at Christmastime.
For that reason, she would end up updating her original post to include alternate versions of her letter for the families of medical professionals, pilots and flight crew members, divorced families, and others who might need it.
In her words, “I’ve received so many messages from service members, first responders, nurses, oil field workers…the list goes on and on, and I’m so happy to have been able to help these families find joy at Christmas.”
And the best part? It turned out that right after she wrote that letter, one of Brent’s coworkers agreed to take Christmas Duty in his stead.
h/t: Good Morning America
