Tom was riding the elevator, not expecting that an ordinary ride would turn into a meeting that would change his winter. In the corner stood a young woman in a grey coat, holding the hand of a little girl around five years old. The girl stared at Tom with her big blue eyes, then suddenly grinned at him.
“Are you going to work?” she asked without hesitation.
“Emily, we say ‘sir’ to strangers,” her mum gently corrected, giving Tom an apologetic smile.
He smiled back and nodded.
“Yeah, heading to the office.”
“Did you already write your letter to Father Christmas?”
He chuckled. He’d never believed in those fairy tales, not even as a kid, but he wasn’t about to say that to a little girl. She proudly handed him a crumpled piece of card. Without thinking, he slipped it into his pocket, said goodbye, and stepped out into the street.
All day, Tom tried to forget the encounter—burying himself in work, pushing away memories of his ex-fiancée, who’d called off the wedding at the last minute. He’d moved to a new city to start over, but even in the quiet of his new flat, the ache wouldn’t fade.
That evening, wandering the snow-dusted streets, he remembered the card. Pulling it from his pocket, he read the messy child’s handwriting: *”Be happy and never be sad!”* Something warm settled in his chest. He propped it on his shelf where he’d see it every day.
A few days before Christmas, he rang his landlady to ask about the little girl. Mrs. Thompson happily told him—they lived just one floor above, and the mum’s name was Catherine.
That night, Tom knocked on their door. Catherine froze in surprise when she saw him.
“Sorry,” he said, awkwardly rubbing his neck. “I came to see Emily. Thing is, Father Christmas is visiting our office temporarily. He asked me to find a girl named Emily and deliver his letter personally.”
The girl immediately ducked out from behind her mum.
“I knew he’d send you! Wait right there!”
A minute later, she returned with a big envelope covered in snowflakes and hearts. On the front, it read: *”TO FATHER CHRISTMAS – HAND DELIVER ONLY!”*
“Don’t show Mummy! Or the wish won’t come true!”
“Promise it’ll get to him,” Tom said with a smile.
At home, he couldn’t resist opening it. *”Dear Father Christmas, My name is Emily. I’ve been a good girl. Please bring me a big cuddly teddy. And… a new dad. Because I don’t have anyone.”*
On New Year’s Eve, Tom stood at their door again. Catherine opened it and stared—he was holding an enormous pink teddy bear.
“Father Christmas asked me to deliver this to a very good girl named Emily,” he said.
Emily squealed, hugging the bear, then her mum, then Tom.
Catherine invited him in to celebrate. At the table, Emily suddenly asked,
“What about my second wish?”
“That one’s a bit trickier…” Tom hesitated.
“What else did you ask for?” Catherine asked carefully.
“I asked Father Christmas for a new dad. But if he’s all out, maybe you could stay?”
Emily yawned and drifted off, cuddling the bear.
The two adults sat quietly, poking at their food, blushing and smiling. Outside, snow fell like a soft blanket, and for the first time in a long while, the flat felt truly warm.
