Lonely Toy Store Owner Visits Kids’ Shelters Dressed up as Santa, Finds Family in One of Them – Story of the Day

A lonely toy store owner finds solace in dressing up as a Santa and visiting children’s shelters to spread Christmas cheer. One such Christmas, the love he gave to the children returns to him in the most unexpected way.

Thomas awoke that Christmas morning and pulled back the bedroom drapes, smiling at how each house looked like a mini Christmas fair. Lightbulbs and garlands adorned his neighbors’ front porches, and the children seemed excited, decorating their homes with their families.

For Thomas, it was only a distant dream as he didn’t have any family. His parents had died long ago in a car crash, and he had spent all his childhood in a shelter. But keeping his loneliness aside, Thomas made the holiday season special for several little souls.

Every year on Christmas, the young man dressed up as Santa and spent the day with kids from his city’s shelters. The children’s smiles as they opened their gifts and found treats, toys, and warm gloves and scarves warmed his heart.

Years passed, but Thomas never stopped the good deed. That Christmas, he dressed up as Santa again, ready to spread happiness to the children he was visiting. Little did he know that Christmas would be the brightest for him, bringing an unexpected blessing his way…

“Can I help you? Those boxes look heavy, Santa!” a honey voice interrupted Thomas as he unloaded boxes from his car at the shelter. He turned around and saw a pretty woman behind him.

“Ah, well, I’ll manage, I guess?” he said.

“A little help goes a long way,” she said with a smile as she picked up a few boxes. “We’ll take them to the back office, alright? That way, the kids won’t see it, and it’ll be a surprise.”

“Thank you,” Thomas replied. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

As they finished stacking the boxes, she said, “There you go! Thankfully, everything’s done here.”

“I’m Mary, by the way. Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to visit these children. They’ll really appreciate that.”

“Thomas here. No problem. I do it every year… Warms my heart, you know.”

“You’re a good man, Mr. Santa,” she said, laughing. “Shall we go meet the kids in five minutes? I’ll gather them in the main room?”

“Perfect! Yeah!” Thomas nodded.

That day, Thomas and Mary spent time together with the children at the shelter, playing games and sharing gifts, and it ended with a lovely Christmas dinner he had organized for everyone. The kids adored the toys he had specially made for them, and Thomas, the owner of a toy store, couldn’t be happier.

“Thank you again for coming, Thomas,” Mary said, smiling, as she went to see him off, and suddenly Thomas said, “Would you like to join me for a coffee?”

Her smile faded. “I apologize if you misunderstood anything, but no, I… I can’t,” she...