A boy ventures alone into the woods to bring home a Christmas tree to make his sick grandmother happy. His action turned that Christmas into an unforgettable day after being caught red-handed by a police officer.
Six-year-old Ronald had seen five Christmases and this was the sixth. It was even more special because he was going to decorate his long-awaited tree with his grandmother, Susana.
It had always been an unbroken tradition. Little Ronald loved it as much as he liked to hang empty stockings at the foot of his bed so Santa could shower her with sweet surprises. But on that Christmas Eve, something terrible happened when Susana went up to the attic to take down the toys and decorations…
“How happy my little angel will be after seeing this,” she exclaimed as she filled a box with tinsel and garlands in the attic.
Ronald was all Susana had. She was the only one who took him under his wings when his parents abandoned him before they separated. She loved her grandmother beyond the heavens and the stars. Without her, there would have been no smile and joy in Ronald’s life.
Susana remembered the moment while carrying the box through the attic. She was overly excited thinking about how exciting this Christmas would be with her little grandson.
Suddenly, Susanna lost a step and fell down the stairs. She broke her leg and she was bedridden, but what hurt her the most was the disappointment on Ronald’s face when she learned that she couldn’t decorate the Christmas tree.
“Mimi,” that’s what he called her. “Are you okay? It’s okay if we don’t decorate our tree. I want you to walk. When will you get up, Mimi?”
Susana couldn’t hold back her tears when she saw Ronald so sad, so she let her tears flow freely in front of him. The best thing about their bond was that there were no secrets… no shyness to cry in front of each other.
“Let your emotions flow. If you hold them back, they won’t help at all,” Susana always told Ronald.
Then she understood that the water flowing from her grandmother’s eyes were not tears but her emotions. She also knew how discouraged she was that they couldn’t decorate the Christmas tree together. So, she decided to put a smile on her face by doing something on her own. But for that she needed a Christmas tree, and every year they bought one at the market.
“How can I have a Christmas tree?” Ronald wondered, worried. He did not know the way to the market and did not have money to buy a tree. Suddenly, an idea occurred to him and he ran out of the house into the nearby woods.
It was a freezing afternoon. The forests, the trees, the earth and everything that little Ronald’s eyes could see were covered with snow.
He ran into the woods, not far away, stopping just beyond the entrance after spotting a small pine tree lying in the snow. Someone had already cut it down, but it was apparently discarded due to the crooked branches. But for Ronald, it was going to be his precious Christmas tree.
He huffed and puffed, pulling the sapling across the snow. Ronald had barely finished sighing in relief after the tree was almost out of the woods when a policeman grabbed his shoulder.
“Are you cutting down trees, little thief? You are not allowed to cut down trees in the forest,” Officer Bruno said in a hoarse voice that scared little Ronald. And he began to cry, the poor thing.
“Huh? Give me that tree,” the officer said again, reaching out to grab the trunk from Ronald’s grasp.
“It’s to make my sick grandmother happy,” cried Ronald. “I will not give it to you”.
“We don’t have a tree and she’s sad we couldn’t buy one to decorate this Christmas. Mimi will smile if she sees my tree. I want to make her happy and I need this tree.”
Officer Bruno frowned, rubbing his mustache, looking into Ronald’s large pleading eyes. “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you take that tree, son. But…I have an idea. Come with me.”
Officer Bruno was close to retirement and had five grandchildren. Little Ronald reminded him of them, and his innocence touched his heart. She took Ronald to the market and bought him a new Christmas tree. But the policeman did much more. He bought a big basket of Christmas goodies and even a big chocolate cake for Ronald.
That night, Officer Bruno and Ronald decorated the Christmas tree with Susana. She was delighted and grateful to the officer for making her little boy’s Christmas unique.
“Oh, don’t thank me, ma’am! Your grandson loves you very much and you should be proud of him. He’s an adorable little fellow!” Officer Bruno said.”¡
The next day, Susana and little Ronald celebrated their best Christmas together. They laughed, made wishes and even exchanged handmade gifts.
Meanwhile, Officer Bruno extended another hand of kindness that helped Susana recover faster in the days that followed. He visited them every morning and brought them breakfast and groceries. He treated Susana and Ronald like family, and they celebrated all their Christmases together with her grandchildren.
What can we learn from this story?
Support children’s good intentions, even if they may seem wrong at first glance: Officer Bruno caught Ronald pulling down a Christmas tree in the woods. He forbade her to take it home, thinking that he was stealing it. However, he did his best and bought one from the market after learning his true intention.
The good deed you do for someone may seem small to you, but it could mean a big change for others: In addition to making Ronald and Susanna’s Christmas special, Officer Bruno regularly visited them to make sure they were doing well. His kindness helped the older woman heal and they were more like family to him in the days that followed.
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