An elderly man felt lonely and disappointed spending Christmas by himself once more, as his children had declined his invitation to celebrate together. However, he was pleasantly surprised when his 7-year-old grandson appeared at his doorstep, bringing some joy to replace the absence of the rest of the family.

“Happy 7th birthday, Sean and Gregory,” Stewart greeted his twin sons on their birthday before giving them each a gift bag.

“Is this what I think it is, dad?!” Sean asked, shaking the bag.

“Please let it be the tablet I’ve been wanting!” Gregory echoed.

They both opened their gift bags and were disappointed to find that they were given matching sweaters by their dad rather than the things they wanted.

“I’m sorry, guys. We’re a bit tight on money these days, and I didn’t have much left to spend on your gifts. I promise to work even harder so I can give you what you want next year. Okay?” he apologized, ashamed that he could not give his sons their wishes.

“I’m tired of being poor,” Sean sighed. “Gregory and I are the only ones in our class without tablets,” he muttered.

It’s been difficult for Stewart to raise his three children alone. Ever since his wife’s passing, he had to carry all the parental responsibilities on his shoulders, and it also meant paying for all expenses alone.

One day, he picked up his daughter Lucy from ballet school. He saw Lucy crying with her head down.

“Dad, my classmates are making fun of me because my pointe shoes are ripped. These are from the thrift store! Can we please buy new ones, so they don’t make fun of me anymore? They hurt my feelings!” she cried.

Stewart knew he couldn’t afford to buy her a new pair of pointe shoes. “I’m sorry, Lucy. When dad’s salary is increased, the first thing we’ll buy is a pair of new pointe shoes. Okay?” he told her.

“You always say that!” Lucy cried out before walking straight out the door. Stewart followed behind her in defeat.

Christmas came, and Stewart He tried to prepare all of his children’s favorite food because that year, he had no extra money for individual gifts.

“Lucy, I baked your favorite apple pie. Sean, I made sure to get some baked spaghetti from the store. And Gregory, I baked a whole chicken. Your favorites! Merry Christmas, my sweet children,” he greeted them.

Lucy, Sean, and Gregory realized that they weren’t going to be getting any gifts that year but they didn’t want to ruin the Christmas spirit, which was their favorite time of the year.

After dinner, the three kids went outside to mold a huge snowman and had a snowball fight with their dad. It was a family tradition that they wanted to keep alive even though their mom was no longer with them.

Suddenly, Stewart heard a short knock on the door. “Who is it?” he called out.

Many years passed, and Stewart’s kids all had families of their own. Though they all lived in the same city, they never bothered to visit Stewart at home.

Stewart would often look at old photos of his family. He came across one particular photo where he and his children were making a snowman outside the house. They were happy, and the genuine smiles on his children’s faces were priceless.

He recalled working more than one shift a day to buy them a good Christmas dinner and small presents. He glanced upon a photo of his late wife, making him smile.

“You don’t age, honey,” he said, talking to the picture as if he was with his wife. “I tried to be the best father I could be, but our kids wanted more… I miss you so much. You were my partner in everything, and you kept the house together,” he added.

Stewart decided to extend an invitation to their children once more. “Maybe this will finally be the year they’ll answer my invitation,” he told himself.

Stewart waited for his children to come on Christmas Eve, looking out the window in anticipation.

Stewart thought that his children had ignored his invitation once again until he heard a short knock on the door.

“Hi, grandpa,” a small boy said.

“Tim! What a surprise!” Stewart smiled. “Is it just you? How did you get here alone?!”

Tim nodded sadly. “Even on Christmas Eve, my parents ignore me. They’re too busy with work. I know how much you love Christmas, grandpa, so I decided to walk here,” the boy revealed.

Stewart decided to get dressed. “Well, then. This calls for a celebration! You and I will have a good Christmas together,” Stewart told Tim. “Kids deserve to play under the snow every Christmas,” he added.

They walked outside though Stewart could not stay outdoors for long. His doctor wa:r:ned he was at risk of a heart attack or kidney and liver failure if he ever got too cold.

Despite this, Stewart was determined to make his grandson happy. They sculpted a huge snowman together and made snowballs with their hands.

When Tim’s parents realized that he was missing, they saw him having a lot of fun with his grandfather outside the house.

Unfortunately, soon after, Stewart collapsed on the floor, and they took him to the hospital.

Stewart woke up in the hospital, where he was told that he suffered from hypothermia.

“Was this what had to happen to me for you to see me during Christmas?” he asked his children with a smile on his face.

“Tim came to my house because he said you were too busy to celebrate Christmas with him. It’s Christmas! What could be more important than spending Christmas with family?” Stewart asked his son Gregory.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like for Tim on a normal day when even during Christmas, you don’t spend it with him. I hope you do better. Your children deserve your attention,” he added.

Gregory, Sean and Lucy, realized that Stewart was right. All those years, they focused on the material things that Stewart could give them when he tried to shower them with so much more than that – he gave them his time, his love, and his care.

After Stewart’s recovery, Gregory, Sean, and Lucy spoke to one another about visiting Stewart regularly. They knew that their dad wasn’t getting any younger, and they wanted their children to get to know their grandfather as much as they could.

Every weekend, they would get together for dinner. The kids would enjoy exchanging stories with their grandfather and making snowmen with him during Christmas time.