Christmas gift!

"You, filthy wretch!" 

Claire was cleaning the floor and crying. But her stepfather did not calm down. 

"Clean up, or you'll spend Christmas in a dump! I'm not your loving daddy who disappeared in the war. And if I want, you'll be out of here at the speed of sound!" 

Claire could not take this anymore and ran towards her room hoping to be alone. But her stepbrother was waiting for her with his surprise there. He held a kitchen knife with one hand and her only stuffed toy friend in another. She got tense and asked him what he was going to do. He replied that his daddy had told him that it would be fun to cut her only toy because no one else would give her another one! She was so shocked and begged him to give it back. She also told him that it was her dad's last gift. But Chuck didn't listen to her and with a strange smile, he cut open Mr. Scramble's stomach. And his stuffing scattered all over the room. He threw the toy and went away. In utter despair, Claire took the toy and ran to her mom's room. 

"Mommy, mommy!"

"Daughter, why are you crying?"

"Chuck cut and open my toy and Ben...I can no longer live in the same house with my stepfather and brother. They hate me for existing"

"Don't worry! I'll talk to Ben now."

Earlier, when her stepfather crossed the line, her mom talked to him and he apologized. And so she was hoping that it would be the same that time. So, when her mom said that she had great news, she was literally surprised!

She said that they had decided to give her to a foster family. 

"What?"

"Dear, I love you, but I'm sick of standing between you and Ben. A foster mom will take better care of you than a real one who doesn't need you anymore..."

Claire was so shocked and couldn't stay in that house one more day. So, on a December night, she took her special box, a photo of her father, got dressed, and went down the street. She immediately felt cold because she didn't have any winter clothes. Nobody spent extra money on her. The only thing that kept her warm was her box. She kept her letters for Santa in it. In each letter, she asked for only one thing: she wanted Santa to find and return her daddy to her. 

And when she needed a miracle the most, Santa appeared in front of her. He took her in his arms and asked why she was crying. The sad Claire told him everything...about her stepfather, mom, mom, and how much she had missed her dad. 

She suddenly noticed a year on Santa's cheek. He said to her, "Claire, I'm not a real Santa. I am your FATHER."

Claire could not believe her ears but cried with happiness when Santa took off his beard and her father appeared in front of her. 

He said to her that there were so many things he wanted to tell her. "But first..."

Her daddy brought her home in his arms and her bullies lined up in front of him. 

Her mom was shocked and said to her dad, "Jack! You, how, I, this..." 

"Shut up!", Her dad said. "I can't blame you for finding someone else! After all, he was held captive for many years!" 

Ben could not understand anything and asked her mom, "Who is this moron?" 

"Did I let you speak?", said her daddy, "But what you did to Claire?"

He asked his ex-wife, "Do you remember whose house this is, Christina? Tomorrow morning, you'll pack your stuff and disappear from our lives! Claire and I will live here happily!"

Life often sends more difficulties than miracles, but more miracles happen to those who believe in them.