The Magic of the Season

"Everything is running as it should," Mike said from the kitchen doorway. "You shouldn't have any problems, but be sure to call if you do. There's an emergency number at the top of the receipt. Would you like me to show you how to program the thermostat now?"

"That would be great. I'm not very good at technology."

He opened the small flap on the front of the thermostat and explained each of the options to her. After asking about her schedule, he recommended times for reducing the heat and for increasing it again.

"You made that look so easy. I hope I don't have to do anything with it, because I know I'll mess it up," she said, a blush covering her cheeks at the admission.

"Unless your schedule changes drastically, you should be fine with it the way I have it set now."

"Thank you. I'm sure I would have had trouble getting the times right."

He nodded and picked up his toolbox. "I'll let myself out. Have a Merry Christmas."

Long after the back door closed, Sallie Mae remained standing near the new thermostat.

Almost no one knew her furnace hadn't been working that morning. The only person she talked to about it had been Lisa, her friend at work, who didn't have extra money, either. Who could have arranged a service call? Who knew her address? The longer she tried to work out what happened, the more confused she became.

The evening passed quietly. Bobby seemed to sense her mood and didn't act out as was his usual nature. She hadn't punished him for letting the repairman inside when she wasn't home although she was sure he understood from her reaction that she was upset. Long after her son went to sleep, she stayed in the living room, thinking about the events of the day. The young mother eventually burrowed into the arm of the sofa and slept.

Across town, in a brightly decorated bungalow, Maude Keller watched the delivery truck pull away. She hummed a Christmas carol as she imagined the reaction of the recipient. The holidays had been her favorite part of the year until she lost her daughter in a house fire.

Investigators discovered the girl had been using the oven for heat. Maude hadn't known the furnace wasn't working. Determined to prevent the same thing happening to others, she sought out needy families, anonymously paying for their furnace repairs. Her random gifts exemplified the true meaning of Christmas and brought the holiday spirit back into her life.

Sallie Mae woke stiff but warm the next morning. A quick shower helped. She heard Bobby yelling as she finished dressing.

"Mom, I'm starving!"

She fixed his breakfast then began washing the dishes. The ringing of the doorbell startled her. Few people visited them.

"I'll get it, Bobby. You stay here and finish eating."

She dried her hands and went into the living room. Then she slowly opened the door.

"Miss Rollins?"

"Yes?"

The man held a small electronic device toward her. "Sign here, please."

She hesitated before scrawling her name across the bottom. "I'm not expecting anything . . ."

The small envelope didn't have a return address. Sallie Mae closed the door and sat on the sofa. Fear kept her from opening the tab. Her mother's voice filled the silence.

"Have faith, child. Good people surround you. Let them help."

Tears ran down her cheeks. Losing her mother devastated her. She held on to the mental conversations as a way of surviving. Memories of her childhood brought more tears. Her mother taught her to be self-sufficient as a young girl. What made her become so dependent, Sallie wondered as the minutes passed. Bits of her life flashed across a movie screen in her head. She sat straighter, suddenly seeing herself as her mother had, without fear, with strength and determination.

She took a deep breath before opening the envelope. Tucked inside standard white paper that gave nothing away about the sender were several hundred-dollar bills. Typed at the top of the page was a simple message: Have faith in the magic of the season.

The gift showed the young mother she wasn't alone. Someone believed in her, even if they hadn't included their name. She brushed away her tears and smiled.

"Maybe Bobby was right," she whispered. "Maybe Santa does know everything."