It was Christmas Eve in the beautiful town of Buffalo. Snow was falling from the sky leaving white spots in tree branches, streets and roofs. The sky itself was so clear and beautifully lit by the moon. The stars were aligned and filled the night sky perfectly. The streets in the neighborhood was so solemn and peaceful that you can hear distinct voices of people singing Christmas lullabies. In that very neighborhood lived a little boy named Charlie. He was staring in a distance by the window.

Earlier that day, Charlie had a fight over Christmas presents with his father. The argument went on and on until they got home. His father tried to make amends, but naïve Charlie got a little carried away. Little Charlie ran to his room and sat by the window, still angry at his father. Slowly tears ran down his face. He suddenly misses his mother. It has been a couple of years since she passed away. Ever since it happened, he never seemed to get along with his father. Thoughts of her quickly drowned him in tears. As he quietly sobs, he sobbed himself to sleep.

Charlie was certain he was dreaming because he was standing in the ice skating rink in Rockefeller Centre, which is miles away from where he lives. Another thing that made him certain that it was only a dream, was because he could feel a hand on his shoulders. A touch he was very familiar with. A mother’s loving touch. He turned around and found his mother smiling at him and slowly kissed him on the cheeks. Charlie quickly sobbed and hugged his mother as fast as he could. He missed her so much that the presence of words wasn’t right. Silence sealed the feeling of longing of one another perfectly. “I miss you,” says Charlie breaking off the silence. He felt her hug him tighter before finally replying, “I miss you too, little bear”.  They didn’t say a lot of things afterwards. They just held hands as they skated around the rink. Charlie was grateful to have been able to meet his mother, even though it was just a dream. All of a sudden, the scene quickly changed before Charlie’s very eyes. He was sitting in a bench in Bryant Park. His mother was still beside him. She took his hand and held it tight. Charlie always remembers this gesture. It was his mother’s gesture whenever she was about to say something important. “Charlie, can you promise me something?” his mother asked. Charlie nods.

“You and your father are the best thing that God has ever blessed me with. You two are the greatest gifts of all. I haven’t left, Charlie. I am now just watching over you from a different point of view. Not a single day has passed without me thinking of how my two boys are doing. It saddens me to know that the two of you aren’t getting along as I expected you to. Remember, my boy, he is forever a part of you, as you are forever a part of him. Promise me, to get along, love and to always forgive that part of yourself.” Charlie nods as the tears started to gather in his eyes. His mother hugged him as her hand stroke in between the strands of his hair. Charlie closed his eyes as he enjoyed his mother’s touch. When Charlie opened his eyes, he found himself back in his room, by the window. The sun has already settled in the morning sky. It was Christmas day.

Charlie ran down the stairs and found his father sitting in his armchair near the Christmas tree. His father was staring off a distance with a cup of coffee in his right hand and a present with a tag that writes ‘Charlie’ on it in the other. Charlie approached his father and then softly put his hand on his dad’s shoulders. His father turned around and their eyes met. Charlie hugged his father as tight as he could as he whispered the words, “I’m sorry,”. His father hugged Charlie even tighter and whispered back “Merry Christmas, Charlie. I love you,”.