For families who always have time off to spend the holidays together, it's easy to forget that not everyone gets that luxury. For parents in the military, those who work nights or weekends, first responders, and people who work in retail or at the movie theaters that serve hoards of people all through the holiday season, having Christmas Day off isn't always an option. That's why one mom typed up the sweetest Santa letter to explain to her kids why their Christmas Day might look a little different this year, and parents are loving it.
Facebook user Stephanie Lynn wrote that she and her family are actually celebrating Christmas on the 24th this year because her husband has to work.
"Dear Military & First Responder Families," she wrote. "As all of you know, the holidays can be a rough time for families like ours — juggling shift work (which I'm so glad Brent doesn't deal with anymore!), on-call hours, deployments, TDYs, etc. and 'normal' holiday events can get quite hectic. And no matter what, our amazing kids just push on through, sharing their parent(s) with us all. This year, it's likely Brent will be working on Christmas Day, so we've decided to have Christmas the morning of the 24th, when we can all be together. I typed up a letter from Santa Claus, just for these special kids, and wanted to share it with y'all, just in case."
Stephanie's letter not only explains why parents have to be away, but it also offers "alternative delivery dates" for Santa's gifts.
"Always remember, Christmas isn't about a box on the calendar, but the feeling we keep in our hearts," the letter explains. In an update to her post, Stephanie shared that she also made specific versions of the letter for military and first responders, medical professionals, pilots and flight crew, and divorced family, and she offers all of the versions for free download.
The post struck a chord with other parents and has been shared more than 41,000 times in just less than a week.
Even the Facebook page for the NORAD Santa Tracker put out a special message about the alternative dates.
This mom's letter is the perfect reminder that Christmas is about togetherness and love, no matter when you celebrate.
