English Original
Alice's mother died when she was five years old. Although her nine brothers and sisters were loving, they were no replacement for a mother's love.
The year was 1925, and life was hard. Alice, who grew up to be my mother, told me her family was too poor to afford a doll for her.
In the aftermath of her loss, Alice vowed to care for others. Her father, husband, children, and grandchildren became the focus of her life. She tried to make up for her sad childhood through dedication to her family, but an unfilled void remained.
In December 1982, I worked at a local bank. While decorating for Christmas, a customer showed me her beautiful handmade dolls and was taking orders. I decided to order one for my nearly five-year-old daughter, Katie. Then I had an idea: I asked if she could make a special doll for my mother—one with gray hair and spectacles, a grandmother doll.
The doll maker found the idea unique and accepted the creative challenge. I placed my order: two dolls, one blonde and one gray-haired, for Christmas morning.
Things fell into place when a friend told me his father, who played Santa Claus at local charitable events, would visit our home on Christmas morning to deliver Katie's presents. Knowing my parents would be there, I prepared for what would become one of my mother's most memorable days.
Christmas Day arrived, and so did Santa Claus at the planned time. I had prepared presents for Santa to deliver, including one for my mother tucked into the bottom of his bag. Katie was surprised and elated—the happiest I'd ever seen her.
My mother enjoyed watching her granddaughter's reaction. As Santa turned to leave, he looked into his knapsack and retrieved one more gift. He asked, "Who is Alice?" My mother, taken aback, indicated she was Alice. Santa handed her the gift with a card that read:
For Alice:
I was cleaning out my sleigh before my trip this year and came across this package that was supposed to be delivered on December 25, 1925. The present inside has aged, but I felt you might still wish to have it. Many apologies for the lateness of the gift.
Love,
Santa Claus
My mother's reaction was one of the most profound and emotional scenes I have ever witnessed. She couldn't speak, but only clasped the doll she had waited fifty-seven years to receive as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. That doll, given by "Santa," made my mother the happiest "child" alive.
中文翻译
爱丽丝五岁时，母亲去世了。尽管她的九个兄弟姐妹充满爱心，但无法替代母爱。
那是1925年，生活艰难。后来成为我母亲的爱丽丝告诉我，她家太穷了，甚至买不起一个娃娃给她。
失去母亲后，爱丽丝发誓要照顾他人。她的父亲、丈夫、孩子和孙子相继成为她生活的重心。她希望通过为家庭奉献来弥补悲伤的童年，但内心似乎总有一处空虚无法填补。
1982年12月，我在当地一家银行工作。一次为圣诞节装饰时，一位顾客向我展示了她的手工娃娃样品，并正在接收订单。我决定为我快五岁的女儿凯蒂订购一个。接着我灵机一动：询问她能否为我的母亲制作一个特别的娃娃——一个灰头发、戴眼镜的祖母娃娃。
娃娃制作者觉得这个想法很独特，将其视为创意挑战接受了。我下了订单：两个娃娃，一个金发，一个灰发，圣诞节早上要。
事情变得顺利起来，一位朋友告诉我，他父亲在我所在地区的各种慈善活动中扮演圣诞老人，愿意在圣诞节早上来我们家给凯蒂送礼物。知道我的父母也会在场，我开始准备，这将是我母亲一生中最难忘的日子之一。
圣诞节到了，圣诞老人也按计划时间出现。我准备了让圣诞老人派送的礼物，其中一份给我母亲的礼物塞在了他袋子的底部。凯蒂又惊又喜——那是我在她幼年时期见过她最快乐的样子。
我母亲正津津有味地看着孙女对这位特殊客人的反应。当圣诞老人转身要离开时，他又看了看他的背包，取出了另一份礼物。他问道：“谁是爱丽丝？”我母亲听到自己的名字被叫到，很是惊讶，示意她就是爱丽丝。圣诞老人将礼物递给她，附带的卡片上写着：
致爱丽丝：
今年出发前，我在清理雪橇时发现了这个包裹，它本应在1925年12月25日送达。里面的礼物已经旧了，但我觉得你可能仍然希望拥有它。为这份迟到的礼物深表歉意。
爱你的，
圣诞老人
我母亲的反应是我所见过的最深刻、最动人的场景之一。她说不出话来，只是紧紧抱着这个她等待了五十七年才收到的娃娃，喜悦的泪水顺着脸颊流下。这个由“圣诞老人”赠送的娃娃，让我母亲成为了世界上最快乐的“孩子”。