For 25 Christmases, The Same Silent Stranger Appeared Outside Our House At Exactly The Same Time. He Never Spoke, Never Left A Note, And Every Year My Parents Called The Police In Panic. When I Turned 15, I Finally Stepped Outside And Asked, “Why Do You Keep Coming Back?” He Looked Straight At Me… And Burst Into Tears.

led to a dead end.

And then I went to college, and life got busy, and the mystery of the Christmas Eve man faded into the background. I still saw him every year when I came home for the holidays, still watched him from my window, older and frailer each time, still keeping his lonely vigil. But I stopped asking questions. Stopped trying to find answers.continue reading …