A Taichung post office not only delivered Christmas cards this Christmas, it also took on the role of Father Christmas by helping a young boy living alone with his father fulfill his dream.
Before Christmas last year, the post office organized a contest in which children were invited to send post cards detailing a Christmas wish to the post office. Entrants stood to win prizes in a raffle and the chance to have their wish fulfilled.
By the end of last month, the post office had received 4,000 cards, mostly from children asking for toys and candy. One card, however, from a sixth-grade student surnamed Feng (
Feng, a sixth-grade student with a history of running away from home and skipping classes, said his wish was to be able to help his father stand on his own two feet again.
The letter caught the attention of postal workers because the boy's wish was to help another person.
Upon investigation, the post office found that Feng's parents had divorced shortly after he was born, and that his grandmother, who suffered a severe stroke, also lived with father and son.
In his letter, the boy wrote: "This is my last Christmas as a child. I ran away from home and skipped school, and now I want to thank my teacher for making me want to return to school. This Christmas I have a special wish: I want to help my disappointed father to once again stand on his own two feet."
As children who submitted letters were eligible to win prizes, workers arranged a temporary job for the boy's father as a postal carrier.
The boy's father used to work the night shift as a janitor, earning a meager salary to support the family. He eventually lost his ability to take care of his family because of the stress of working night shifts.
Feng decided to leave the night job and take care of the family, but has now been unemployed for nine months.
Last Wednesday, the staff invited Feng's father and told him of his son's wish.
Feng was informed that the post office had decided to give him a temporary position as a postman. He was also given a Christmas present for his son, who was at school and could not attend the ceremony.
Upon hearing of his son's wish, Feng's father had difficulty controlling his emotions, and near tears said that he would pull himself together and never disappoint his son again.
When the boy learned that the post office had granted his wish, he said: "I hope our whole family can once again live a happy and stable life."
His grades have improved dramatically recently, and he says that when he grows up he wants to be a policeman and take his father and grandmother around the world.
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