Holidays can be exhausting, depressing and frankly, it can make you want to give up on humanity, seeing people throwing tantrums for receiving an expensive gift in the wrong color. Luckily, there are many wholesome stories floating around to reinstill the magic of Christmas – just like the one about an eight-year-old boy who gave his mom the best gift. Prepare some tissues, because this one is a tear jerker.
More info: TikTok
This mom just got the most amazing Christmas gift ever from her 8-year-old son
Image credits: ruthhagmann
You’ve probably seen a lot of people complaining about the loss of magic around this “most wonderful time of the year”. Maybe you’ve even felt it yourself as you stared at the Christmas tree, thinking it will be a pain to clean.
But what is the magic of Christmas? I believe it is the parents who work hard to create the unforgettable memories, be it by eating cookies for Santa or picking the best gifts ever and carefully wrapping them in beautiful paper. They know that once the kids grow up, the holidays will be different and they try to prolong the magic as long as they can.
Ruthie Hagmann’s son, an 8-year-old boy, wanted his mom to have the best Christmas too and seeing her reaction, it is safe to say he succeeded. “My 8-year-old gifted me the most thoughtful gift this Christmas,” she wrote in the text on her TikTok.
“For the past year, he has asked me so many times what my favorite toy was when I was younger. My answer never changed: my American Girl doll — Molly”
Image credits: ruthhagmann
Sadly, Ruthie’s beloved Molly doll was lost when she was moving around as a child. Little did she know, her son would give a piece of her childhood back to her
Image credits: ruthhagmann
How do you pick the perfect gift? You do your research by sneakily asking the right questions about what the person likes. The 8-year-old began his research all the way back in April, when he started asking his mom about the toys she liked.
“For the past year, he has asked me so many times what my favorite toy was when I was younger. My answer never changed: my American Girl doll — Molly.”
Like many little girls, Ruthie was obsessed with her doll but sadly, ended up losing her beloved toy, leaving only a fond memory of the times gone by.
“We moved around so much when I was little that I ended up losing Molly, and that made my son sooo sad to hear. He said he has the perfect idea and secretly planned (since April!) to get me my very own Molly for Christmas.”
Image credits: ruthhagmann
She couldn’t contain her emotions as she saw Molly’s infamous glasses
Image credits: ruthhagmann
The video that has over 12M views shows Ruthie opening a smaller gift, containing Molly’s round glasses, giving her a big hint about what her main gift was. Her sons carefully observe her, worried about mom’s reaction. As soon as she recognized the glasses, it was hard for Ruthie to contain her emotions.
Then her son handed her a box that she carefully unboxed. Just as she suspected, there was her very own Molly doll. We don’t know for sure, but it is very likely that in that moment, she realized that she was raising an incredible person who is thoughtful and empathetic. It might be just a doll, but to her it was a true Christmas miracle.
“He truly healed my inner child with this gift. I can’t believe how sweet he is, I’ll never forget this Christmas” she wrote.
The comments were full of people who were touched by their story: “He couldn’t even stand still he was SO glad the day finally came to give you this. What a sweet boy.”
Others noted that the little boy’s behavior was a direct reflection of Ruthie’s parenting: “Clearly, you’re doing something completely right raising him. What a kind heart he has!”
“It’s my Molly!” she cried as she saw the familiar look of her childhood best friend
Image credits: ruthhagmann
Why do we get so attached to toys? Well, young children believe that their toys are alive – and if you watched Toy Story, you know it’s true. Up to 70% of young children develop strong attachments to toys. This usually correlates with children sleeping apart from their parents at an early age. You probably remember not feeling comfy in your bed until your parent tucked you in and told your favorite toy to keep you safe.
Such attachments are not harmful; in fact, they may actually lead to higher levels of self esteem and comfort. Usually, this peaks at around 3 years of age but it can last longer and even into adulthood. Do you still have your childhood toy sleeping with you?
“He truly healed my inner child with this gift. I can’t believe how sweet he is, I’ll never forget this Christmas”
Image credits: ruthhagmann
Hopefully, this story has reminded you how wonderful the holidays can be and that it’s not about presents, parties and bragging. It’s about being with the ones you love and reminding them how much you love them even if they gave you socks. 99% of the time, those socks were carefully selected for you because you mentioned that you have cold feet.
What was your favorite toy growing up? Do you still have it?