On Christmas Morning, I Found a Gift Addressed to an Unknown Female – My Son Got It in My Husband’s Basement
Amber discovered a beautifully wrapped present addressed to an unidentified woman beneath the tree on Christmas morning. She found out that her husband, Carl, had packed the gift when she confronted him. Who was this unidentified woman? Why did Carl purchase a present for her?
I had the worst Christmas ever at the beginning of this year.
It had been a wonderful Christmas Eve. We had laughed till our sides ached, baked cookies, and sung carols. Carl, my husband, even spun our son Logan around like a little ballerina while dancing with him.
Carl and I remained up drinking cocoa and watching the lights on the tree twinkle, while Logan went to bed with the sort of excitement that only a five-year-old could manage, fantasizing of Santa’s presents.
Everything appeared to be ideal by morning, when snow covered the ground like powdered sugar. Logan and I had already changed into our holiday jammies, and he couldn’t wait to open the presents.
“Mom! Can I start by opening this one? He squealed and gestured toward a package that was brightly wrapped and had his name written on the tag.
I said, “Let’s wait for Dad,” looking toward the kitchen, where Carl was making coffee at the counter.
He avoided my eyes and appeared especially tight, his shoulders rigid.
“Carl,” I said, “Logan is prepared to get started.”
Carl gave a nod but remained still. I dismissed his strange conduct because it was Christmas.
Logan tore through his first gift with all the zeal a five-year-old could muster as we sat down on the floor. When he finally found the toy truck he had been pleading for, he gasped.
“Santa got it right, Mom!” he exclaimed, displaying it as though it were a prize.
“That’s so cool!” I laughed.
But when my eyes fell on a large, glittering box beneath the tree, all of my joy abruptly vanished. The previous evening, I hadn’t noticed it.
I saw a little letter on top of it when I took it up.
“For Debra, with love,” it said. You are the only person I have.
A knot in my stomach tightened.
“Who’s Debra?” Staring at the note as if it may explain itself in some way, I whispered.
I heard Carl’s voice at that moment. He was staring at the box with a pale face and big eyes.
He stumbled, “What are you talking about?”
I raised the box and gave it a little shake. “This. Carl, what the devil is this?
Before he could respond, Logan spoke out, grinning proudly. “I assisted Santa! Yesterday, I discovered it concealed in Dad’s basement. I took it up here at night because I believed he had forgotten to put it under the tree.
With my heart pounding, I jerked my head in Carl’s direction. “This was discovered in your basement by Logan? Carl, who’s Debra? Why is she the only one you have?
Carl gave me a wide-eyed stare but could not provide an explanation.
“Am-Amber,” he stumbled to say. “Debra is my… It isn’t what you believe—”
I responded, “Oh, I know exactly what I think,” as tears began to fall down my face.
Thinking about how Carl had betrayed my trust—especially on such a momentous occasion—made me cry. The man I had complete faith in had purchased a present for a different woman. Not just any gift, either.
A present for “my only one.”
Logan’s tiny hand suddenly tugged at my sleeve.
“Mom? “Are you okay?” he inquired naively. “Did I do something bad?”
I knelt down and brushed his hair back fast.
“No, dear. There was nothing wrong with you. Please spend a moment playing with your new toy in the bedroom.
After hesitating, Logan fled, leaving Carl and myself by ourselves.
With my hands folded, I turned to face Carl and gave him a serious look.
“Explain,” I said. “Now.”
Carl appeared to have been ensnared in a deception that he was unable to escape. He looked down, shook his head, and his shoulders dropped.
I half expected him to confess to having an affair, so I braced myself.
He started by saying, “Debra is… my sister.”
Uncertain if I had heard him correctly, I blinked. “Your what?”
He repeated, “My sister,” before he collapsed on the couch and covered his face with his hands. “She passed away when we were in our teens. It hurts too much, therefore I never told you about her.
As I tried to take in what he had just said, I just stared at him.
I said, “Carl, I don’t understand,” “Is Debra your sibling? But you didn’t mention her to me? Furthermore, why would you conceal a present for her in the basement?
With a heavy sigh, he looked up at me at last. Unshed tears filled his gaze.
He said in a quiet voice, “She died just before Christmas, 15 years ago,” “A automobile collision occurred. She was en route with her mother to purchase the ice skates I had been lusting over as a Christmas present. She didn’t make it when an intoxicated driver struck their vehicle.
With the package still in my lap, I slipped onto the couch next to him. “Carl, I’m really sorry. However, why did you never mention her to me?
His words, “I didn’t know how,” “My best friend was Debra. We didn’t have much growing up, but she always made sure I felt special. Every Christmas, she’d save money to get me something I truly desired. I was her “only one,” she would constantly say. It was something we did.
Carl grinned slightly as his voice grew softer. “I had also given her a gift that year. a little Polaroid gadget. She always dreamed of becoming a photographer because she enjoyed it so much. However, she was never able to unlock it. Additionally, I was never able to say goodbye.
Everything changed abruptly when I glanced down at the lovely note and the golden-wrapped box. This has nothing to do with treachery.
It had to do with loss.
“For years,” Carl went on, “I’ve given her a Christmas present and placed it at her grave.” I’m doing it to honor her memory. Not even my parents had heard of it. I didn’t know how to explain it to you, so I hid it in the basement. I didn’t want you to believe that I was insane or stuck in the past.”
My heart ached for the youngster he had been, bearing such a tremendous loss for all these years, and I swallowed hard.
“Logan must have found it this year,” he remarked, his voice breaking. Like I always do, Amber, I was going to take it to her grave. I didn’t intend for you to learn this way.”
As I set the package on the coffee table, my vision became blurry due to tears.
“Carl… I said, “I wish you had told me.” “You don’t have to carry this alone.”
Wiping away his tears, he explained, “I was going to tell you, Amber,” But it hurt too much every time I considered it. It still feels new even now, after all these years.
Only minutes before, the worst-case possibilities had been circling in my head. I now understand the amount of grief Carl has been carrying in silence while we sit here together.
“What’s in the box?” I gestured to the golden gift on the coffee table and inquired quietly.
“It’s uh,” said Carl. It’s a Polaroid camera in baby blue. She had always desired one. Her career goal was to become a photographer. I considered… Even though she is no longer with me, I believed I could still give her that.
We sat there in quiet for a long time. And then I had an idea.
I said, “Let’s open it,”
Carl gave me a shocked look. “What?”
“The gift,” I said. Together, let’s open it. For her.
After some hesitation, he nodded.
Peeling aside the golden paper, we cautiously unwrapped the package together. The basic baby-blue camera was inside. Carl thought of Debra and brushed his fingertips over it.
“She would’ve loved this,” he said in a tremulous tone.
Tears began streaming down my face. Holding the camera somehow brought Debra into our presence, her memories adding a soft warmth to the space.
Then the quiet was broken by Logan’s little voice from the bedroom.
“Mom? Dad? “Are you alright?”
I grinned and wiped my eyes hastily. “We’re all right, friend. Come on in.”
With his toy truck gripped firmly in his fists, Logan trotted in. His face was puzzled as he glanced at the camera and then back at us. “What’s that?”
With a steady yet gentle voice, Carl drew him into his lap. It’s a present for a very special person. Debra, my sister. Although she isn’t among us, she shared your love of Christmas.
Logan scowled. “She sounds pleasant. Is it possible to purchase her a stocking for next year?
Carl grinned, tears sparkling in his eyes. “Yes, friend. She is entitled to a stocking.
We placed the Polaroid camera in the middle of the Christmas tree that evening. It reminded us of the love Carl had carried for so long as it glittered in the lights.
I felt an odd mixture of serenity and sadness when I went to bed that night.
What had begun as the most awful Christmas I had ever experienced had transformed into something lovely. We not only managed to pay tribute to Debra’s memory that day, but we also helped my husband mend a piece of his heart.
I will always remember this Christmas.
