I signed up for a Secret Santa program on reddit for the first time, excited beyond belief to cyber-stalk a stranger and give them an amazing gift.

The person I got matched to, however, didn’t have very many comments. I thought for a long time about what to get and/or make for him, and eventually thought, “You know what? Almost everyone on reddit likes Calvin & Hobbes. I’ll make him a little stuffed Hobbes.” So I bought the fabric and began working on it. But as I worked, I began to second guess myself. “What if he doesn’t like it?” I thought. “I want this gift to really mean something to him… and I’m just not sure if this gift will. I’m putting a LOT of work into it and I have NO CLUE if he’ll like it!” I kept working, however, and as little Hobbes began finally looking like a tiger, I realized that I’d rather give him to someone who would love and play with him like Calvin does. I had another gift that I had bought for my Secret Santa, so I sent him that along with a letter and some hand-made reddit-themed Christmas tree ornaments, then turned my attention back to Hobbes. I posted a picture of him on /r/reddit.com, asking if anyone had any sick kids who would like him. Lots of people said they loved him, but didn’t know any children who needed a friend like Hobbes. They also mentioned that hospitals didn’t accept stuffed animals as donations, because they can carry germs. So I sat, dejected, looking at little Hobbes, wondering how I would find someone to give him to.

The next day, I came into work and remembered that we have a lot of young patients who are ill. (I'm just a receptionist/switchboard operator, so I don't actually SEE the patients, just talk to them briefly on the phone, in case you were wondering how I could forget something like that.) One of our respiratory therapists happened to be in the office that day for a meeting, so I asked her if any of her patients would like Hobbes. She immediately replied, “Oh man! Cody would LOVE that!” She proceeded to tell me a little more about Cody... He was born with several of his organs outside of his body, and wasn't supposed to survive. However, he beat the odds and is now 5 years old. He needs a trach in his throat to breathe, and isn't able to use his arms, but he uses his feet for everything, and loves to blow kisses with them. I also spoke to Cody's caretaker on the phone, and learned that he LOVES stuffed animals, and sleeps with a different one every night - but he didn't have a tiger yet. I decided that he would be the perfect friend for Hobbes.

I boxed up Hobbes along with a letter to Cody

my old copy of "The Indispensable Calvin & Hobbes," and a letter to his family explaining the entire situation. I wrapped it and sent it off with the respiratory therapist, to be delivered the next time she visited with him for a checkup.

A week later, she emailed me a ton of pictures of Cody as he unwrapped and began to play with Hobbes. In this picture he's holding Hobbes up with his foot so he can give him a kiss. The respiratory therapist also said that he was "reading" the book to her before she left.

I'd like to thank redditgifts and the entire reddit secret santa community for reminding me what Christmas is supposed to be all about. Giving this one gift has meant more to me than ALL the other Christmas presents I've ever given (with the possible exception of a memory quilt I made for my Dad a few years ago). Being able to brighten someone else's day, even if it's just for a moment, is what this whole season should be about - not black Friday crowds breaking down doors or great deals on Amazon.com. Not only this, but the comments on the reddit posts have brought me to tears a time or two. Panguin speaking about her fiancee's handicapped cousin and the look of joy on his/her face as they unwrapped presents, cookeyummmmm's story about his or her own son recognizing the spirit of Christmas for the first time, chixor1's nephew who was born with the same condition and also defeated it, hopstar, who was inspired to go out and "do something extra special for a deserving person," and the myriad of people who were upset about people "cutting onions" behind them... All of you have contributed to making this Christmas an amazing experience for me. Thank you. Thank you all.

I'm making it a tradition to hand-make a stuffed animal every Christmas, and to give it to a needy or sick child - and I'd like to encourage others to do the same. Even if you can't make something, donating to your local children's hospital or other charity can make a huge difference in someone else's life.

I look forward to stalking my two rematches this year, and to future reddit secret santas. Thank you again for making this Christmas special not only to me, but to Cody as well. And now, I really should get back to work. Answering the phone while choked up with tears isn't very professional of me. :)