My husband Jerry and I have an 8-year-old daughter, Ruth. Every Christmas, Ruth writes a letter to Santa and leaves it in the freezer for him to “find.” It’s a family tradition.

This year was no different—until I read her letter. That night, after Ruth fell asleep, I opened it and my heart stopped.

She had drawn a picture of heart-shaped earrings and written: “Dear Santa, please bring me the same heart-shaped earrings Dad gave to my nanny! Thank you!”

I felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. Was Jerry ch:ea:ting on me with Gloria, our nanny? My mind raced, piecing together their subtle interactions—Jerry’s smiles, his insistence that Gloria stay late.

I had to know the truth. The next morning, I set up a nanny cam.

Everything seemed normal until I saw Jerry come home at midday, hours earlier than expected. My stomach dropped.

Jerry handed Gloria a small, gift-wrapped box. She looked surprised, then smiled as she opened it.

I grabbed my bag, told my boss about a family emergency, and drove home.

Jerry and Gloria both froze when they saw me.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, my voice trembling.

Neither of them answered right away. I looked at Gloria’s ears, which were on display with her braided hair.

The earrings. Heart-shaped, just like Ruth had drawn.

“Nice earrings, Gloria!”, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “It must be nice to get all these things from my husband. Imagine. Jewelry from another woman’s husband.”

Gloria’s face went pale. Jerry stepped forward.

“I can explain it all.”, he said.

“Oh, I’m sure you can,” I shot back. “And it better be good, because from where I’m standing it looks like you’ve been sneaking around behind my back! With our nanny!”

Jerry sighed deeply, “you weren’t supposed to find out this way.”

“That’s your explanation, Jerry?” I shouted. “That you weren’t supposed to get caught?”

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he said quickly. “Just listen to me… okay? Those earrings. They’re not from me. Not really.”

“What does that even mean, Jerry?”

My husband hesitated, then took a deep breath.

“They were from Brian. My… well, we were best friends.”

“Brian? Who’s Brian?” I asked.

“Brian was Jerry’s best friend, Dorothy. My brother.”, Gloria spoke up.

Jerry sat me down, his voice heavy with guilt as he explained everything.

14 years ago, his best friend Brian had passed away due to cancer. Before his passing, he asked Jerry to look after Gloria. At least it explained why Jerry had pushed for us to hire her.

She was only 19 at the time and had recently lost her parents too.

“He left me a box of gifts for her,” Jerry said. “He wanted her to have pieces of him for milestones in her life—like birthdays, special occasions, moments where she needed to feel he was still with her. He planned all of it while he was undergoing chemo.”

Gloria’s eyes shimmered with tears.

“I’ve been fulfilling that promise ever since. The earrings were in the box. They were meant for her and they were given by Brian. Not from me.”, Jerry continued to explain.

I stared at him, “so you’re telling me all this sneaking around… you were keeping a promise.”

“Yes,” he said softly. “I should have told you sooner, Dot. I just didn’t know how. It’s not exactly the kind of thing that comes up in conversation. And… talking about Brian is a lot for me.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” I asked Gloria. “You knew about Brian and Jerry the entire time and just… didn’t? Ruth asked for these earrings, dammit. She asked Santa for them, and that’s why I thought something was going on.”

Gloria shook her head sadly.

“I didn’t know Ruth would notice the earrings, let alone ask for them. If I had, I would’ve explained everything right away. I never wanted to cause trouble for anyone here…”

That Christmas, Jerry and I had a long talk, and I wasn’t thrilled about the secrets, but I couldn’t deny the beauty of his promise to Brian.

And honestly, Gloria was a part of our family. Ruth adored her.

We made a decision to sit down with Ruth and a platter of waffles, trying to explain the story behind the earrings. She was fascinated, and still insisted Santa had to bring her a pair.

And Santa delivered.

On Christmas morning, Ruth opened a tiny box to find her very own heart-shaped earrings. Her face lit up bright, and for the first time in weeks, I felt my heart swell with joy instead of doubt.

Those earrings became a sort of reminder — of love and strength. Of Brian’s love for his sister. Of Jerry’s loyalty to his friend. And the love that kept our family together, even through misunderstandings. We also taught Ruth the power of promises and unconditional love.

Sometimes, the truth hurts. But sometimes, it heals.

And this Christmas, it did both.