I do truly like these types of cheerful stories more then the ones about people trying to do away with Christmas, don’t you?
EAST WENATCHEE (Washington) — Dressed head-to-toe in military fatigues, her camouflage pants tucked into combat boots and her hair pulled back in a tight bun, Maureen Peltier stood nervously outside a classroom at Eastmont High School Friday morning waiting to spring the first of three Christmas surprises.
A little more than a day earlier, she left her National Guard unit in Iraq for an unexpected two-week Christmas leave.
Peltier was about four months into a year-long tour of duty in Iraq with the Seattle-based 81st Brigade when she got word she would be able to come home for the holidays. She initially thought she would be traveling home on Christmas Day, but the trip was moved up a week.
She kept her impending visit a secret from her three children.
You know what’s coming next, right?
As they waited out of sight, Principal Mark Marney walked into Susan McCray’s Spanish class and announced he had an early Christmas present for one of her students.
The teens all looked toward the door as Peltier timidly walked in and scanned the room for her son, Michael Aspen. She quickly spotted him on the far side of the room and hurried toward him as her eyes filled with tears. The 16-year-old looked stunned and didn’t say a word.
“You don’t have to cry in front of everybody,” she said. “I will.”
Michael wiped away tears, as did several of his classmates.
Across the room, 12-year-old Vicky Aspen let out a scream and then sprinted around the desks and jumped into her mother’s arms. Both were sobbing as Peltier choked out, “You’re wearing makeup. When did you start wearing makeup?”
Libbi was standing at the front of the classroom with her teacher, Tricia Donaldson, when her mom walked through the door wearing a Santa hat. Like her sister, Libbi let out a shriek and raced into her mother’s arms, wrapping her legs around her mother’s waist. She cried uncontrollably as her class looked on.
Mom and daughter pressed their noses together and Peltier whispered, “Merry Christmas.”
Don’t know about you, but, that makes me a little misty eyed.
