Dr. Tan had awoken to find daylight streaming in through his window. The date. He needed to check the date. He checked his phone, watched the news, all confirmed that it was December 25th.
"I'm not too late! A merry Christmas indeed!" Dr. Tan shouted with joy as he rushed to get dressed and face the day. His first deed of the day was to call his son.
"Hello?" Oblio answered, his surprised tone expected from the doctor.
"Oblio, would it perhaps be too late for me to join you for dinner tonight?" He could almost see his son's shocked expression as he waited for an answer.
"No, of course not father. Why the sudden change of heart, if I may ask?"
"Oh, that's not important right now. I'll see you tonight son, I've got some errands to run." Dr. Tan hung up and rushed out the door, where he nearly ran into the couple from the charity he saw the previous day.
"Oh, it's you two again." The two were obviously preparing to make a run for it before Dr. Tan stopped them. "Now hold on, I wanted to apologize for the other day. You two wouldn't still happen to be collecting would you?" The couple glanced at each other and said that they were. Dr. Tan pulled out his checkbook and filled out a check in the amount of a few thousand dollars. He handed it to them and waved them off with a "Merry Christmas!", leaving them totally bewildered, but otherwise pleasantly surprised.
His next stop was Rasa's home. As soon as he arrived, he rang the doorbell, with Rasa being the one to answer.
"Sir? What brings you here?" From the doorway, Dr. Tan could see the rest of Rasa's family observing them from the living room.
"Rasa, my good man. Just wanted to spread some holiday cheer, and to let you know that you don't have to come in tomorrow. In fact, you can take a week off." Rasa stood there for a moment, his expression betraying his confusion.
"Are you feeling all right Dr. Tan?"
"I've never felt better! Also, consider this your holiday bonus." Dr. Tan handed Rasa an envelope, which was revealed to be full of cash.
"Are you sure about this sir?"
"Oh, quite sure. Now, I must be going, I have some appointments to make. A merry Christmas to you and your family." Dr. Tan turned to leave, but added: "And we can talk about your raise as soon as you get back!" Dr. Tan made his leave, with Rasa still processing this sudden turn of events.
"What was that about?" Glitch asked.
"It would seem we've just seen a Christmas miracle," his father replied.
All across the city, Dr. Tan spread his new-found generosity to those who would take it. There were those who were suspicious of this sudden change, but he paid them no mind. Indeed, the Dr. Tan of the past was no more, much to the surprise of practically everyone at Taye's dinner party. Christmas would no longer be a day of loneliness to be spent in his manor. He would live today, and every day to the fullest. Dr. Tan was a changed man, and he would make sure the rest of his life was absolutely flawless.
The end, and a Merry Christmas to all of you! I'm glad I was able to finish this up in time for the holidays. Thanks for reading!