The first day the advent calendar appeared on Hannah's desk, she thought it was a prank from a coworker. A small red box adorned with sequential numbers and Christmas tree decorations on each side. But when she opened the first tiny box, she found a slip of paper that read, “Smile at five people today.”
Hannah scoffed. “What is this nonsense?” Yet, her curiosity got the better of her. Throughout the day, she tried smiling at people—from the barista at the coffee shop to the office security guard. The responses varied—some smiled warmly in return, while others looked puzzled. But one man in the elevator, with tousled brown hair and a gray coat, grinned so brightly that Hannah felt her day shift ever so slightly.
As the elevator doors opened, the man glanced back. “Your smile could light up a room, you know?” he said before walking away.
Hannah dismissed it as coincidence. But the next day, the calendar challenged her to buy coffee for a stranger. She decided to go through with it at her usual café. Handing over the coffee to a random patron, she noticed the same man from the elevator—still wearing his gray coat—standing behind her.
“You again?” she asked, bewildered.
The man chuckled. “Maybe we’re destined to meet.”
Day by day, the advent calendar continued to reshape Hannah’s routine. It asked her to decorate the Christmas tree in the city park, volunteer at a soup kitchen, or write a thank-you letter to someone who had impacted her life. Each time she completed a task, the man—who she eventually learned was named Liam—somehow appeared.
“I feel like I’m following a treasure map,” Liam said one afternoon as they decorated the Christmas tree in the square. Snow fell softly, and Hannah realized his presence made all the tasks unexpectedly delightful.
“Me too,” she replied quietly.
Liam often got her talking. About life, her exhausting job, and how she couldn’t remember the last time she truly celebrated Christmas. Meanwhile, Hannah began to realize the calendar wasn’t just about completing challenges. It was about rediscovering the little sparks of magic in life she had long ignored.
On the 24th day, the calendar instructed her to attend a Christmas party in the town square. When Hannah arrived, the square was alive with colorful lights and the sound of music. In the middle of the crowd, Liam stood waiting, his trademark smile in place.
“I knew you’d come,” he said.
Hannah felt a warmth bloom in her chest. “I knew you’d be here too.”
They spent the evening dancing and laughing. Liam even managed to convince Hannah to sing in front of the crowd, something she had never done before.
As midnight approached, Liam looked at her seriously. “Hannah, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Does your calendar… have anything for the 25th?”
Hannah shook her head. “No. Today is the final challenge.”
Liam smiled softly and pulled something from his pocket—a small red box with the number 25 on it. “I think this is for you.”
Hannah opened the box carefully. Inside was a slip of paper that read: “Believe in love, and allow yourself to be happy.”
She looked up, her eyes meeting Liam’s. “You’re the one who left the calendar on my desk?”
Liam nodded. “I saw you at the office every day, so busy and stressed. I wanted you to find the little things that make life beautiful. And… I wanted to be part of that journey.”
Tears welled up in Hannah’s eyes. All this time, she had avoided feelings, burying them beneath piles of work. But with Liam, she felt alive again.
“I don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
“Say you’ll let me try to make you happy,” Liam replied.
Hannah smiled—the widest, most genuine smile she had in years. “I think I already have.”
The snow continued to fall, wrapping them in an unexpected warmth. Among the crowd and the twinkling Christmas lights, Hannah knew, for the first time in years, she had found something greater than her routine.
She had found love.
