A tale of a stolen Christmas wreath (with a happy end)

Once upon a time there was a little boy, and his name was Eddie. He loved everything about Christmas. Christmas tree and all the baubles made him ecstatic. So he was very glad to have a Christmas wreath attached to the front door at the beginning of December. Eddie was very proud of it, and it was truly a beautiful wreath, made of branches with little red apples. Very festive, with a touch of "merrie olde England" look. Probably not the most magnificent wreath in the neighbourhood, but much loved and admired by Eddie and family.

One day (last Sunday, to be precise) the wreath was gone. It looked like it was stolen by some heartless person who didn't think that stealing Christmas wreaths was wrong on so many levels. Eddie was saddened, Mama was upset, two older men in the family shrugged their shoulders and mumbled that it was not the end of the world. Yes, it wasn't the end of the world, but pretty upsetting nevertheless for people who care about such things.

So, indignant Mama wrote a note and stuck it on the door with the scotch tape. The note read "Whoever stole our Christmas wreath, hope you enjoy it" (she was very tempted to add "low life" but resisted, but she did swear under her breath, that's Mama for you).
The next day they got some sympathetic comments from the school bus driver and assistant and some neighbours, who expressed their disbelief at the un-Christmasy spirit of the thief. What next? Stealing the mince pie and a glass of milk left for Santa?
Mama ran around a few shops to find the wreath that she liked the look of, but was appalled at the prices, and came home empty-handed. She complained to her friends on Facebook and got a lot of supportive comments from kind people.

In the evening Papa arrived home from work and beckoned Mama to the front door, saying Have you seen the door? Mama opened the door, and stopped in her tracks. There, attached to the door knocker, was a shiny new Christmas wreath, colourful and festive, and a little note tucked under her own note which said "Sorry to hear of your loss: Probably not as good as your original one, but maybe acceptable as a temporary replacement!" The note was not signed. The mystery benefactor didn't want to reveal their name or be thanked in person.

Mama was amazed, touched and moved. Eddie was delighted to have a new beautiful wreath.
She wrote another note, thanking the lovely person for their wonderful gift and their kindness, and wishing them a Merry Christmas.

The beauty of the act of kindness is that they didn't expect us to reciprocate. And this little miracle happened in our street.