Christmas I remember best: Simple Santa gift brings joy to a child's heart

The tough thing about Christmas for orphan children is attending school, usually with children who have families. Captivated by the stories of schoolchildren about Santa Claus and gifts, SoonHee grew up thinking that she was naughty. She tried so hard to do what was right, but Santa Claus left her only an orange each Christmas.

SoonHee lived a truly unique life. By age 13 she had experienced more than most people do in a lifetime, most of it not good. Her mother died a few months after her birth in South Korea. Unable to deal with the baby and her three older siblings, SoonHee's father turned to alcohol and abandoned the children. SoonHee's older sister tried to find surrogate mothers to nurse the baby, but in desperation resorted to feeding her a mixture of flour and water.

Luckily, SoonHee's sister encountered Father Ben, an American Catholic priest trying to establish an orphanage in Korea. Father Ben supplied her with life-preserving infant formula. By age 2, SoonHee was at Father Ben's orphanage full time. Around age 7, SoonHee's father returned, and she lived with him and various foster families for several years.

A family in the United States would have likely adopted SoonHee as a baby, but her father refused to relinquish his parental rights. At age 11, SoonHee found herself back at Father Ben's orphanage.

Life in the orphanage was sparse, but it was definitely better (and safer) than living with foster families. There had been a couple of incidents at the orphanage, but it was a good place. Once, SoonHee had received a spanking from a nun for eating toothpaste. Another time, SoonHee and another girl sneaked into Father Ben's kitchen, stole some peanut butter and ate it in the dark under a pew in the chapel. Feeling guilty, they confessed to Father Ben but were surprised to find that he already knew. He simply smiled and said, "I'm glad I could share with you."

While living in foster homes for the last several years, SoonHee hadn't even received an orange from Santa Claus on Christmas. As December rolled around at the orphanage, she hoped she had been good enough to at least receive an orange from Santa Claus this year. She had tried so hard, perhaps harder than ever before.

Things had been pretty tough at the foster homes — a lot of bad things had happened to her there — but she tried not to let those experiences dampen her spirit. Being back at the orphanage and seeing Father Ben so happy had given her hope. SoonHee thought Christmas would never arrive. In the meantime, she tried so hard to be good.