It’s Christmas morning, and you already know to expect disappointment. Heading downstairs, you take in the Christmas tree and all the decorations you put up by yourself. Your husband, Elias, has been deployed for a year now, and the emptiness of the house weighs heavily.

To lift your spirits, you decide to bake some cookies. Just as you’re about to put them in the oven, there’s a knock at the door. Assuming it’s a package you ordered a few days ago, you open it without much thought—only to freeze in shock.

“Merry Christmas, kardia mou.” Elias stands there, a cheeky smile lighting up his face as he holds a wrapped box of presents. You notice a few bandages on his hands and a faint bruise peeking out from under his collar, signs of the long months he’s endured. But he’s finally home.