Christmas is a magical—or so all those movies teach us—time when the goodness of our hearts pushes us to be extra kind or help someone in need. And in certain cases, this holiday euphoria might end up in a proverbial miracle!

A lost father, a determined son, Christmas time, and an emotional reunion: it all seems like the building blocks for a Hallmark movie. However, one dedicated youth from England proved it’s possible to achieve a very real—and very heartwarming—reunion without having to tread through knee-deep snow or fight wild beasts; all it takes to have a brilliant ending to the story is dedication to one’s family.

This determined son was dedicated to finding his father he hadn’t seen for more than 10 years

Image credits: Jason Kelly

Jason Kelly, a 23-year-old from Tuebrook, was determined to find his long-lost father, David Kelly, who was 67 at the time. They haven’t seen one another for more than a decade. The father left the family home when Jason was only 2, but he still visited his son. Jason said he has many happy memories with his father.

But as he got older, some resentment took root. “I remember also, once when I was eight, I made a gigantic snowball and threw it over him and that really annoyed him and that was the last time I saw him until I was 12.”

“When I was about 12, I was walking home from school with a friend. I was walking down the main road and I saw him riding past on his bike—he looked me directly in the eye and smiled at me. I felt almost paralyzed with shock and that was the last time I saw him.”

Upon finding his father, who didn’t have permanent housing, Jason had to chase him down because the man was overwhelmed

Image credits: Jason Kelly

Jason regretted pushing his father away, and when his grandfather passed away last year, Jason became driven to find David. Jason began the search for his long-lost father throughout the city, hoping to once again connect with the man. He posted the picture of younger David in Facebook groups and even Liverpool Echo picked up the story, spreading the word around.

It became known that David had hit a rough patch and was even seen sleeping in the city’s streets, and his son was desperate to find him before another season of cold weather could hit. Jason only had an old picture of his father, but it was enough to kick-start the search, and soon he had an address.

A Christmas “miracle” happened when, on Christmas Eve, Jason visited the home where David was reportedly living. He almost missed his father, since he was out running, but just when Jason was ready to turn back, David returned.

Initially, the man was startled and his first instinct was to run away, but Jason instantly sprinted after him. “I was shouting ‘Dad, it’s me, Jason.’ Eventually, it started to sink in and I caught up to walk beside him.”

After meeting again with the help of social media, Jason and David are taking slow steps towards repairing their relationship

Image credits: Jason Kelly

The reunion is suitably named a “miracle” as it seems like a scene from a novel. Jason said, “When he recognized me, he started asking after the family and he was trying to remember my birth date. At that point, he didn’t want to look at me as his eyes were welling up with tears.” Jason admitted he was equally emotional since he was “exactly the same when it comes to things like that.”

Jason confided that the two are slowly working to rebuild what they lost, but the process is taking time since he doesn’t want to overwhelm David. On Christmas day, Jason brought his father a plate of Christmas dinner, as a step in the right direction. With the meal, the son gifted David a mobile phone, so they can keep in touch no matter what.

Jason also plans to help his father out in more substantial ways in the future. “I’m trying to see if I can get his birth certificate. He can’t access a bank account as he needs a proof of person and he doesn’t have anything.”

People online expressed universal support and sent well-wishes Jason and David’s way

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