In a small village near a snowy forest, lived a kind boy named Tom. His family was poor, and their house was very cold. One day, Tom decided to go into the forest to find some firewood to keep his family warm.

Tom's mother was sick, and his father was also not well. They couldn't work, and Tom wanted to help. His father gave him a crust of bread and said, "Take this to keep you going."

With his old sledge, Tom went into the deep, dark forest. He found a dry spot under a big tree and collected lots of firewood. As he was about to go home, he felt very cold and hungry.

He made a small fire to warm himself and took out his crust of bread. Just as he was about to eat, an old man with a long white beard appeared, wrapped in a blanket. "May I sit by your fire to warm up?" the old man asked.

"Of course," Tom replied, "it's really cold out here."

The old man smiled and said, "I was on my way to deliver Christmas presents to the children in the village when I saw your fire. I got a bit cold."

"Are you hungry?" Tom asked. "I only have this crust of bread, but you can have it if you want."

The old man smiled warmly. "That's very kind of you, but I'm not hungry. Look over there," he said, pointing to a beautiful rainbow nearby.

"Go to where the rainbow ends and look in the snow. You will find something good. It's a reward for your kindness."

Tom went to the rainbow's end, dug in the snow, and found a golden key. "If there's a key, there must be a lock nearby," he thought.

When he returned to his fire, the old man was gone. But next to the fire was a beautiful wooden box with Tom's name on it. He put the golden key in the keyhole, turned it, and the box clicked open.

Inside, wrapped in red paper, was a lovely wallet. When Tom opened the wallet, two gold coins fell into his hand. Excitedly, he rushed home to show his parents.

That Christmas, their house was warm with a roaring fire, and they had plenty of delicious food to eat. Tom's parents soon got better and went back to work. They never forgot the best Christmas ever, thanks to Tom's kindness and the mysterious old man.

Who was the kind old man? I wonder.