Summer Hammond had lost her grandmother earlier in the summer and knew her Dad terribly missed her.
It's incredibly difficult to lose a parent, no matter how old you are.
A man who shared a very close relationship with his mom couldn't hold back tears as he heard his mom's voice long after she was gone. He was gifted a stuffed teddy bear that played his late mother's voice. Summer Hammond and her sibling presented their dad with the gift and captured the moment on video before posting it on TikTok where it went viral. The images of the grown man looking at the bear and his eyes well up have garnered more than 2.6 million views and 404k likes. Hammond simply captioned the video, "Merry Christmas Dad❤️🧸" and he really couldn't have asked for a better present.
Hammond's father initially assumed it was a joke as he was gifted a stuffed bear from Build-A-Bear as a Christmas gift. "My grandma passed away this summer, so we decided to get my dad a bear that had her voice inside," wrote Hammond later in the comments section of the video. His ex-partner and children watched on as he opened the wrapped present. As he opened the gift in the video, he can be heard saying, “What are you having a laugh... a Build-A-Bear?” Hammond explains via on-screen text that he thought it was a gag gift. The bear had a birth certificate that said the stuffed animal's name was “Milk Biscuit," which Hammond later explained was an inside joke between her nan and the family.
"Aw, that's really kind," he reacted, aware it was a reference to his mother who passed away earlier this year. Hammond then instructs him to smell the bear, telling him it smelled of bubblegum flavor. He does and then she tells him to press its paw. He hears his mom's voice: "Hello, darling." He is stunned and motionless. Then a rush of emotion washes over him and he kisses the bear. His eyes well up. Hammond's mother tilts her head towards Hammond's Dad, urging her children to go over to him and give him a hug in a really sweet moment. His kids walk over to him and hug him as they all begin to get emotional and cry. He responds, "That’s really kind.”
TikTok users were overwhelmed by the video with many even asking how they could do this for their kids and loved ones. "The way he welled up the instant he heard his mums voice 🥺 this is so so lovely," wrote one person. Some lamented that they hadn't recorded the voice of their loved ones. Many said his initial reaction to the gift itself showed what a nice man he was. "The enthusiasm he had for a build a bear gift as a grown man before knowing what it was really all about! What a top guy!" wrote one person. Another added, "Your dad must be a good man to help raise such thoughtful kids. Your nana would be made-up with this. Well done both of you ❤️."
References:
https://www.tiktok.com/@summerhammond/video/7040809210573098246?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Cover image source: TikTok/@summerhammond
