Mary and Steve Burroughs of Norfolk, Nebraska watched their sons experience a turning point in their lives on Christmas Day 2018. The couple’s three sons, Keegan, 13, Dylan, 9, and Sean, 25, are colorblind. But a special gift gave them a whole new way to see what the holidays are all about. Burroughs has 8 children, but only three suffer from this disease, like Mary’s father.

As a result, they have reduced sensitivity to red and green light. In the past, Mary has talked to her siblings about giving their father special glasses that correct this condition, but nothing came of it. “I think after hearing me say this for my dad, my son Aidan thought let’s do it instead of the boys,” she said. “I think he just wants them to be able to see things the way he can see things.”

The other Burroughs kids – Emily, Logan, Molly and Tristan – were happy to help plan the surprise while the family vacationed in Florida in 2018. The family filmed a video of Sean, Keegan and Dylan opening their glasses – and it appears to have alerted at least one of them. “I knew it,” Dylan said as he opened his gift.