Few things release endorphins faster than Christmas, brimful of holiday cheer, presents, snow, time off from work. Christmas lets us believe in the world as it could be, not as it is. And it is in the warm and fuzzy spirit of the season that Heels on Friday presents the following true story.

It was a cold December night – December 13, 2008, to be precise – on Capitol Hill. Jason* takes his girlfriend to a Christmas concert at the Folger Shakespeare Library, knowing that she’s interested in Spanish music, the theme of that evening’s program, after she’d spent time studying in Puerto Rico. After a fabulous concert, where the two get cozy in the Folger’s small theater, they return to the car, where Jason had arranged for a friend to deliver two steaming cups of hot cocoa and a small wrapped box. Surprise! His girlfriend sips her hot chocolate while Jason drives to the Capitol Christmas tree. When they arrive, she opens the box to find a photo of them and poem that he had written her, and the last line reads,

Will you marry me?

He then drops to one knee, pulls a ring from his pocket, and officially pops the question. His buddies, whom he had waiting with cameras at the ready, capture the moment. And of course she says yes.

Obviously, the romance factor at work here is pretty stunning. But equally impressive is the amount of thought that went into creating a moment that will live on long beyond December 13. Gentlemen, the bar has been raised.

*Name has been changed