diff --git a/doc/serialization.txt b/doc/serialization.txt
index 6c1d4d8..3d91c1c 100644
--- a/doc/serialization.txt
+++ b/doc/serialization.txt
@@ -93,6 +93,15 @@ You can simply load it into a `seq[int]`. If your YAML file contains differently
 typed values in the same collection, you can use an implicit variant object, see
 below.
 
+A special case is ``Option[T]``: This type will either contain a value or not.
+NimYAML maps ``!!null`` YAML scalars to the option's ``none(T)`` value.
+This also works for ``ref`` types because ``Option`` for those types will use
+``nil`` as its ``none(T)`` value.
+
+By default, ``Option`` fields must be given even if they are ``none(T)``.
+You can circumvent this by putting the annotation ``{.sparse.}`` on the type
+containing the ``Option`` field.
+
 Reference Types
 ---------------
 
diff --git a/test/tannotations.nim b/test/tannotations.nim
index 3cd352e..7b10b93 100644
--- a/test/tannotations.nim
+++ b/test/tannotations.nim
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ type
        strVal: string
      of ckInt:
        intVal: int
+  
+  Sparse {.sparse.} = ref object of RootObj
+     name*: Option[string]
+     description*: Option[string]
 
 suite "Serialization Annotations":
   test "load default value":
@@ -59,4 +63,11 @@ suite "Serialization Annotations":
     load(input, result)
     assert len(result) == 2
     assert result[0].kind == ckString
-    assert result[1].kind == ckInt
\ No newline at end of file
+    assert result[1].kind == ckInt
+  
+  test "load sparse type":
+    let input = "{}"
+    var result: Sparse
+    load(input, result)
+    assert result.name.isNone
+    assert result.description.isNone
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/yaml/annotations.nim b/yaml/annotations.nim
index 646d27b..490775c 100644
--- a/yaml/annotations.nim
+++ b/yaml/annotations.nim
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 ## (de)serialization behavior of those fields.
 
 template defaultVal*(value : typed) {.pragma.}
-  ## This annotation can be assigned to an object field. During deserialization,
+  ## This annotation can be put on an object field. During deserialization,
   ## if no value for this field is given, the ``value`` parameter of this
   ## annotation is used as value.
   ##
@@ -23,6 +23,19 @@ template defaultVal*(value : typed) {.pragma.}
   ##     a {.defaultVal: "foo".}: string
   ##     c {.defaultVal: (1,2).}: tuple[x, y: int]
 
+template sparse*() {.pragma.}
+  ## This annotation can be put on an object type. During deserialization,
+  ## the input may omit any field that has an ``Option[T]`` type (for any
+  ## concrete ``T``) and that field will be treated as if it had the annotation
+  ## ``{.defaultVal: none(T).}``.
+  ##
+  ## Example usage:
+  ##
+  ## .. code-block::
+  ##  type MyObject {.sparse.} = object
+  ##    a: Option[string]
+  ##    b: Option[int]
+
 template transient*() {.pragma.}
   ## This annotation can be put on an object field. Any object field
   ## carrying this annotation will not be serialized to YAML and cannot be given
diff --git a/yaml/serialization.nim b/yaml/serialization.nim
index b43ecd5..128f80a 100644
--- a/yaml/serialization.nim
+++ b/yaml/serialization.nim
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #            NimYAML - YAML implementation in Nim
-#        (c) Copyright 2016 Felix Krause
+#        (c) Copyright 2016 - 2020 Felix Krause
 #
 #    See the file "copying.txt", included in this
 #    distribution, for details about the copyright.
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 
 import tables, typetraits, strutils, macros, streams, times, parseutils, options
 import parser, taglib, presenter, stream, private/internal, hints, annotations
-export stream, macros, annotations
+export stream, macros, annotations, options
   # *something* in here needs externally visible `==`(x,y: AnchorId),
   # but I cannot figure out what. binding it would be the better option.
 
@@ -656,15 +656,32 @@ proc addDefaultOr(tName: string, i: int, o: NimNode,
       `o`.`field` = `o`.`field`.getCustomPragmaVal(defaultVal)
     else: `elseBranch`
 
+proc hasSparse(t: typedesc): bool {.compileTime.} =
+  when compiles(t.hasCustomPragma(sparse)):
+    return t.hasCustomPragma(sparse)
+  else:
+    return false
+
+proc getOptionInner(fType: NimNode): NimNode {.compileTime.} =
+  if fType.kind == nnkBracketExpr and len(fType) == 2 and
+      fType[1].kind == nnkSym:
+    return newIdentNode($fType[1])
+  else: return nil
+
 proc checkMissing(s: NimNode, t: NimNode, tName: string, field: NimNode,
                   i: int, matched, o: NimNode):
     NimNode {.compileTime.} =
-  let fName = escape($field)
+  let
+    fType = getTypeInst(field)
+    fName = escape($field)
+    optionInner = getOptionInner(fType)
   result = quote do:
     when not `o`.`field`.hasCustomPragma(transient):
       if not `matched`[`i`]:
         when `o`.`field`.hasCustomPragma(defaultVal):
           `o`.`field` = `o`.`field`.getCustomPragmaVal(defaultVal)
+        elif hasSparse(`t`) and `o`.`field` is Option:
+          `o`.`field` = none(`optionInner`)
         else:
           raise constructionError(`s`, "While constructing " & `tName` &
               ": Missing field: " & `fName`)
@@ -700,7 +717,8 @@ macro ensureAllFieldsPresent(s: YamlStream, t: typedesc, o: typed,
   var field = 0
   for child in tDesc[2].children:
     if child.kind == nnkRecCase:
-      result.add(checkMissing(s, t, tName, child[0], field, matched, o))
+      result.add(checkMissing(
+          s, t, tName, child[0], field, matched, o))
       for bIndex in 1 .. len(child) - 1:
         let discChecks = newStmtList()
         var
@@ -716,7 +734,8 @@ macro ensureAllFieldsPresent(s: YamlStream, t: typedesc, o: typed,
         else: internalError("Unexpected child kind: " & $child[bIndex].kind)
         for item in child[bIndex][recListIndex].recListItems:
           inc(field)
-          discChecks.add(checkMissing(s, t, tName, item, field, matched, o))
+          discChecks.add(checkMissing(
+              s, t, tName, item, field, matched, o))
         result.add(newIfStmt((infix(newDotExpr(o, newIdentNode($child[0])),
             "in", curValues), discChecks)))
     else: