The holiday season is generally considered a time to give back to the world.
Thanksgiving passed just a few days ago, and there were plenty of newsworthy stories about everyday people undertaking incredible acts of kindness to spread some joy and happiness around them. It seems that people are more appreciative than ever to read about stories like these, given how many terrible events and natural disasters have occurred this past year.
But one particular story making the rounds online is warming people's hearts all over the world just ahead of the Christmas season.
A young woman named Erica had an amazing encounter with a stranger buying stuffed animals in Walmart. She shared the story on Twitter, where it quickly went viral after being liked and shared again and again.
Scroll through to read more about Erica's heartwarming Christmas story!
Thumbnail Photo: Twitter / erica_lee123
During the holiday season, many kids look forward to days off from school, spending time with friends and family, and (perhaps most of all) getting presents.
No matter which of the gift-giving winter holidays your family celebrates, there's no doubt that virtually all children love getting toys for gifts.
Unfortunately for children suffering from illnesses during this time of year, the holiday season isn't quite as magical as it might be otherwise.
Thankfully, there are plenty of Good Samaritans who take the time out of their day to dress up for the kids and bring them a bit of holiday cheer while they're hospitalized.
A young woman named Erica met one such Good Samaritan in the days just before Thanksgiving this year.
Erica was shopping in Walmart when she spotted a stranger near her in the checkout line. She was curious about the unusual contents of his cart, so she decided to ask him about it. The man's answer moved Erica, so she decided to share her story online.
In a now-viral tweet alongside a photo of the man in question, Erica explained:
I was at Walmart tonight & I saw this man w/ a cart full of stuffed animals. When I asked him why, my heart became full.
He told me that every year he dresses up as Santa & walks the halls of the children’s ER & delivers one to each child.
This man deserves to be recognized.
Erica decided to share this tweet because she wanted the man's generosity to be acknowledged and appreciated by all — and it has been. In the week since Erica shared her story, it has been retweeted over 127,000 times.
People were so happy to hear about this man's kindness, especially given the darkness the world has experienced recently.
Some even called him a superhero!
Erica's story reached even more people after a Reddit user shared her story on that website.
Several commenters shared their own experiences of encountering kindness from strangers while in children's hospitals or when they were just in need during the holiday season.
A few days after her tweet went viral, Erica decided to start a GoFundMe to raise $1,500 so she can purchase toys and stuffed animals to donate to children who are in the hospital during Christmas time.
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These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
