holiday

Holiday 'layaway angel' pays off 150 Toys 'R' Us accounts worth $20,000

Friday, December 12, 2014

This story first appeared on babble.com and is reprinted with permission.

It's the time of year where many of us are inspired to do good deeds. We donate clothes to the homeless, give change to the Salvation Army Santas, or contribute to our office toy drive. These are little things that as a whole, we hope can make a larger difference in the lives of others. But it's also a time where most of us are financially strapped - trying to keep up with the holiday spirit while worrying about how the heck we're going to pay for it all. The stress of it all is hardly conducive to feeling festive.

But this year, for 150 of us, the stress is a little lighter. Or, a whole lot lighter. Because a Bellingham, Massachusetts good samaritan walked in to her local Toys 'R' Us this week and paid off every single open layaway account -- a grand gesture that set her back $20,000 in total. While she wishes to remain anonymous, the Milford Daily News reported that she was described as a "bubbly older woman" from the area who gave the store manager a hug and said these amazing six words: "If you have it, give it."

The gesture hardly went unnoticed or unappreciated by the people it helped. Linda, a single mother struggling to pay off her $50 balance, was shocked by it. After going shopping last week with only $9 in her pocket, desperately trying to find a store that would accept a few dollars as layaway payment of Christmas gifts for her boys, ages 10 and 11, the gift was a huge relief for her:

An angel indeed. For those of us not touched by this act, it's still nice to know that these people exist. They're out there doing good, hoping to make more than just a small dent in the lives of others -- and that is an inspiration for us all.