Secret Santaism Is in Full Swing

Last week we shared last week about a woman in Michigan paying off three random layaway tabs at her local K-Mart. As her story spread, many other people stepped up to help out local families in need. One shopper paid $1200 to help half a dozen people who were about to lose their items due to late payments. Another family visited their local Goodwill store and handed out Christmas cards filled with money to people in line. When the envelopes ran out, they started paying for all of the other shoppers' purchases. NPR has stories of many similar secret Santas helping out their fellow Americans.

For those touched by this generosity, it can mean the difference between having Christmas and cancelling it. One woman exclaimed in tears that "she wasn't sure she was going to be able to pay off their layaway, and was afraid their kids weren't going to have anything for Christmas."

Do any of you know anyone affected by this holiday trend, whether through giving or receiving?

[Image courtesy of Flickr user BennWild08.]