While the random act of kindness in Tiverton this morning turned out to be an awkward misunderstanding, the kind gesture that unfolded in Wareham this afternoon was pure-hearted and fully intentional.

Kristen Kelly of Carver was left in tears after she discovered a generous stranger paid for her holiday gifts at TJ Maxx, and the timing couldn’t have been better for a young mom during the holidays.

Get our free mobile app

A Shopping Trip That Turned Stressful

Kelly and her nine-month-old daughter, Kora, had a successful trip to TJ Maxx off of Cranberry Highway Friday afternoon, but when Kelly went to pay, she realized she had made a mistake.

“I go to TJ Maxx almost every day,” she joked, “and when I tried to pay with my TJ Maxx card, I realized I had maxed it out, so it got declined.”

She was forced to leave behind her belongings as she ran through the pouring rain back to her car to retrieve her debit card.

“The line was so long and I had to run through the rain with my daughter, I was so embarrassed,” she said.

Santa's Kind Gesture

When she raced back inside, she saw a long line of shoppers staring at her and her items waiting for her behind the counter.

“The lady had my bag full of stuff and said, ‘A man in a Santa Hat paid for you.’ I cried,” shared Kelly.

That’s when it hit her. When she was running back inside the store, a man in a Santa hat smiled at her and said, “Merry Christmas.” She went out to the parking lot and tracked down the kind man that paid for about 100 dollars worth of Christmas presents.

“He was about to leave and I went up to him and said, ‘Did you pay for these?’ and he said ‘Yes, Merry Christmas, you deserve it,’” said Kelly.

The Value of a Kind Heart

Kelly recently went from full-time to part-time in order to stay at home with her nine-month-old, so money has been tight this holiday season. This kind gesture from the man in the Santa hat provided her some relief at a time when she needed it most.

“It’s so amazing because I feel like I tend to always try and make people happy,” she said. “I like to make someone’s day, so the fact that it happened to me, I was just so excited.”

Kelly never caught the man’s name, but that random act of kindness filled her heart with gratefulness and restored her faith in humanity.

“Me and Kora thank you,” she said.

Tis’ the season of giving. Well done to the kind man in the Santa hat.

Light Up SouthCoast 2022

Get in the holiday spirit by checking out the amazing holiday displays of your friends and neighbors.

More From WFHN-FM/FUN 107