Thursday 19 December 2013

Christmas Kindness

I decided to give my blog a bit of a festive touch as we draw ever closer towards Christmas. Here are my thoughts on a true act of human kindness this festive season that brought a little tear to my eye... 

It's known as the season of goodwill, but with all the turkey buying, present wrapping and hectic last minute shopping, many of us simply fail to make time for ourselves and for other people – especially those we don't know.

Across the pond, however, a Canadian airline decided to remind us all of the true meaning of Christmas, by bringing festive joy – and a few tears – to hundreds of unsuspecting passengers on two of their flights.

Last week, a video went viral when the airline WestJet surprised passengers with gifts and presents in an act of overwhelming generosity.

Over 30 million people and counting have so far viewed the heart-warming video, dubbed the ‘Christmas Miracle,’ which showed over 150 staff rush off to complete their Santa duties for 250 of their passengers.

After the holiday-makers checked in at Toronto’s Pearson and Hamilton airports for flights to Calgary, they were greeted by a virtual Father Christmas after scanning their boarding passes, who asked them, what they wanted for Christmas most of all.

Unbeknown to them, it wasn’t just a festive gimmick: they were actually going to receive the gifts they’d requested, and as soon as the passengers boarded their flights it was then a race against time for the WestJet employees to hunt down big screen TVs, flights home for the holidays and underwear.

Like Santa’s elves they wrapped all the presents and ran them over to baggage reclaim, where stunned passengers were greeted with more than just their luggage.

Not only was it an extremely clever marketing and PR stunt for WestJet, but it highlighted the true meaning of Christmas for the unsuspecting passengers and the millions of people from all over the world who have viewed the video online.

Upon viewing the video myself I had to wipe away a few tears; seeing people overjoyed at receiving presents they so desperately needed like flights home for Christmas was so overwhelming and truly special to see.

This touching act of kindness goes to show that whoever we are, we can make someone's Christmas with one simple act of generosity.

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