An anonymous couple has brightened the festive season for dozens of families and discreetly paid off their lay-by gifts at a toy store.
The mystery Good Samaritans began whittling down the outstanding balances nearly six months ago at a Toyworld store in Pakenham, East Melbourne.
Shop staff believe the generous couple has settled nearly 100 lay-by accounts since they began the kind-hearted mission.
The store told Daily Mail Australia the anonymous family had paid a ‘substantial amount’ to clear the lay-by debts but couldn’t put a figure on the exact amount.
She said it amounted to a higher total than ever previously donated, and their customers who had benefited from the show of largesse had been thrilled.
‘It’s just amazing and quite overwhelming for the customers,’ a shopworker said,
They revealed the affected customers had burst into tears when they were told their Christmas gift list had been paid for.
One local grandmother Tracie Miller revealed how grateful she was for the kind gesture.
‘We all need a little bit of cheer, and everybody needs a little bit of help,’ she told 7News.
Parents and grandparents were shocked to find their Christmas gifts had been paid for by a mystery patron
Dozens of shoppers in Toyworld Pakenham, east of Melbourne, had their layby purchases paid off by a mystery family
Employee Sandra Evans she still doesn’t know much about the anonymous Christmas angels who have been paying off the accounts in monthly instalments since June.
‘All I know is that it’s a husband and wife with four young children,’ she said.
‘It’s been going for a while, so to hide that from everybody that comes in and says “can I put this on lay-by”, I’m thinking “you’re going to get this paid off soon”.’
One mother was overcome by emotion as she thanked the modest heroes for the Christmas cheer.
‘My children are actually going to have a great Christmas, that you to these people,’ she said emotionally.
The kind deeds came to light just a week after a similar act at another Toyword store on the Gold Coast.
An anonymous businessman paid off some $2000 in toys before the Christmas holidays.
The show of festive spirit has brought relief for parents struggling to make the holidays special for their children in the cost-of-living crisis.
Data from 2023’s Christmas period showed festive spending left Aussies $7.7million in debt, according to Finder.
Now a Sydney-based content creator has revealed she would forgo buying presents in 2024 – and others say they agree.
‘I just want everyone who knows me to know that I will not be getting you a gift this year,’ Laura Koefoed said in a clip on social media in November.
She said if people ‘drop the gift-giving culture’ it would be a win-win for everyone involved.
