'Keep it, Merry Christmas': Holiday loner spends Christmas Day gifting cash-back to gas station employees, making strangers smile with random acts of kindness

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Dec 31, 2024 5:00 PM EST

Almost nothing is open on Christmas day, but if you're an unlucky employee forced to clock into your 'essential' workplace on December 25th, odds are, you'll be spending the day lamenting your own boredom and cursing the manager who scheduled you.

This holiday loner decided to spend their typically lonesome day greeting those unfortunate Christmas Day workers, spreading cheer and positivity to the unremarkably forgotten employees of the world on the merriest day of the year. Although u/BudgetPea2526 had their own life to lament, after estranging themselves from a conventionally toxic family, they decided to turn their sorrows into positive vibes, sharing seemingly small acts of kindness with strangers as a token of respect. 

As someone who struggles to 'light up a room' when I'm feeling moody, I find this story particularly wholesome as it highlights the strength of the holiday spirit even in the face of severe adversity. Read on to enjoy this heartwarming tale of random acts of kindness that'll brighten your mood and lift your spirits… even if you're forced to clock on on an oh-so-merry holiday.

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    Cheezburger Image 10448691968
    via Minerva Studios

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    Think I found my new Christmas tradition instead of spending the day alone in my apartment Story
    via BudgetPea2526
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    Woke up today and didn't know what I was going to do. But I knew I wasn't staying in the apartment miserable. I don't really have a family. My mother was ab ive and I had to cut contact with that entire side of
    via BudgetPea2526
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    my family when I was 15, because they're all pretty narcissistic. My father was an alc ic and drank himself to death and I never met anyone else on his side, as most of them were already de d by the time I met him. Decided to go for
    via BudgetPea2526
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    a drive and ended up 3 hours away. Along the way, I stopped at a gas station. Picked up some coffee. Got $10 cashback. Told the cashier to keep it, merry Christmas. And then again. And again. Buying something random,
    via BudgetPea2526
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    getting $10 cb, and giving it to the cashier. Ended up giving 5 people $10 this way. The thought being, I'd be working on Christmas if I could, because I don't have a family to spend it with anyway. These people who
    via BudgetPea2526
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    are working on Christmas most likely don't have a family or have no choice but to work instead of spending time with their family. Every single one of them, you could tell it really made their day brighter. And it honestly made my
    via BudgetPea2526
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    day brighter, too, just knowing I put a smile on someone's face. The last one really got me. You could hear it in her voice that she wasn't having a good day. Pretty sure I left her speechless. She just whispered, "nice".
    via BudgetPea2526
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    I put a yearly reminder in my phone. I'm gonna do this every year from now on. Nothing major. Just 10 bucks. But none of these people are expecting it, which makes it all the more impactful.
    via BudgetPea2526
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    And the world really needs more kindness, these days. And I genuinely hope, when people see me doing this, it encourages them to do the same.
    via BudgetPea2526
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    Texasfryebaby Paying it forward. Nice tradition
    via Texasfryebaby

  • You'd be surprised how many cashiers are left forgotten at the end of each transaction. While it's not a customer's responsibility to validate their job, sometimes it feels good to be noticed by a fellow human being–especially when you're typically ignored or underappreciated.

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    pinktinroof Went to my butchers yesterday to pick up our prime rib. We're a small town so I see the same cashier a couple of times a week. When she was ringing me up I asked for a $10 scratch off. Once I paid and was gathering my stuff, I slid her the scratch off and said "that's for you". She was happy and excited and so was I!
    via pinktinroofBudgetPea2526
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    gardengirl29 You're a good person. Thank you for spreading so much kindness in spite of the hardships you've endured!
    via gardengirl29
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    KellyNtay I used to receive a lot of random Starbucks card through the year. I saved them up for the month of December and then passed them out to cashiers working those long hours. Always much appreciated.
    via KellyNtay
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    foolofabaggins That's a beautiful tradition! I'm one of those people who usually works Thanksgiving and Christmas, but as I'm going back and forth from my shifts I'm going to do this on my next years, thanks for the inspiration!
    via foolofabaggins

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