It's a small world, and sometimes it seems like we're more disconnected than ever because of so many people choosing to live their lives perpetually online. This Christmas story, though, shows that connecting across the miles with technology can sometimes change lives especially at this special time of year.
An online influencer asked people to donate gifts to the South Carolina assisted care facility where his mother-in-law lives (she has dementia). Then, the gifts started arriving... and I don't mean just one or two:
A viral social media post by influencer Dugan Meredith prompted thousands of gifts for residents at Kempton of Rock Hill in South Carolina, demonstrating a remarkable act of compassion and community generosity.
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Meredith, who has 800,000 followers on his Taking Care of Granny Facebook and TikTok pages, made a heartfelt holiday request aimed at bringing joy to assisted living residents, particularly for his mother-in-law who is living with dementia.
You read that right, thousands of gifts poured in from the U.S. and across the pond in the U.K., including nearly 200 in one shipping box! The KIRO 7 news story linked above reported:
The response to Meredith’s request was overwhelming; thousands of gifts were sent to Kempton of Rock Hill, including 181 packages delivered in a single Amazon box.
Watch: Trump's Humorous Moments Talking to Kids on Santa Hotline
And what was the response from the residents of the care home? Deep gratitude. Then the most wonderful thing happened, readers. They were so overwhelmed with the generosity that during the facility's Christmas party, they handed out the surplus gifts to others in the community.
The beautiful giving did not stop there, though, as many of the presents made their way to local nonprofits. The receivers of goodwill from total strangers across the country and overseas led to them getting the gift of doing some massive giving of their own this Christmas season!
The seniors, grateful for the outpouring of kindness, decided to pay it forward by delivering gifts to local nonprofit organizations on Dec. 23.
Watch:
🚨#BREAKING: A South Carolina man whose grandmother is in assisted living, sent out a plea to social media, asking for gifts for those who were alone in the nursing home for Christmas.
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) December 26, 2025
Staff were stunned when THOUSANDS of gifts, sent from all over the world, arrived to the… pic.twitter.com/MeqnwtCSsc
They used the assisted living community's shuttle bus, delivering goodie bags that the seniors made from the unsolicited presents to a homeless charity. KIRO 7 added that "the Casual Pint Crafty Girls, a group that regularly visits Kempton residents," volunteered to help put those together. And knowing that other seniors in care homes like theirs could use some cheering up during Christmas, they brought gifts to four other communities, including a memory care facility.
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The story resonates with so many people (including me) since we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ who gave us the perfect gift—himself—so he could redeem us on the Cross. This true meaning of Christmas, giving to others, had the opportunity to come alive, in other words. Below is the teaching from the Bible this is drawn from.
Starting in Matthew 22: 34 and running to Matthew 22: -40 NKJV, the Pharisees decided to test Jesus by asking him of the 10 Commandments brought down from the mountain by Moses, which was the first one for people to follow to stay within the law. Here's how he answered, beginning at 37:
Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
The spirit of Christmas is alive and well, readers. Merry Christmas, and an early Happy New Year to you all!
Editor's Note: At RedState, it's not all about politics and policy. We like to bring attention to what's good in the world through cultural stories like this one, and with weekly columns like "Feel-Good Friday," "Start Your Weekend Right," and "Hoge's Heroes."
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