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SALT LAKE CITY — It's one of the hottest holiday trends right now, but you won't find it on any store shelf.
"Layaway angels" are appearing across the nation, spreading Christmas cheer by paying of strangers' layaway accounts. In Utah, the donors are making Christmas happen for many families.
Roxanne Edge is a teacher whose husband recently lost his job. With that, giving their children presents this Christmas looked doubtful.
Related:
'Layaway Angels' help local families with Christmas
The spirit of giving has risen to a wonderful level this year throughout Utah. Call them "Secret Santas" or "Layaway Angels," people are paying the balance on layaway items so that families they don't know can have their Christmas gifts.However, on Monday she received a phone call with some wonderful news.
"The message said, 'Your layaway's been paid for. You can come pick it up,'" Edge explained. "I started sobbing 'cause I didn't know what that meant."
She is also grateful to be able to say thank you to the woman whose donation has made Christmas giving a reality at her home.
"I just want to tell her, whoever she is, that she doesn't know what she's done for us, because it's been a journey," Edge said. "And (I) just thank her for my kids and for my husband and I, because she gave us the best gift of all — and it's not the presents, and it's not the materials, but it's the lesson that she's taught my children in giving and miracles are still existent."
Store managers of Kmart, Walmart and other stores that have layaway programs say this kind of generosity has another benefit: it affects all of the employees as well. They are sharing in the enthusiasm and the hope.
Email: cmikita@ksl.com
