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NEWINGTON, Conn. (CNN) — Christmas has come and gone, but at a Newington drive-thru the holiday spirit keeps on giving.
Over 1,000 Starbucks customers have paid it forward, which is a goodwill gesture that's been going on since Christmas Eve.
People getting coffee said they were caught off guard when they learned that the customer in front of them paid for their order.
"I thought it was very cool," said Harry Evert of Haddam. "She told me there had been hundreds, asked me if I wanted to pay it forward for the guy behind me and I said absolutely."
Customers at the Starbucks on the Berlin Turnpike started paying it forward Christmas Eve morning. Customers were picking up the tab for the person behind them in the drive-thru line, and it turns out that spirit of giving kept on going.
The employees at the store kept a tally of all the paying it forward that has occurred. As of Saturday morning, ABC News reported the kind deed had been paid forward more than 1,000 times.
"It's awesome. It's the holiday season," said Dawn Brennan of Berlin. "It's about giving."
On their third day, Starbucks employees told WFSB News they've had small runs before, 20 or so people paying it forward, but never anything like this.
"Paying the tolls on some of the highways, we've done that for people behind us," Evert said. "You look in the mirror and see them and they're like 'whoa', that's pretty neat."
Contributing: Jordan Ormond
