Families praise stranger who paid off every Christmas present on hold in department store

Families are praising a kind stranger who paid off every Christmas present on hold in a department store – taking the meaning of Secret Santa to a whole new level.

Many people find the festive season difficult to navigate when it comes to cost, especially if there are kids to please.

Whether it’s splashing out on a family trip to the pantomime, travelling the length and breadth of the country to see relatives or simply just stocking up the house with tasty seasonal snacks, things easily racks up in no time.

But one anonymous good Samaritan has taken the sting out of the period for a number of people in Australia, having said they just wanted to do something good for the community.

The stranger settled the payment for every gift on hold at a Kmart in Victoria Gardens, Richmond, Victoria, bringing people to tears with their random act of kindness.

Kmart told 7News it would not share the entire amount paid, but the majority of the items were Christmas presents.

They included dreamy toys including a AUD $200 Dreamhouse and a $90 Barbie Dream Boat Playset – both of which frankly sound like the sort of thing many of us fully-grown adults would also love...

7News

Shoppers told the outlet they felt touched by the ‘incredible’ act, with one woman saying: “What a lovely thing to do.

“We could all do with a little gratitude and giving to others.”

Warren Elliott from the Salvation Army also agreed it was amazing to see someone willing to help strangers out without expecting anything in return.

“It just does our heart good when we see that Australians are still prepared to help others in need even though they don’t know who they are,” he said.

7News

And many social media users were also equally stunned by the heartwarming gesture, with one commenting: “That is so beautiful! There are good people in this world.”

Someone else admitted they were ‘crying’, while another said these kind of uplifting stories ‘restore a little faith in humanity’.

A fourth third wrote: “That's a boss move there. Help ppl but do it anonymously.”

A fifth added: “This is b****y wonderful. I needed to hear this today. I hope it makes your day.”