In spite of the abundance of bad news exemplified by the anti-police protests in different cities in the U.S., inspiring acts of kindness still happen. And this fine example of love towards strangers, as demonstrated by a woman in Massachusetts who paid the layaway balances of 150 Toys 'R' Us customers worth US$20,000, is also moving other Americans to share the true meaning of Christmas.

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The unknown woman who paid the balances anonymously on Wednesday is now called a layaway angel after she gave her Christmas gifts to customers of the toy retailer in Bellingham. The store which described what she did as an "incredible act of kindness" that is "a true illustration of holiday giving at its best," said the generous donor is a local resident who shared that doing such an act of sharing without the public fanfare makes her sleep better at night.

ABC, which reported the layaway story, noted that same generosity is being practiced by other Americans, citing a New York man, Massachusetts cops and a Texan man who also did their share of Christmas charity work.

Also on Wednesday, Farmingdale, New York-resident Tom Gubitosi gave 200 children US$100 each as shopping money to be spent in Walmart. He spent a total of US$20,000 as his way of honoring his deceased mother who loved kids, reports WABC TV.

Toys 'R' Us is also where Andre Johnson of Houston, Texas, purchased US$16,266.26 worth of toys in early December. Eleven children from Child Protective Services were given 80 seconds to pick play items they like and place them in shopping carts. Johnson had been doing it since 2007.

Meanwhile, cops from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, gave US$200 gift cards and treated 26 children to lunch as part of their yearly "Shop with Cops" program.

Actually, being a layaway angel has been institutionalized by Lee Karchawer, also known as the Jewish Santa Claus and founder of Pay Away The Layaway. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which collects donations that are tax deductible through crowdsourcing. The money it raises are used to pay layaway balance in different stores across the U.S., just like what the woman in New York did.

According to Walmart, there are thousands of layaway angel events yearly. At Kmart, they have paid a total of US$1.5 million since 2011, while at Toys 'R' Us, 600 of these angels spread Christmas cheers by paying for layaway balances.

One of the beneficiaries is Matrice Everett, a hard-up employee in a homeless shelter, who had to resort to buying items under layaway plans due to her tight budget and after her credit rating dipped. On hearing her balance had been settled, Everett said, quoted by Today, "I can't explain how I feel right now ... This is really Merry Christmas."

Tagschristmas, layaway, Toys 'R' Us