Santa came early in Lowell, Michigan — but instead of rosy red cheeks, a white beard and a sled full of reindeer, he was dressed in black and had a badge and a cop car.
Officer Scot VanSolkema of the Lowell Police Department pulled people over for a routine traffic stop, then quizzed them on what they or their kids wanted for Christmas.
"You got all your Christmas shopping done?" Officer Scot VanSolkema asks.
"No, I haven't even started. ... She wants, like, Lego Friends," a woman says.
"Daughter wants Lego Friends?" a man at the store asks.
*People at store go out and get Lego Friends*
"He's only 5, so he has all these things that he wants that I'm not going to be able to get," the woman says.
"Like what?" VanSolkema asks.
"An electric scooter," she responds.
"Something like this?" he asks.
"Oh, my God. Yeah!" she exclaims.
*Woman unwraps iPhone*
"Are you serious? How did you do this?" another woman asks.
The gift-giving continued. After VanSolkema asked people about their Christmas wish lists, a team at a nearby store purchased the presents and dropped them off to the officer. The Xbox One gift is one of our faves.
Although NBC says the officers didn't have a chance to please everyone. Some drivers left before they could get a gift, and some were a little nasty, answering "go to hell" when asked what they wanted for Christmas. Lumps of coal for them!
This story of Christmas spirit has spread from the Michigan city of fewer than 4,000 people to national television. Everybody loves a tear-jerking goodwill video.
"The idea and the money came from a religious TV network. The goal was to uplift someone during the holidays. I'm guessing they absolutely accomplished that goal," ABC anchor Amy Robach says.
The video is part of the Uplift Someone campaign, which says it's about making "the world a little bit brighter."
Mission accomplished.
"Oh, my God, you're kidding me. I want to hug you!" a woman exclaims.
This video includes music from Kevin MacLeod / CC BY 3.0.
