Shop clerk invites an elderly widower to Christmas dinner: she didn't want him to be alone

Christmas should be a time for celebration, spent with family and friends. But Christmas can also be a time of sadness for those who no longer have family or friends to celebrate with. Many elderly people, having perhaps spent the entire year on their own already, find themselves also alone and lonely at Christmas time. And this loneliness can intensify dramatically during the festive holidays. It's impossible to ignore Christmas, considering that cities everywhere are decorated with lights and baubles and the Christmas atmosphere can be felt in all the streets. People like Edwin Holmes, a elderly man who was 86 at the time of this story, run the risk of falling into deep loneliness during the holidays and that's why Ellie Walker, a clerk of a well-known English supermarket, asked the man to have dinner together with her during the Christmas holidays.

via The Sun

Mr. Edwin lived right next door to the supermarket where Ellie Walker, a 22-year-old shop clerk, worked. A regular customer, Edwin often chatted with Ellie and everyone else on supermarket's staff. When Ellie learned of Edwin's personal situation, she felt compelled to reach out and do something for him. In fact, Edwin, after many years of marriage, had just become a widower and was now without any family or friends. His daughter had moved to Australia, and so he did not have the opportunity to get to see her very often. The retired, elderly man had once been a painter and interior decorator, but now, in the twilight of his life, he was on his own. Ellie knew Edwin was going to be spending Christmas day alone and dining on generic, oven-ready meals, so she decided to invite him to have dinner with her.

Edwin showed up in a suit and tie and, so as not to arrive empty-handed, he had brought Ellie a bouquet of flowers. It was a very emotional moment for Ellie: "He made me cry because I saw how much that the invitation meant to him. For me, it's the most important part of my job to talk to clients and see how their day is going."

Edwin was as thrilled as a kid in a candy store and confessed to Ellie that this was his first "date" in 55 years! The two chatted and spent a few hours together over dinner. Ellie really enjoys Edwin's company, because she finds him kind and pleasant - just like her grandfather might be: "I thought that if he was my grandfather and if he was alone, he would have liked someone like me to talk to."

It's been about 4 years since the two had Christmas dinner together, and we hope that Ellie and Edwin have continued to keep their friendship going.