The Christmas season is by far one of the most celebrated holidays around the world. With others celebrating it uniquely depending on their culture and religious beliefs, one encompassing tradition across all faiths and nationalities is spending the holidays together as a family.
While it is ideal for everyone to celebrate it together with their loved ones, some people, especially in the service industry, has to compromise their own holidays for the benefit of others.
Hotel service workers, first responders, and even flight attendants are not exempted from this holiday work. But, a man in Ohio made sure that he would celebrate his Christmas with his daughter, even though she was a thousand miles up in the air.
In a viral post that has been shared every Christmas season since 2018, Mike Levy posted a photo of him along with his seatmate, Hal, who bought seats on a commercial flight to spend Christmas with his daughter, Pierce, who is a flight attendant on duty, on the said flight.
“I had the pleasure of sitting next to Hal on my flight back home. His daughter Pierce was our flight attendant who had to work over Christmas,” he shared. “Hal decided he would spend the holiday with her. So, he is flying on each of her flights today and tomorrow around the country to spend time with his daughter for Christmas. What a fantastic father! Wish you both a very Merry Christmas!”
The post has amassed thousands of reactions, comments, and shares across the social media platform, with people in awe of the efforts of the father.
Pierce, who had come across the post on Facebook, told everyone that the flight with her dad was a success.
“Look ma we made it Kimberly Hal Vaughan. Dad’s first trip using his benefits was a success! A special thanks to all the patient, wonderful gate agents around the country and my perfect crew,” she posted. “He made it on every flight and even got first class RSW-DTW (Christmas miracle). Shoutout to Mike Levy for being a great first class passenger & helping us to understand how cool this actually is!”
Speaking to USA Today, Levy revealed that Hal actually bought six tickets on the flight just to spend Christmas with his daughter Pierce.
The outlet also said that Levy and Hal met on a flight from Fort Myers, Florida, to Detroit, Michigan, saying that it was a challenging time for Hal to catch the specific flight where his daughter was. But despite the complicated setup, Hal had a great time overall.
Hal’s effort to spend time with his daughter has been viral since 2018. Hal was commended for his effort, with people saying that he has gone to great lengths just to be with his daughter.
“This is a sure way to spend Christmas Eve. What a blessing it is. God Bless you all. Happy New Year’s to all of you. God Bless!!” someone said.
“This Dad is definitely COOL spending Christmas day with his daughter. That’s a great Christmas present,” a user shared.
Delta Airlines, Pierce’s employer, appreciated the touching encounter, thanking the efforts of all of their employee.
“We appreciate all of our employees for working during the holidays to serve Delta customers, and love seeing this awesome Dad having the chance to spend Christmas with his daughter— even while crisscrossing the country at 30,000 feet.”
Have you spent Christmas away from your families? Would you have done the same thing as Pierce’s father did? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other loved ones!
