When a woman named Gina Wilbur saw the mall Santa Claus walking in her direction – she decided to take out her phone to sneak a photo of him. Little did she know though, she’d end up capturing a heartwarming moment that’s gone viral.
It all took place at the Concord Mall in Wilmington, Delaware, where Wilbur had been shopping with her stepson. At one point, she sat on a bench to wait with their bags while he was in a store. It turns out, she was in the right place at the right time.
They say ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’
Wilbur described what happened that day in a Facebook post that’s been spread across the internet. She started it by saying:
“Christmas shopping with Cavan and took a second to sit on a bench near Santa’s workshop… then Santa steps away from his Chair… “
Since old St. Nick was headed her way, Wilbur thought it’d be fun to snap a photo of him strolling past. But before he reached her bench he suddenly stopped and approached a 93-year-old veteran instead.
Wilbur was completely moved by what unfolded next.
In her Facebook post, she continued:
“…he walks over to a veteran sitting on the wall… as Santa approaches, the veteran stands and Santa takes a knee. I hear Santa telling the gentleman, in a soft voice, of others he knew who served. He shakes his hand with genuine gratefulness thanking him for his service and returns to the children. Best moment of my day.”
The scene wasn’t what Wilbur was expecting to capture when she first pulled out her phone. Even better, it’s one that touched her heart.
93-year-old Bob Smiley is the man who had been sitting on the wall that day, proudly wearing his World War II veteran’s hat.
He’s a widower with a large family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Because of the mall Santa’s kindness and good-nature, Smiley believes that perhaps he’s genuinely the guy from the North Pole.
He told the Delaware News Journal:
“Boy! I got the impression this was the real Santa Claus. He was so soft-spoken and obviously kind. I’d say he’s the real deal.”
Wilbur too agrees that the Concord Mall Santa has all the character traits that we love about the legend. In an interview with Good Morning America she said:
“Everything you think Santa Claus is, that’s just who that man was.”
Santa didn’t share his “real” name, but he enjoys spending time with people in his magical role. His father (who’s passed) served in WWII like Smiley, along with the Korean War.
Although not everyone goes out of their way to thank our military members – Santa, on the other hand, believes in doing so. He explained to the Delaware News Journal:
“I think we owe a debt of gratitude to these men and women who serve our nation. Not just in the military, but those on the front line, the first responders, our police, our firefighters. All are so important and we owe them the time to just go say thank you.”
The holiday season is the perfect time of year for stories that warm your soul, and this one has done just that for people across the internet. Gina Wilbur’s post has been shared more than 5,900 times since it went up in
Watch GMA’s video below to see more sweet photos!
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