Christmas came early to the town of Canton, Mississippi when a generous and very secret Santa picked up the tab for more than 300 layaway tickets at the local Walmart.

A donor who chose to remain anonymous approached the store's management and made an offer they had no reason to refuse: The jolly old elf volunteered to make good on every layaway ticket they were holding for customers who had yet to pay or fully pay for their merchandise.

The exact amount of the donation has not been revealed, but guesstimates are that Santa laid out a sizable chunk of change to ensure his neighbors' holidays would be merry, bright, and a whole lot more stress free. In a year that's been especially hard for people, those who benefited from Santa's generosity are truly grateful for the gesture.

One Madison County woman named Belinda Brooks who was gifted several times over told WLBT News not only would the unexpected boon mean she could take some days off but that her child would get everything on his wishlist. "I will get everything he asked for, so I'm good on that as long as he's happy. I'm fine with that," she said.

A Walmart spokesperson later revealed that even after all the layaways had been paid for, since many of the on-hold items had been reduced in price, thanks to cash register adjustments there'd been a not-so-small stocking-full of funds left over.

In the spirit of the season, the store passed the good cheer along to a pair of local toy drives and the hunger relief organization Feeding America-putting an extra helping of merry ho-ho-ho in the holidays for some folks who needed it most.

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