Florida woman compelled by Christmas spirit to hug stranger at Wawa gets surprise on 'Ellen'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Florida woman’s viral video, in which the Christmas spirit compelled her to hug a stranger at a Wawa gas station, landed her on Ellen DeGeneres’ sofa.
Mary Katherine Backstrom, whose video has now been viewed over 78 million times, appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Tuesday to recap the popular recording of herself laughing uncontrollably in a Wawa parking lot after accidentally hugging a man she thought was cleaning her car windshield.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After buying a woman a ginger ale to spread some holiday cheer, Backstrom was under the impression that the man supposedly cleaning her windshield was a sign of “Christmas magic.” As it turns out, after hugging the man she realized he was actually cleaning his own windshield.
The 35-year-old blogger filmed the episode in Los Angeles on Monday and was surprised with a $20,000 check for her “incredibly selfless acts of kindness, including helping a waitress fix her car and donating a kidney to her uncle,” Fort Myers News-Press reports.
Mary Katherine Backstrom was surprised by Ellen DeGeneres with a $20,000 check. (Photo: Ellen Show/YouTube)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You know, I kind of blacked out, to be honest!" Backstrom said about the televised appearance. "There was a lot of laughs and giggles and me telling her I loved her a lot.”
She added, "It's something I'll never forget. She's always been one of my heroes."
Backstrom said she wasn’t sure what she and her husband would spend the money on, but suggested that maybe they’d pay off some of their student loans. However, they’ll likely use it to keep the spirit of giving alive with a “random act of kindness.”
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"We feel like it's this magic pot of money," she said, "and we've got to do something special with it. We just haven't figured out what yet."