The Christmas season is indeed in the air although for some, every day is Christmas, period.
Johnnie Hodges, no longer homeless, will after all be spending Christmas at home after an unexpected happy turn of events.
Hodges is a WWII war veteran who cared for his wife, Fiora. She had Alzheimer's and passed away two years ago. Due to this, he fell on his mortgage payment for his home of 60 years. The sad fact is that Hodges is just one of the many homeless veterans in the country, many of them in New York.
On the upside, People reports that unknown to Hodges, his good-hearted neighbor has set up a GoFundMe page for the veteran when he read about the impending eviction in the newspaper. His name is Greg Elwood and he has raised $110,000.
Elwood told ABC News, "Our original goal was $50,000, that was the amount that Robin needed to purchase the home back. It's just a wonderful feeling to know that he'll be back in that home to be able to celebrate the holidays with the family. He has a lot of memories in that home. It's very clear he was close with his late wife Flora, and I just feel good knowing that he's at peace."
Hodges has to be forced out of his home in a stretcher for refusing to leave his home for 6 decades way back in July. Because of this, he could not contain his happiness upon his return.
"I'm very happy to be back...and spend Christmas with my family in my home," Hodges opened up to the same news outlet. "There's nothing like being with your family. This is a beautiful home I have and it really is a pleasure to be here."
He could not thank more than 2,000 strangers who had helped him get his home back. His daughter, Robin, says Greg has a heart of gold and could not say enough about him.
That's a happy ending indeed and what a better way to celebrate the holidays than helping someone take his home back...especially for someone who has been of service to the country.