A Florida Man Brought Holiday Cheer to 36 Unsuspecting Families by Paying Their Utility Bills

Knowing what it feels like to have his utilities shut off over the festive season, Mike Esmond from Gulf Breeze, Florida, generously decided to make sure families in his community didn't experience the same this Christmas.

When Mike Esmond couldn't afford to pay his utility bill over December 1983, he and his three daughters went through the coldest Pensacola Christmas day ever recorded with no heat and no power.

Having moved to Gulf Breeze and starting a successful pool and spa company since then, Mike decided to help families who faced the same fate this Christmas.

Mike went to the city of Gulf Breeze and asked for a list of names of all the residents who have past due utility accounts on the verge of being shut off.

The list contained 36 households with overdue accounts to the total value of roughly $4,600, and Mike paid off every single one of them.

Shortly after, the 36 households received a note instead of a utility bill that informed them that Gulf Breeze Pools and Spas paid their outstanding balance and that they can "rest easier this holiday."

Angela Cascio, who found such a note in her mailbox, couldn't believe her eyes when she read through the note. She had fallen behind on utility bills, and with four children between the ages of 7 and 17, she had a tough time making ends meet with Christmas just around the corner.

"Without (Gulf Breeze Pools) paying that bill, my kids' Christmases would have greatly suffered," Angela told PNJ. "Angels absolutely walk among us, and they are the epitome of kindness and what 'paying it forward' means to me."

The kind gesture brought the mother of four to tears. To thank Mike in her way, she made an ornament depicting the Nativity scene, which she plans on giving to Mike as soon as she can.

Random acts of kindness often come from the most unexpected of places. Sitting with your pet/s at the vet is one of those places. In February this year, Eileen Jones, the founder of Friends of Animals Wales, shared a beautiful story:

Kindness also came knocking on Sgt. Seth Craven's door when he least expected and most appreciated. The A.U.S. military servant was on his way home, where his very pregnant wife anxiously awaited his return.

She had gone into labor, but due to several delays in travel the couldn't have avoided, Seth feared he wouldn't make it in time to see his first child being born.

But then a random stranger named Charlene Vickers made sure that he got home to Charleston, West Virginia, in time for the momentous occasion.