Indian Couple In London Is Giving Hugs And Pie To Lonely People For Christmas

It’s the season of giving. And, Shashi and Pallu Patel are giving all of us some serious Christmas goals.

The Indian couple who runs a shop in Twickenham in UK-- that sells newspapers, magazines and confectionery—has decided to stay open for Christmas. All because everyone deserves a hug and a little mince pie.

This year, the couple will dress up in festive outfits, play carols and hand out free mince pies and sweets to anyone who drops in between midday and 2pm.

A Facebook post that they shared has made a lot of people happy. “If you are alone, pop in for a hug and a mince pie! You don’t have to buy anything, we are family,” the Facebook post reads.



The couple has been running the shop for 35 years with the help of their sons Deepen and Meeten. They used to close the shop on Christmas Day to enjoy one day off in the year, until eight years ago.

Once, an elderly lady called Dot, came into their shop just before Christmas, telling the Patels that a man posing as a gas fitter had stolen from her. She was conned out of all her life savings. Their elder son Neeten took to Facebook to share the message so that the local community can be extra cautious.

To their surprise, people started arriving with gifts for the elderly lady. “It was the best Christmas she ever had,” Deepen told The Independent.

And that’s when it all began. They decided to keep their shops open on Christmas day so people like Dot, people without a family, can experience some festive cheer.

So why do the Hindu family celebrate Christmas? Deepen has the perfect answer. “In Hinduism, the main message is to help everybody in life, especially those less fortunate. Everybody should have somebody at Christmas, so we try to be that somebody,” he told a newspaper.