This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.Like many people at this time of year whose families don’t fit into the idealized Christmas tableau of warmth and closeness, Paul Balog, a Victoria-area engineer, was finding himself struggling.
His family had a difficult year after Mr. Balog and his partner separated and he was eager to bring some Christmas cheer to his seven-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter.
Within hours, the ad was reposted to a Facebook group in Oak Bay, a seaside suburb of Victoria, and the responses began to pour in. Mr. Balog had 20 invitations within the first 12 hours and even more messages of support. As Kristen Holliday writes today, Esquimalt resident Lynn Millar saw something familiar in Mr. Balog’s post.
“I was that person five years ago when I moved to Victoria,” Ms. Millar said. “People are really wanting to help. If you can make someone’s day a bit easier, why not? ... That’s what Christmas should be about. That’s what I want my daughters to learn.”Mr. Balog’s family is looking forward to dinner, but also to making connections with some of the others that responded to his post.Mr. Balog said he wasn’t surprised by the support he received.