A grandmother and a stranger who became companions after she accidentally invited him to a Thanksgiving dinner have now spent the holiday together for the eighth year in a row.
Our favorite internet story began in 2016 when Wanda Dench from Arizona texted a number she thought belonged to her grandson and invited him for the holiday - however, the number actually belonged to then-17-year-old Jamal Hinton.
Rather than ignore the unknown number, the duo sent each other selfies, with Jamal replying: "You're not my grandma," before asking if he could still "get a plate" at the dinner. The lovely grandma responded: "Of course, you can. That’s what grandmas do… feed everyone."
Seven years later on Thanksgiving 2023, the now-24-year-old shared pictures standing beside the 66-year-old on their eighth holiday dinner together, and this time the pair included a new stranger in their tradition.
Check out the photos below:Taking to Twitter, Hinton penned under the picture: "That’s a wrap on Thanksgiving year 8! Thankful for the connections we made hosting our first @airbnb guest."
The photo included a special guest who was identified as Arseni, according to an Instagram post by Dench and Hinton. They expressed gratitude to Arseni for staying with them on Monday night (November 20) as part of an Airbnb promotion to book a stay at the grandma's home in Prescott, Arizona, and join them for the festivities.
"Our year 8 selfie. Thanks for staying with us, Arseni, and for being part of the good in the world this holiday season #airbnbpartner," they captioned the post.
The comment section under the post was filled with excitement, with many users writing that they look forward to an update every year.
"Every year the universe heals itself in many ways. This is one of them. Balance restored," one person wrote.
Another said: "Man imagine that one mistake text ended up bringing two people together," and a third shared: "Please keep the tradition going. You are such an amazing bunch. Thank you for sharing with us."
A fourth added: "If there’s one single thing I look forward to every year it’s this," and someone else chimed in: "Love this tradition. I look forward to this post every year. It brings so many of us to hope and joy."
Hinton and Dench had offered a one-night stay for two guests which was priced at $16 - a nod to 2016, the year they spent their first Thanksgiving together.
"I think it is perfect," Hinton said about the Airbnb deal to People earlier this month. "I mean, me personally, I love meeting new people and building new friendships."
Since the tradition began, the pair have shared more than just a meal as they have gone on trips to a pumpkin patch, watched the Super Bowl together, and even appeared on a game show.
"It's always amazing to meet someone and talk to them for a couple of minutes when you're out, or if anyone recognizes me from a Thanksgiving story or anything like that," Hinton shared.
"But to be able to sit down and actually talk to them for a full day, and especially sometimes with no media around or to really just get to know each other, I think that that's going to be a beautiful friendship that can continue for years, kind of like me and Wanda," he added.
We can't wait for next year's update!
