TRENTON - Christmas Eve is normally a time reserved for close family and friends. But that didn't stop a Gilchrist County woman from inviting over a stranger who had no place to go for Christmas.

 

Walmart employee Holley Gilliand noticed a man in a wheelchair waiting out in front of the store in Chiefland on Sunday night. That man was Jerry Condron, 70, who came to Florida from Wisconsin several months ago in order to take care of his ailing mother. But after his ride back up north never showed up on Sunday, Condron suddenly found himself stranded in front of the Walmart store. 

 

That's when Gilliland invited him to come spend Christmas Eve at her home with her family. She's not only providing him with a warm place to stay, but also a Christmas Eve meal, all for a man she had just met earlier in the day.

 

Condron says he will try to find a new ride back up to Wisconsin on Wednesday. In the meantime, Gilliland says she will continue to provide for Condron until he can find a ride back home.