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'Thanksgiving Grandma' Who Accidentally Texted Stranger Spends 8th Holiday With Him
One of our favorite Thanksgiving tradition continues...
No, it's not waking up early to catch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade or Googling "how to stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving this year." It's not even the food or football.
It's the annual Thanksgiving reunion of two strangers who found each other through an accidental text eight years ago.
In 2016, Wanda Dench thought she'd sent a text to her grandson inviting him to Thanksgiving dinner. The message, however, was actually sent to Jamal Hinton, an absolute stranger, who let Dench know she texted the wrong number.
He jokingly added:
"Can I still get a plate tho?"
And the rest is history.
Hinton did attend Dench's—a.k.a. "Thanksgiving Grandma's"—holiday dinner that year, as well as every Thanksgiving after that.
This year marks their eighth anniversary, and it seems as though this one was as lovely as the rest.
Hinton took to X to share a photo of the annual get together, this time joined by an Airbnb guest.
Hinton and Dench also collaborated on an Instagram post featuring their "year 8 selfie."
They also thanked their Airbnb guest Arseni in the caption:
"Our year 8 selfie 🧡 Thanks for staying with us, Arseni, and for being part of the good in the world this holiday season #airbnbpartner"
Dench and Hinton partnered with Airbnb for a special promotion celebrating their anniversary by pricing a one-night stay for two guests at just $16, a nod to the year they met.
They wrote on Instagram ahead of the holiday:
"To celebrate our eighth Thanksgiving together (yes, eight!), we’re partnering with @airbnb this year to host a couple extra seats at our table 🦃."
People on social media are still as smitten with this story as they were in 2016.
Earlier this month, Hinton told PEOPLE that he loves sharing his story with others.
“It's always amazing to meet someone and talk to them for a couple minutes when you're out, or if anyone recognizes me from a Thanksgiving story or anything like that."
“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."
It is a beautiful story—and we're officially counting down the days until next Thanksgiving.