Generous Good Samaritans known collectively as 'layaway angels' have been reminding everyone what the holiday season is all about. Many US retailers have dusted off the once-popular layaway option in recent years, offering customers to reserve merchandise and pay for in installments. But shoppers on a tight budget often find themselves scrambling to come up with the money to cover their debt in time for the holidays so they can bring home presents for their loved ones. That is where the 'layaway angels' come in. Scroll down for video Christmas miracle: Unsuspecting shoppers who lined up at a Charleston, West Virginia, Kmart to pay for their layaway Christmas presents Friday were stunned when Jed Smith (left) approached them and offered to cover their layaway tab
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In Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, donor known as 'Santa B' shelled out $50,000 to cover all layaway balances at the local Wal-mart
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Cathy O'Grady, founder of Sofia's Angels charity, walked into Massachusetts Toys R Us and paid nearly $20,000 for strangers' layaway purchases
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West Virginia small businessman Jed Smith spent more than $1,000 in his capacity as a 'layaway angel' at a Charleston Kmart
O'Grady says her mother, @placeholder, who passed away from breast cancer 17 years ago, and who inspired her enterprise, taught her to be generous.