A local family is gaining attention across North America for their part in a holiday video featuring the granting of the holiday wishes of dozens of WestJet passengers.
Mat Peltier, Andrea Hughes and two-year old Cohen, recently flew home from Toronto on a WestJet flight and were the recipients of a holiday surprise.
Before boarding their flight, the family took some time to say hello to a virtual Santa Claus at the departure gate. St. Nick asked Mat and Andrea what they wanted for Christmas and the couple responded with a request for a big screen television.
Four hours later, when their flight arrived at the Calgary International Airport, they were among the dozens of passengers who were shocked to discover the gifts they had wished for were waiting for them at the baggage carousel.
The WestJet recording has gone viral and the family has been fielding media requests from around the world.
“I just thought it would be on YouTube or something for WestJet,” explains Andrea Hughes. “We might be in it, I thought they might use Cohen's picture more than anything, but I personally had no idea that this would happen.”
WestJet has said it would work with the Ronald McDonald House charity to send a family in need, on a Christmas vacation if the video was viewed 200,000 times on YouTube.
Since the video’s posting on December 9, the WestJet Christmas Miracle has been watched more than 2.6 million times.
