An Oklahoma teen working at a McDonald’s got a $700 gift from a regular customer for the holiday season.
Christopher Shaw told Tulsa TV station KOKI that he's used to getting a dollar here or there in tips every once in a while, but what he received this past week made him speechless and brought his mother to tears.
This year, according to Shaw's mother, Latrisha Peterson, the space underneath the family's Christmas tree was a bit bare as they worked to catch up on bills.
"Christopher said he didn't want anything . . . I’m sure he did, but that was his way of not putting pressure on me. But I’m sure he wanted something," said Peterson, a single mother of three.
Peterson is proud of her son and his selflessness. Shaw, 17, works at McDonald’s in east Tulsa to help his mother pay the bills.
“He could have chosen other things, drugs, gangs, but he didn't. He chose God,” Peterson said.
Each day, Shaw he goes into work with a smile and a positive attitude.
“I build relationships with the customers and ask them how their day is going,” he said.
It was one of those relationships that led Shaw to receive a gift that he never expected.
“(The customer) said, ‘You're always in a good mood and you're always smiling and bringing up my spirit, so here you go,' " Shaw said.
The customer handed him a $700 gift card.
“As soon as he left I went outside and jumped up and down and said, 'Thank you, Jesus,' " Shaw said.
“He doesn't know how much this blessed me, how much this meant to me right here."
Peterson is grateful that her hardworking son was able to get something for Christmas, and she hopes the customer knows how much the kind gesture meant to her family.
“I just want to say thank you. You bless my son, you blessed us," she said.
Shaw is a junior in high school. He wants to be a preacher one day, so plans to use the gift card to buy a laptop to use when he goes to college.
He hasn't seen the customer since he got the gift, but he plans to say thank you again.
