Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, none of us likes being alone during the holidays. A woman who had nobody to spend Christmas Eve with melted hearts on social media after getting herself a puppy to keep her company.
In a post shared on TikTok on Monday, under the username @nastyaswan, the woman from New York City can be seen excitedly holding her new puppy, a toy poodle called Laska, as she struggles to hold back her tears, talking about the reason why she got her.
In the heartwarming post she explains: "Today is Christmas Eve and I have none to celebrate it with. So I got a puppy for Christmas. She is the most beautiful thing that happened to me.
"Her name is Laska, like Alaska, but Laska, which in Russian means to love to cuddle, like to give love, she's just a love ball. Every time I pick her up she just stays like this, she doesn't bark, she doesn't try to run away. Finally, I will never be alone in New York City ever again, she's already my best friend!" Followed by: "I'm scared but so happy."
@nastyaswan I’m scared but so happy
♬ Christmas Piano - Christmas Music
The poster wasn't the only one to spend Christmas alone this year. According to a survey conducted by Online-Solitaire.com, a staggering 19 million people spent Christmas alone this year. Oregon got it worst with about 45 percent of residents spending Christmas by themselves.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 1.4 million views and 180,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Kiki, commented: "I had [a] reunion but it was a disaster, my whole family stepped on my boundaries with my kid who is 3 months. They criticized how I raised her and called." And Yeslin Perez said: "A dog's love is so unconditional. She will be the best thing that's ever happened to you."
Melissa Diaz wrote: "I would spend Christmas working in the ER all the time because I had no one to spend it with. I have a toy poodle named Prada who is now my company." And Erin added: "I just got a kitty that I named Odette and she is the best Christmas gift I could have gotten myself."
Update 1/2/24 9:26 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with the original video from the OP's TikTok.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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About the writer
Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more
