Christmas has come early for shoppers at a Townsville toy store, after an anonymous "Santa" paid off their lay-by balances early in a generous act of charity.
Natasha Vidler said she was in "disbelief and shock" when she received a call from Townsville Toyworld, telling her about $170 had been paid off her toy bill.
"I rang my husband and I was pretty much in tears, tears of happiness," Ms Vidler said.
The toy store would not disclose the total value of the gifts, but Ms Vidler said she was one of 20 customers to benefit from the anonymous woman's generosity.
The mother-of-two, who has spent the past two weeks in hospital, said the contribution would make a huge difference to her family.
"Now the kids are going have an extra-special Christmas thanks to some total lovely stranger," Ms Vidler said.
Generous gesture after a 'tough year'
Townsville truck driver Mark Jones had been paying off gifts for his children and granddaughter when he was "blown away" by the selfless act.
"I thought it was an absolutely brilliant gesture," Mr Jones said.
He said he was being evicted from his rental home amid Townsville's housing crisis, so every extra dollar counted.
"It's been a bit of a tough year, not just for me but for everybody," he said.
The National Retail Association (NRA) is forecasting another year of record spending across the country.
But the Queensland Council of Social Service said 2021 had been particularly challenging for families grappling with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief executive Aimee McVeigh said 250,000 Queensland children had one or both parents depending on income support.
"While the unemployment rate might be lower than it was last year, there are more people than ever in Queensland who are relying on income support payments of just $45 a day."
Christmas spending soars
Despite the pandemic, the NRA said Australians were set to spend a record $20.5 billion in the 10-day lead-up to Christmas.
Chief executive Dominique Lamb said that represented a 5-per-cent increase on last year's figures.
"In Queensland alone, Queenslanders are set to spend $3.9 billion in the next 10 days before Christmas," Ms Lamb said.
Nationally, an additional $2 billion is expected to be spent online, which is an 18-per-cent jump on last year's figures.
Retailers typically make about a third of their annual profit during the festive period.
Ms Lamb said there was plenty of "pent-up demand" among consumers.
"We've had our international borders closed, our domestic borders closed, people have been staying home and certainly saving their money," she said.
"There seems to be a push for joy after what's been a really long 18 months," she said.
