95-year-old man receives 15,000 cards after death of wife, who loved the holidays

The holidays can be difficult for some people, but a little festive spirit can certainly make things easier.

For one 95-year-old man from Rhode Island, Christmas is especially challenging because the month of December reminds him of his late wife, who loved the holidays.

“She was Christmas,” George Dowling of Pawtucket, R.I., told the Washington Post.

In an attempt to make Dowling’s mood merrier, his daughter and primary caretaker Suzan Brito puts out an annual call for Christmas cards to be sent to Dowling, who loves receiving mail.

Since 2014, Brito, 64, has asked folks on social media to send cards to her father. This year, the response was enormous.

As of Monday, Dowling had received 15,510 holiday cards, according to Brito’s daughter Charlene Fletcher, who keeps a running count on social media.

Dowling reads every card and tapes them onto the walls of his home.

The cards, which are mostly from strangers, come from all over the world and are from people of all ages. Many refer to Dowling as “Grandpa George.”

“It’s just amazing. These people, I can’t even thank them enough. He gets so sad, and this just perks him up,” Brito told NBC affiliate WJAR.

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Dowling’s wife of 70 years, Lucille, died in 2013. Lucille, who had Alzheimer’s disease, adored Christmas.

When she died just a few weeks before Christmas, Dowling and his family did not celebrate that year.

“It feels lonesome,” Dowling told WJAR. “My wife did all the cooking and had all the people come.”

In 2014, Brito put out her first call for Christmas cards. That year, Dowling — who is a Second World War Navy veteran — received about 30 cards.

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In 2021, however, Dowling only received 14 cards.

To try and get Dowling more Christmas cards this year, Brito and Fletcher shared their message more widely on their personal social media accounts. The call spread like wildfire across Facebook and on other social media platforms like TikTok.

According to the Washington Post, Dowling excitedly meets his (obviously hardworking) postman on the front porch of his home every day.

Dowling told the outlet though he still misses his wife dearly, the warm messages in every Christmas card have made this December “a happy one.”