A Grinch loaded up with eggnog almost ruined this Christmas for some of Chicago's neediest kids.
The man was taking part in the city's annual "T-Box" bar crawl, also known as the "Twelve Bars of Christmas." By the time he reached the Nisei Lounge he must have been a little over-served, because shortly after arriving he puked in the bar's Toys for Tots charity box.
Bar owner Brian Pistorius says the box of toys for underprivileged children was about three quarters full, but none of the toys could be saved.
"Unfortunately after that happens we can't really give those to the kids," he said.
But a bartender and a bouncer at the Nisei Lounge didn't want the kids to go without their toys, so they volunteered their tips from the bar crawl to buy replacements. Then, they shared their pledge on social media, asking others to give as well.
Before they knew it, the entire community was rallying to fill the bar's new box, and they wound up doing even better than that.
After seeing the enthusiasm on social media, the Nisei Lounge set up "The Toys For Tots Karma Challenge," selling "Good Karma Tickets" to raise money for new toys.
Cheers to the team from @TBOXBarCrawls who just dropped off a big donation to our Good Karma Toys for Tots Drive! pic.twitter.com/OOAN3BpvKo
— Nisei Lounge Chicago (@NiseiLounge) December 13, 2017
The challenge quickly raised more than $2,000, and the community also filled the bar's Christmas tree with new toys. After spending the money at the nearby Building Blocks Toy Store, three huge boxes of toys were ready to be handed out on Christmas morning.
"Everyone's just contributing and it's like good karma, anonymous karma, random acts of kindness," says the store's owner Katherine McHenry, "and it's so great to see over the holidays."
Pistorius has been bowled over by all the support his bar has seen in the last few days, and has started to call his customer's nasty accident "a blessing in disguise."
"In no way shape or form would I ever imagine that we could get this type of outpouring from people," he told Fox 32.
Maybe it's because the accident was so silly, or it's just the way the holiday season makes people so generous, but this is one Christmas the Nisei Lounge won't forget any time soon.
