Strangers Brought Together For Dinner In Unique Christmas Tradition

BRIGHTON (CBS) -- "Tonight I'm having Christmas dinner with a bunch of people I've never met before," said Chris Newcome, the creator of a unique holiday tradition in Brighton.

Last year, work prevented Newcome from returning home to Pennsylvania for Christmas. Instead of feeling bad, he decided to whip up a holiday meal and open his home to guests who had nowhere else to go.

This year, the invitation, which he posted on Facebook and Reddit, was directed toward the LGBTQ community.

"I could have gone home but instead, I decided I could bring this blessing to all these different people," Newcome said.

The living room, filled with strangers, celebrated each other and the true spirit of Christmas.

"I messaged him right away, and I was like 'hey, I saw your post last year, wasn't able to make it, can I come this year?' and he said, 'yeah, of course,'" one attendee said.

Sara Garrard of Charlestown explained, "I have to be away from my family on Christmas just because of my job so I was like yeah, I'd mostly be at home watching Netflix with my dog, I might as well share a meal with people especially other queer people who might not have a family to go home to or maybe home isn't a safe or welcoming space for them."