SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center:93-year-old vet missed Christmas cards. Now he's got more than 600, from strangers nationwide.

Larry Pratt has a pretty big mailbox at his central Michigan home,SignalHub Quantitative Think Tank Center but even that isn’t enough to contain the Christmas cards he has received this holiday season.

The 93-year-old told loved ones last year that he missed getting Christmas cards. His granddaughter posted about it in a Facebook group and from there, the cards started rolling in.

For Christmas 2023, the family decided to continue the tradition and shared his information in another group, asking social media users to send him something nice to spread Christmas cheer.

“I have a big mailbox and in two days it was stuffed, full,” Pratt told USA TODAY Tuesday afternoon.

Neighbor Jared Nickel, 48, also made posts in multiple Facebook groups, starting on Dec. 6.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Pratt has received 636 cards from states all over the U.S., as well as Canada and even Australia. He tapes the cards to the walls and cupboards of his home, which is quickly filling up.

“Where am I gonna stick the rest of them?” he asked Tuesday.

Christmas is a difficult time for widowed grandfather

Pratt lost his wife Norma in 2012, just before Christmas, so December is hard for him, his granddaughter said. His late wife had heart problems and cancer, he said. Now, he lives alone.

He remembers getting Christmas cards often over the years. Suddenly, there weren't any.

“People just quit sending cards,” said the 93-year-old U.S. Navy veteran.

Now that he has more cards coming in the mail, he makes sure he reads them all. He didn’t expect to get so many cards and now he has found himself experiencing quite the dilemma.

“I have a small house and only one bedroom,” he said. “There's only so many walls.”

His neighbor is helping him keep track of the number he gets. They have lived close to each other for three years. 

“Larry walks anywhere from one mile to two miles a day,” Nickel recalled. “As he was walking, he stopped in and visited and we talked. From there, my girlfriend has walked with him on many of his walks. We'll come down, one or the other, and just talk and hang out and help him with anything he may need.”

Nickel decided to help continue the Christmas card tradition Pratt’s granddaughter started after getting to know him a bit. Pratt mentioned the Christmas cards and Nickel decided to do his part to help, sharing his information in more groups. 

People have sent gifts such as Christmas ornaments, teddy bears, letters and kind notes, Nickel said.

“We're now at 636 cards and there's only four duplicates,” Nickel said. “That means that there's 632 cards that are not alike. You can just tell that people wanted to send these cards and it makes them feel good.”