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Grandma and stranger she accidentally invited to Thanksgiving dinner will meet for the 7th year
Featured Image Credit: jamalhinton12/Instgaram

Grandma and stranger she accidentally invited to Thanksgiving dinner will meet for the 7th year

There are few things we look forward to more than the annual Thanksgiving meet-up of a grandma and her beloved stranger.

Shola Lee

Shola Lee

There are few things we look forward to more than the annual Thanksgiving meet-up of an Arizona grandma and her honorary grandson.

If you're not familiar with the heartwarming story of Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton, it all started when Wanda mistakenly invited Jamal to her Thanksgiving dinner via text, thinking that she was texting her grandson.

We're actually crying, look at them.
jamalhinton12/Instagram

When she realised she wasn’t texting her grandson, Wanda still invited Hinton to dinner, saying: 2That’s what grandmas do… feed everyone."

Jamal posted the exchange to Twitter and the internet watched on as the pair planned to meet for the first time.

As you can expect, the story went viral, and honestly, it’s one tradition we hope never ends!

The pair had so much fun that their Thanksgiving meet-ups became an annual event. This year was no exception, and Jamal took to Instagram to share the news everyone had been waiting for: "To answer all your questions, yes Thanksgiving year 7 is planned out! See you guys Thursday!"

And the pair are as excited as ever, with Jamal telling Today that the pair are in it for the long run: "I told [Wanda] the cameras and the fame, everything could stop tomorrow, and nothing’s changing between us."

This is where the whole thing started.
Jamalhinton12/Twitter

Dench replied: "Absolutely. He's in my heart for life."

Jamal even went on to hint that the pair will get 'matching tattoos next' and frankly we need to see that happen.

Of course, fans quickly poured in their love for the tradition, as one happy onlooker wrote: "I love seeing this each year. Wishing you both an early Happy Thanksgiving from Canada!"

While another said: "This is the best holiday story ever. I'm back for it every year."

A third added that the pair's tradition was like something out of a movie: "This really need to be a Hallmark Thanksgiving story!"

The pair have kept the tradition going strong.
Jamalhinton12/Twitter

Another said that they weren't even celebrating the holiday but were just happy for Wanda and Jamal: "Hell yes! I’m not American and don’t celebrate thanksgiving, but this tradition is the cutest thing ever."

And we couldn't agree more, though unfortunately, Wanda’s husband Lonnie was absent as he passed away in April 2020, after complications caused by COVID.

But it seems like Wanda and Jamal are planning to continue their meet-ups and keep each other company for many years to come.

Topics: Viral, Twitter, Instagram, Good News, News

Shola Lee began her journalism career while studying for her undergraduate degree at Queen Mary, University of London and Columbia University in New York. She has written for the Columbia Spectator, QM Global Bloggers, CUB Magazine, UniDays, and Warner Brothers' Wizarding World Digital. Recently, Shola took part in the 2021 BAFTA Crew and BBC New Creatives programme before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news, trending stories, and features.