A grandmother in Arizona and the stranger she accidentally invited to her Thanksgiving dinner in 2016 are set to celebrate their eighth holiday together — but this year, they are inviting two more people to the dinner table.
Their story went viral when Wanda Dench texted then-teenager Jamal Hinton, telling him the time of her Thanksgiving dinner.
Dench told the 17-year-old that dinner was at her house at 3 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2016.
He responded by asking who was texting him and she responded, “Your grandma.”
After the initial confusion and back-and-forth, Hinton jokingly asked, “Can I still get a plate tho?”
The rest of the story became an annual holiday tradition, and a lasting internet sensation.
This year, the pair are inviting two more guests to their Thanksgiving dinner through a promotion with Airbnb.
The Airbnb booking invites two more strangers to spend the holiday with Dench and Hinton at the grandmother’s Arizona home, paying homage to the tradition, now in its eighth year.
“Exciting news, guys – our Thanksgiving year 8 plans are with you! With @airbnb’s help, we’re hosting you and a friend at Wanda’s home this year,” Hinton wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Bookings opened at 10 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
“Our unexpected friendship may have started accidentally, but our love for meeting new people has kept it going strong almost a decade later,” the listing reads. “That’s why this year, we’re expanding our annual tradition and inviting new guests to spend Thanksgiving with us at Wanda’s home – because that’s what grandma’s do: feed everyone.”
This article is a repost by NBCDFW: Grandmother and man she accidentally invited to Thanksgiving in 2016 adding two guests to this year’s holiday dinner
That’s awesome. Several years ago when we were in the military, my husband and I would have anywhere from 2 to 4 to 5 or 6 extra people that my husband would invite from his base or ship. It was a lot of fun and we got to meet a lot of different people from all over the U.S. and some from other countries too. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love seeing stories like this. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Thank you, Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!