Most people spend their Christmas with family and friends. And with a winter storm on the way, being home and safe and sound, makes it all the more merrier.

New York is no stranger to snow. For residents Alexander and Andrea Campagna, their plans included staying in and enjoying a stocked refrigerator and having a quiet and warm holiday weekend. However a recent blizzard came through and brought them not only record snow, but surprise visitors.

The storm had begun early and by the afternoon it had made streets undriveable. Suddenly the couple got an unexpected knock at their door. Answering, they found two men standing there. 

Image from YouTube

The strangers asked for shovels, explaining that they were with a group of tourists from South Korea and their bus was now stuck in a ditch. The group had been on their way to Niagara Falls when the blizzard caught them off guard.

The Campagnas knew what the weather had in store for them and their visitors. So immediately they told the entire tour group that they would stay with them until the roads were safe.

From sleeping on couches, in sleeping bags and an air mattress, the pair found space for their new friends. The travelers included 7 women, 3 men, which included a set of parents along with their daughter, and her two friends from college in Seoul, South Korea. 

The motley crew enjoyed watching NFL on TV and sharing Korean meals prepared by the new guests. The Campagnas surprised the group by having an assortment of Korean cooking items on hand. This allowed the visitors to make a variety of recipes including dakdori tang, a Korean spicy chicken stew.

Image from YouTube

Tour group member Choi Yoseob told The New York Times, it was “kind of like fate” that they’d ended up at the home of a hospitable family with a full pantry.

We have enjoyed this so much,” Yoseob said.

“We were tired, but it was exciting.” Even the unexpected snow made it memorable, he said, letting them take part in a “warm welcome from real Americans.”

“We are happy and luckily and gracefully having a great Christmas with Andrea and Alex,” Choi said.

Alex Campagna agreed, saying “No matter where you are in the world, if you receive a knock on the door at your home and you open the door to perfect strangers you never know who’s going to come inside but the compassion and love that human beings have for each other triumph.”