The Daily Populous Thursday December 25th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by today.com and submitted by AdSpecialist6598

The holiday spirit is alive and well at one restaurant in Naples, Florida.

In a TikTok video posted by First Watch employee Heidi Paniagua, general manager Brendan Tompkins calls a staff meeting to announce the cancellation of their holiday party — but for a very heartwarming reason.

“So, something came to light,” Tompkins says as employee Norman Vales hops into frame and makes a comically chipper pose. “We are unable to have a holiday party this year. Sorry, something more important came up.”

The staff seems calm, even a little happy, about this development. Meanwhile, Vales, still in the dark about the real reason behind the cancellation, is fine, too, waving his hand in acceptance. He’s about to get a big surprise.

“Everyone knows about Norman’s journey trying to adopt a baby,” Tompkins says. “Well, these guys decided that it was more important for us to donate all that money to you and your wife.”

Everyone erupts into cheers and applause, and Vales is overcome with emotion and has to leave the room “to go cry,” according to Tompkins.

The video of this display of generosity went viral, with millions of views and thousands of touched hearts in the comments.

“That baby is going to have the best parents,” wrote one TikTok. “God bless you Norman. You can tell youre the coworker everyone needs.”

Another noted, “Norman has those dad jokes in the arsenal ready to go.”

“I would work minimum wage the rest of my life if my coworkers and boss were this kind,” wrote someone else, and Paniagua responded, “Exactly I stay here bc I’m with my family.”

“I couldn’t be more excited,” Paniagua tells TODAY.com via direct message. “Norman and his wife are so deserving of all this support ... I know their journey hasn’t been easy and I’m just glad we can all help.”

“I just broke down. I didn’t know what you think or what to say,” Vales told Tom Llamas on NBC Nightly News Dec. 18. “In a kitchen staff, you’re in everybody’s life.”

Norman and his wife, Alicia, have struggled to have a baby for years and decided to adopt. Recently, they were connected with a now-1-year-old girl in Honduras who was available for adoption. Although they have submitted affidavits to the Honduran government, international adoption is costly, involving two separate trips to Honduras.

The couple started a GoFundMe to help with additional adoption costs that has raised $3,445 of its $4,000 goal. In an update, the Valeses said their “savings are gone” and “loans were denied.”

“We are completely blown away by the generosity of our First Watch family and the outpour of love from the community,” Alicia tells TODAY.com. “All of this has been so unexpected but we will forever be thankful. The donations from First Watch, our family, our friends, and community are life-changing gifts for our family as we prepare for our adoption.”

Laura Sorensen, chief people officer at First Watch, says she could not be prouder of their Naples team for making the “thoughtful surprise” happen.

“Norman and Alicia’s story has touched the hearts of so many,” Sorensen tells TODAY.com. “We know it’s our people that differentiates us — and this is the epitome of our culture in action. This is our signature hospitality at its finest: Our team doing what they do best and putting others first.”

The Holiday Party Is Saved After All

On Dec. 17, First Watch CEO Chris Tomasso recorded a special message for the Naples team.

“Hey Logan Landings team, we saw your video and are so inspired by you,” Tomasso says in a short video. “There’s no way we’re gonna let you go without a holiday party.”

Tomasso says his office would replenish the location’s holiday party budget and tells them to have a great time celebrating with each other. He adds that they also plan on giving “something special” to Norman.

“We know you’re gonna be a great dad,” he says. “Happy holidays, everybody.”

ace-destrier on December 25th, 2025 at 16:57 UTC »

I think I can see why his coworkers adore him like this 😅 Norman’s a fun guy! His kid is gonna have a teddy bear of a dad

Teach_Piece on December 25th, 2025 at 15:31 UTC »

That’s super wholesome!

5times on December 25th, 2025 at 15:27 UTC »

Every work holiday party should be cancelled and the funds given to a staff member. Nobody wants to go to them anyway