Thanksgiving open house: LI woman welcomes strangers for the holidays

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. - Sarah Moore said that 2017 was the first and last time she was going to spend Thanksgiving alone.

It was a hard year. On Father's Day weekend, the single mother of three found out she was pregnant, and on that same day, her father was hospitalized and passed soon after. The two of them typically spent the holidays together because Sarah's kids spend Thanksgiving with their dad.

"I sat here by myself," she said.

But Sarah's loneliness sparked an idea.

"I didn't want to do that again and then I thought how many other people are out there in the same situation as me?" she said. "Why don't we all get together again and spend Thanksgiving together and be thankful for each other's company?"

Last year was a holiday to remember. She opened her home to a handful of strangers who, like her, had no family to share the special day with.

"It was a huge 360. I never had that in my life," she said. "Just such a full house. Everybody just here, drinking, playing, you know, having dinner."

And now she's getting ready to do it again.

"We have our turkey, pork shoulder, chicken thighs, ground turkey, short rib," she said. 

Despite the holiday season generally being thought of as a festive time of year, Sarah said it can actually be a difficult stretch for many. That's why she insists on opening her doors not only on Thanksgiving Day but on Christmas Day as well.

"There's a lot of elderly who maybe have outlived a lot of people around them and maybe even their children and they're home probably by themselves for the holidays," she said. "I'd pick them up and say, 'Come spend Thanksgiving with me' so they're not alone." 

By opening her Farmingdale home and sharing a meal, she inspires others with her holiday spirit.

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