A chance “Merry Christmas” has led to a Dec. 25 breakfast for all who are alone in Naples and Bonita Springs.

Tami Henion, events manager for Hodges Funeral Home, was out with her husband last year for some last-minute Christmas errands when they passed a senior woman who bade them a merry Christmas. They returned the greeting, at which point their well-wisher confessed, “It’s not merry. My Santa died.”

Her words hit Henion like an Arctic blast.

“I just wanted to pick her up and take her home because I’ve taken care of our parents. And they’re no longer with us,” she recalled. “So, with them in heaven and this little lady walking around the parking lot, it was like — Oh!”

Henion decided to act on that “Oh!” moment and approached her employers about opening the funeral home Christmas morning this year. They could offer some togetherness time, with coffee and rolls, for people who were facing Christmas alone.

“They all loved the idea,” she said.

The funeral home has even extended the Dec. 25 breakfast so it will be available at both its Naples and Bonita locations. (For details and registration, see the information box with this story.)

This is not the first outreach Hodges Funeral Homes has made for people who have lost loved ones. The Naples home holds an annual candle lighting for those it has served over the year, with a reception and ceremony that allows each invitee to come forward and light a candle in that person’s memory. Some come multiple years. It was already a popular tradition before Henion joined the staff four years ago.

“I have 191 on my RSVP list right now,” she said before the Dec. 8 candle ceremony.

The Dec. 25 event is for “anybody who’s sitting at home alone on Christmas morning who doesn’t want to be sitting home alone,” Henion said.

The idea is just to bring people together to have someone to talk with over coffee and pastries on what is a universal day for togetherness, she said. To get an idea of how much food to prepare, Henion is asking those who want to come to RSVP no later than Dec. 20. People can respond via a QR code on the social media sites or call 239.221.0528 to register; they can leave a message there and should specify whether they will attend the breakfast in Naples or Bonita Springs.

Henion said she has had no trouble finding fellow employees to help.

“I didn’t run short on volunteers for this event,” Henion said. “Our staff is great.”

Info box

Breakfast on Christmas

What: A Christmas breakfast for people who would otherwise be alone on Dec. 25

When: 9-11:30 a.m. Dec. 25

Where: The community rooms of two locations:

• Hodges Funeral Home At Naples Memorial Gardens, 525 111th Ave. N., Naples
• Hodges Life Celebration Center, 26051 S Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs

To reserve: Follow the QR code on Hodges Funeral Home’s social media sites, or call 239.221.0528