Company’s 'Holiday Hugs' surprise reunites employees with loved ones they miss the most

Who doesn’t want to spend the much-awaited holidays with their loved ones? A beloved family member, partner, friend, or distant relative can bring light to the room during the festive season. That’s why a company recently decided to surprise their employees who were missing their near and dear ones and could not exchange a hug with them. The commercialization partner for life sciences’ initiatives, Klick Health—who go by @KlickHealth on YouTube—unveiled its workers' wholesome reactions when their friends and family showed up out of the blue. Before their actual reunion, they happily embraced each other through the AI-generated hugging apps currently in trend.

In a widely circulating video, the company’s workers were invited to a studio to share their pain or difficulty in meeting that one family member they missed the most. The company decided to put smiles on their employees' faces with an initiative they described as “Holiday Hugs.” The “Klicksters” were invited one by one into a cozy room with a green velvet sofa, a projector, and a wall displaying photos of employees and their loved ones. Initially, the projected images showed the workers' reunion with their family and friends through the artificial intelligence-enabled filter.

“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” said teary-eyed Kari Bocassi, a member of the company’s workforce who was featured in the video. While emphasizing that Marlene holds a special place in her life, the New York-based Klick employee added, “It hurts when we spend Christmas apart.” Kari couldn't contain her emotions after the touching moment and burst onto the set for a lengthy in-person hug. Marlene had surprisingly joined in for the heartwarming in-person embrace, the footage showed. Notably, the siblings reportedly spent 14 years caring for their mother with Alzheimer's but haven't shared the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia.

Following this, another employee, Fred Duarte, seemed completely clueless about how he was about to receive the bear hug of his life. Duarte’s brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walked into Klick’s production studio for their first ever holiday reunion in seven years. “If he would be here right now, it would mean the world to me. Nothing compares to being there in person,” the Toronto-based Klick worker said as his sibling gave him the tightest hug of his life. Additionally, several other employees who could not meet their loved ones were moved by the heartfelt digital reunions.

The “Holiday Hugs” initiative was created in partnership with the Foundation for Social Connection in Washington, D.C., as per Good News America. A recent Klick poll suggested that 74% of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish to over the holidays—either due to distance or the loss of a loved one. “Research has shown that hugs go beyond a simple embrace—they fill us with feelings of care, comfort and connection that stay with us,” the video's description stated. Among the reactions, @sezen-rey remarked, “This holiday season, I won’t get to see my dearest sister, but this truly made me feel like we were together.” “This made me cry and want to hug everyone—happy holidays!” @lauradenham8033 added.