Mother and son seek family on Craigslist for Christmas

Autumn Mazzitelli recently moved to Victoria from Nelson. She has a few friends in town, but it was looking like a pretty lonely Christmas for her and her three-year-old son.

"I was speaking with a friend of mine and he invited me to drop by for a Christmas pig roast, but it wasn't really like an inviting-me-for-Christmas-dinner thing," she said.

"I realized I didn't feel comfortable just imposing and saying 'Hey, can I stay for dinner?'"

But Mazzitelli also realized that she didn't want to spend the holiday alone with her son Jessiah. (Her daughter will be spending Christmas with family elsewhere.)

So she posted an ad on Craigslist. Here's a little piece of it:

Mother and son seeking family to adopt us for Christmas

"Have you always wanted a daughter and grandson? Do you have a daughter and/or grandson but they live too far away to return for Christmas this year?

Do you miss the pitter patter of little feet and adorably mispronounced words of a three-year-old boy? Do you need a hand with dishes after sharing Christmas dinner with a (slightly?) eccentric 30-year-old single mother?

If you've answered yes to any of the above questions, look no further, you've found the perfect solution!

... This year, my older daughter is going to spend the holidays back home with her wonderful Papa... so it's just going to be me and the little guy."

The response online has been overwhelming, says Mazzitelli. She's received hundreds of messages from across Canada and all over the world - including an invitation to have tea and hot milk in New Zealand.

The holiday season is looking a lot busier now for Mazzitelli and her son. She said she's aiming to pack in as much as possible.

"I said yes to a big family gathering, I said yes to a very old single man who has no family left ... and then a woman who has this big, community dinner ... and then there were two women who are widows who opened their hearts and I really want to meet them because they just sound so beautiful."

To hear more from Autumn Mazzitelli click the link: Victoria mom turns to Craigslist to find a family for Christmas