Woman Has Received Christmas Cards from Strangers for 7 Years — Says She’s Excited to 'See These Kids Grow' (Exclusive) 

In 2018, Emmaline Childs received her first holiday card from the family states away

• Emmaline Childs received a holiday card from an unknown family on the first Christmas she celebrated with her family in their house in the Minneapolis area
• Seven years later, Childs is still receiving the family's holiday card
• This year, Childs decided to post about the card on TikTok. To her surprise, the video went viral, amassing more than 167,000 views

The first Christmas Emmaline Childs celebrated with her family in their house in Minneapolis in 2018, she received a holiday card from an unknown family.

At first, the 40-year-old marketing communications manager didn’t think much of the card. She didn’t know the family, who lives in Iowa, and quickly realized they must have sent it to her address because they didn’t know the previous owners had moved. She assumed the family would eventually realize their mistake and update their address list.

But now, seven years later, Childs is still receiving the family's holiday card.

"It wasn’t until the fourth or fifth year that I started looking forward to the card’s arrival," Childs tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I wish I had the foresight to know how much the cards from this family would come to mean to me!"

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Throughout the years, Childs tells PEOPLE it's been a fun experience receiving and reading the family's holiday card. This year, in particular, she adds that it really hit her how special it is to have this little window into this family's life.

"Each card tells a story, and seeing their family grow has been heartwarming," she says. "Especially when I realized that it started when the oldest daughter was just a baby — [she's] now 8 years old — and they've grown their family to three kids."

"It’s funny — I know every one of their names except for the woman who sends the card because she writes it in the first person! To me, she’s 'the mom,' " she continues.

Since holiday cards are something many people relate to, and with fewer people sending them out each year, Childs thought others might find the story as special as she does. So, she decided to post about it on TikTok. To her surprise, the video went viral, amassing more than 167,000 views.

"The Internet is such a wild place — you never know what will resonate with people," Childs says. "It was incredible to see how quickly the video took off."

She adds, "Reading the comments was fascinating because so many people shared similar experiences. Some even mentioned building long-term connections because of them, which is so incredible!"

@emmalinechilds

To the family in Iowa, who keeps sending me your Christmas card, even though your friends sold me their house seven years ago, it’s been a joy watching your family grow all these years - Merry Christmas!