NEWTON (CBS) — “This is something I do everyday. I cook. I love throwing dinner parties.”

Spending Christmas with Christianna Newcome is a little different.

“To me, the most natural way of cooking is giving.”

Which is why she decided to make a meal for complete strangers inside her own home in Chestnut Hill.

“Hi. Merry Christmas”

“When I walked in, the smell was amazing. The apartment was beautiful,” guest Riley Vecchione said.

The goal is to avoid spending Christmas alone.

“I thought what do I do to fill this hole, to fill this space and it just popped into my head. There has to be other people,” Newcome said.

So she went out on a limb and extended an invite online through Reddit.

“I was really shocked that there was so many people that responded almost right away.”

Boston University graduate student John Kim’s family is in Hawaii.

“Delta was charging 1,700 dollars to fly back home, so I was like no way,” Kim said.

Jim McKenney is a paramedic from Foxboro.

“I jumped at the chance because I love food. I’m a huge foodie guy,” McKenney told WBZ.

Their craving for food and simply company during the holidays created a new bond. A memorable first for all.