An elderly UK man has asked a mother if he could gift her four-month-old with a special toy, in memory of his deceased wife.

In a post to Facebook earlier this week, Shipley resident Abigail Crewe described a recent visit to British supermarket retailer Asda with her four-month-old daughter.

Ms Crewe said a man standing by the Christmas gift aisle caught sight of her toddler and proceeded to lavish attention on the young girl.

To Ms Crewe’s surprise, the man then indicated a stuffed toy of Disney character Minnie Mouse, asking if she could buy it for her daughter.

“I quickly denied this generous offer but he insisted and went on to tell us that he lost his wife 18 months prior and she loved Micky Mouse,” Ms Crewe wrote in her post.

“He went onto say he has no family of his own and all he wanted to do was buy a Christmas gift for somebody.

“So we let him buy a Minnie Mouse for her… My heart is well and truly full of love today.”

Ms Crewe’s account is accompanied by a photo of the trio sharing a joyous moment together. She said the stranger’s spontaneous act of kindness was the perfect embodiment of the Christmas spirit.

Ms Crewe’s post has since received tens of thousands of reactions and shares.