Aflac Holiday Duck working to keep family traditions alive

Aflac Holiday Duck – Great recollections were among Nan and John Armstrong’s most prized possessions. They cherished family get-togethers, and Sundays were set aside for singing in the church choir, followed by a home-cooked lunch with kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and friends. Their 71-year marriage was founded in faith and tradition.

Kim Wallace, a daughter who lived in Hickory Tavern, South Carolina, a little under a mile from the place her parents called home, recalls that “every Sunday.” “My father would assemble us in a circle, have us clasp hands, and recite the blessing. He would always say, “Now shake a little love,” and we would all shake hands. Our tiny custom.

She claims that each family has its own unique holiday traditions. Nan and John entered the nearby Greenville Macy’s department store during a Christmas shopping trip in 2001, but they had no idea the small gift they left with would be so well received. According to her daughter, Nan was particularly thrilled about their purchase because she was well-known for her quick wit and love of fun.

Kim recalled her parents’ excitement when they received the Aflac Holiday Duck that Christmas: “They couldn’t wait for us to all give it a squeeze.” The stuffed, collectible plush, which was first made available in 2001 by supplemental insurance provider Aflac, helps raise money for the study and treatment of children’s cancer and blood diseases. Net sales have given hospitals across the United States about $3.7 million to date.

Kim added, “My folks were givers.” “They enjoyed giving to others, especially to their family and to charity. They may benefit from both their amusing gift and their kind souls.

Kim and her brother Keith, their wife Andy and Robyn, and their grandchildren Jason, Heather, Drew, and Brad anticipated each subsequent Christmas.

Aflac Holiday Duck

John passed away on September 22, 2018, at the age of 89. Nan passed dead on April 2, 2021, three years later. She was 94.

Kim fretted about how difficult it would be to get through the first Thanksgiving without either of their parents. Her mind wandered to the Aflac Holiday Duck custom that her parents had established over twenty years earlier. She said, “I knew I had to keep it alive.”

She freely acknowledges that she wasn’t ready for the intense emotions that followed the arrival of 11 Holiday Ducks the previous year.

“I just started crying when I opened the box to find them once they came. All of a sudden, seeing these young ducks gave me the impression that my parents were still alive.