Mike Rowe Shares a Wonderful Christmas 'Carol' That We Can All Enjoy ... Only In America

As we regretfully say goodbye to Christmas (and perhaps not so regretfully say goodbye to 2025), there have been some wonderful holiday stories on X.

The best stories, of course, are those that celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and the ones where people speak fondly of their families. Personally, I'm a sucker for any Christmas story that includes a dog. (Shh. Don't tell Kristi Noem.)

This year, though, we were treated to a truly wonderful Christmas tale from one of America's greatest storytellers, Mike Rowe.

The founder of Mike Rowe Works and former host of Dirty Jobs didn't talk about the birth of Jesus, he didn't wax rhapsodically about his hilarious mother, and he didn't even put a dog in his narration, darn it!

What he did do was relate another special Christmas tradition: the kindness of strangers.

... With a capitalist twist (which I will get to later).

Another Christmas Carol

Last week, I received a phone call from a woman who wanted to know if my foundation was set up to receive donations in the form of stock. When I told her that we were, she told me that her boss wanted to make a year-end donation.

“That’s great,” I said.… pic.twitter.com/TB7QbfzveX
— The Real Mike Rowe (@mikeroweworks) December 29, 2025

'That’s great,' I said. 'What’s your boss’s name?'
'She would prefer to remain anonymous.'
'No problem,' I said. 'How much would she like to give?'
'A million dollars.'
(5 seconds later.)
'I’m sorry, how much?'
'A million dollars,' she said. 'Of highly appreciated stock.'
(Another 5 seconds later.)
'Hello…are you still there.'

'Yes,' I said. 'I’m still here. You have a very generous boss. Would it be possible to thank her personally?'

'I’m afraid not,' she said. 'Her privacy is very important, and her time is valuable.'

'I promise to respect both,' I said. 'It's just that no one has ever given me a million dollars before, and I’d really like to say thanks. Just a quick phone call would be fine.'

'Let me see what I can do,' she said. 'In the meantime, where do I send the stock?'

I told her, and the next day, a million dollars of highly appreciated stock arrived in the MRW brokerage account. And the day after that – Christmas Eve – I received an email with a link to join a Zoom call at exactly 11:55 am to meet my anonymous benefactor, a woman I’ll call 'Carol.'

I clicked the link at exactly 11:55, and Carol appeared on my computer screen. She had me on mute because she was talking to someone else on her cell phone. It looked urgent. A minute later she hung up and took me off mute.

'Sorry,” she said. 'Crazy morning. Hey - you clean up pretty good!'

'Thanks,” I said. “It’s my second shower of the day.'
Carol’s phone rang again, but she ignored it.
'Thanks for making the time,' I said. 'I know you’re busy.'

'Busy doesn’t come close to what I am,' said Carol. 'I’ve got a board meeting in five minutes, a house full of cranky relatives, and a helicopter waiting for me on the roof.'

'With respect,' I said, 'who schedule’s a board meeting on Christmas Eve?'

'My husband just asked me the same thing. In the immortal words of Robert Plant, I’m afraid the answer is, ‘nobody’s fault but mine.’'

'Actually,' I said, 'those words came from Blind Willie Johnson. He wrote Nobody’s Fault but Mine almost a hundred years ago. Led Zeppelin “borrowed” it in 1976 and put it on an album called Presence. You can listen to Blind Willie’s version on You Tube. I'm not sure which is better.'

'I’ll be sure to work it into my holiday playlist,' said Carol, glancing at her watch. 'Now what can I do for you?'

'You’ve already done it. I just wanted to tell you how I’m going to spend your money.'

'I already know how you’re going to spend it,' she said. 'You’re going to give it to qualified applicants who want to learn a skilled trade. Hopefully, the electric trade. My company could hire fifty electricians right now, and fifty more in Q2. We just can’t find them.'

'I know,' I said. 'I hear the same thing every day. Our goal is to award $10 million in trade school scholarships next year, and your donation has got us off to a terrific start.'

'Happy to help,' said Carol. 'And by the way, my kids and I loved Dirtiest Jobs. Do you think you’ll do more?'

'Not unless it’s animated,' I said. “I don’t bend as easily as I used to.'

Carol laughed. 'I feel your pain,' she said. 'Anything else?'

'Well, at the risk of correcting you twice in one call, the show was called Dirty Jobs, not Dirtiest Jobs.'

'Really? Are you sure?'

'Pretty sure,' I said. 'I did 350 of them.'

'That’s so strange,' she said. 'I could have sworn it was Dirtiest Jobs.'

'It’s a common mistake,' I said. 'TV has trained us to expect the extreme version of whatever it is we’re watching. It’s not ‘Home Makeover,’ it’s 'EXTREME Home Makeover.’ It’s not America’s FUNNY Home Videos; it’s America’s FUNNIEST home videos. It’s not ‘Deadly Catch,’ it’s ‘DEADLIEST Catch.’ See what I mean? Everything is always oversold.'

'But don’t you narrate ‘Deadliest Catch,’' Carol asked.

'For the last 22 years,' I said. 'But I didn’t name that show. If I did, I would have called it Deadly Catch. Not as sensational, but more honest. It goes to managing expectations.'

'Ok,' said Carol, 'but tell me this. If Dirty Jobs had been called 'Dirtiest Jobs,' and there was only one-episode, which jobs would you put on it?'

'Aren’t you late for a board meeting?' I asked.

'They can start without me,' she said.

I proceeded to tell Carol, in great detail, about my top three dirtiest jobs, and was deeply flattered to see her spit out a mouthful of coffee during my explanation of castrating sheep with my teeth. I was equally delighted when she guffawed during my description of semen-gathering from a prized bull, and very pleased when she gagged during my recollection of dogpaddling through several tons of diarrhea while replacing a ruptured lift pump in a wastewater treatment plant.

When we finally hung up, Carol was a half-hour late for her board meeting, which I took as a personal victory. When she invited me to stay in touch, I assured her that I would. And the next morning, as I sat by the Christmas tree sipping eggnog, counting my blessings, and listening to Blind Willie Johnson sing Nobody’s Fault But Mine, I couldn’t help but wonder if Carol was doing the same. I like to think she was.

Mike

See what I mean about him being a great storyteller?

Rowe added a few postscripts to his story about his foundation and about how to make the most of your charitable giving, which you can read at the end of the above tweet itself, but the main story is the most important part, except for Rowe's final signoff at the end:

In the immortal words of Tiny Tim, God Bless Us, Everyone!

Indeed.

Naturally, Rowe's Christmas 'Carol' was greeted with overwhelming joy and gratitude on X.

This man is a national treasure. https://t.co/fQg0e8rBX6
— Alex Furlong (@RoombaWithAView) December 30, 2025

So well deserved Mike. Carol sounds amazing. What a great lady
— Liz 🦋 🇺🇸 (@ElizabethSolle2) December 30, 2025

I absolutely love what you're doing. That's it, that's the reply. ❤️
— MerryFKNSunshine (@MerryIsBack) December 29, 2025

Not to put too fine a point on it, but what Rowe is doing with Mike Rowe Works is the pathway to saving America. If any organization deserves an anonymous, million-dollar benefactor like Carol, it is his.

That was an absolutely awesome story!! That lady knew exactly where her money was going and gave it to the right person! Congrats, Mike. Keep up your tremendous work!!
I differ with you on one point,
Take an Aleve and get back to Dirty Jobs!!!!
— David Paulides🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸 (@canammissing) December 29, 2025

HA.

I'd love to see more Dirty Jobs, too, but as we all know, Father Time is undefeated.

But age won't stop Rowe from trying to save America, one trained tradesman at a time.

So, why did I say this was a capitalist Christmas Carol?

Quite simply, a story like the one Rowe told ONLY happens in a capitalist society and economy. Nowhere else.

Not only would there not be any wonderful, generous millionaires like Carol in a socialist utopia (let alone one with a million dollars in appreciated stock), but more importantly, there would not be a Mike Rowe Works.

The millionaires would be taxed out of existence, and if there even was a trade training program, it would be run by the government. And we all know how that would turn out. Just look at Minnesota or California if you're not sure.

Socialists in America are feeling their oats right now because of communist Zohran Mandani's victory in New York City. Now is the fun time for socialism, when Mamdani gets to boast about all of the wonderful things he is going to do for New Yorkers.

The sad time comes later, when he realizes that 'taxing the rich' will only make people like Carol leave his city, or eliminate her wealth altogether. Then comes the sadder part, when New Yorkers realize that none of these government-run programs work and they only make their lives worse. (They should have asked a Venezuelan before going to the voting booth.)

I won't mention the saddest part of socialism. Anyone who has read a history book knows that part. Stalin and Mao didn't become the biggest mass murderers of the 20th century for no reason.

Let's all hope it doesn't come to that for the FORMER greatest city in the world.

No, Rowe and Carol only exist when we have a capitalist economy. And Rowe only gets to tell his amazing Christmas story when we have a society that encourages hard work, accumulation of wealth, and PERSONAL generosity, not government largesse.

So, as we prepare for 2026, we should all remember that anyone who is selling socialism is selling Carol's destruction. They are selling Rowe's destruction. And they are selling, most tragically, the destruction of everyone who has taken advantage of Mike Rowe Works to create a better life for themselves, their families, and their ability to become Carol someday and pay their success forward.

Personally, I prefer an America where there are as many Carols as possible, and where Mike Rowe can tell us the wonderful story of his interaction with her.

I know Twitchy readers do, too.

I'll add my own postscript as well. Here is Blind Willie Johnson singing Nobody's Fault But Mine: