RICHFORD, Vt. -- A Christmas Eve bonanza, delivered in the form of a winning $650,000 Megabucks lottery ticket, went out with the trash -- Steve LeClair's trash -- an inadvertent mistake the family corrected in time.

"Everybody's talking about it," said Lisa Paquette, a manager at Mac's Market, which sold LeClair's mother, Arlene, the winning ticket on Dec. 24.

Cashier Vicki Fletcher said Arlene LeClair comes in regularly to buy tickets. In this case, Fletcher said, "She told me it was for the kids' stockings."

Two days later, the family discovered they'd hit the jackpot when they fished the ticket out of the garbage.

"Really nice people," Fletcher said of the LeClairs. "It couldn't happen to anybody better."

Newspapers from Paris to Los Angeles Wednesday picked up the story of the Vermont winners and their discarded-then-recovered ticket.

Steve LeClair is an auto mechanic at Paquin's in St. Albans, Vt., his mother said, and plans to use some of the prize to buy her a home. Steve LeClair is declining media interviews.

But Mac's employees say the story's had a clear effect. "Yes, Megabucks sales have gone up," Paquette said. Residents seem to be wondering if the good karma sticks around awhile.

Eric Lambert, of Richford, buying groceries at Mac's on Wednesday afternoon said, he "might start playing more now, especially from here."

Another shopper, Mike Messier, said, "I know Steve, and I'm happy for him. Very happy for him."

Messier added he's purchased 80 Megabucks tickets for the New Year's Eve drawing with a group of friends, hoping the magic strikes twice.