This is the heartwarming moment a man surprised his family after making a 3,300 mile flight to make it home for Christmas. Ethan Leyland, 25, moved to New York, USA, in November and, missing his family, has spent the last five weeks struggling to adapt to city life across the pond. But with return flights costing £1,200 Ethan, and his family, thought he would have to spend the holiday season alone in New York. Ethan, a student, said: "I was feeling lonely. I had been living with my two best friends before, but I am living alone in New York. "It's a lonely city. If you're a millionaire, you can have the best time of your life, but if you're from a council estate like me it's not great." Ethan, from St Helens, Merseyside, studies fashion at Central Saint Martins, in London, but is doing an internship in New York. He had not seen his family for more than a month, and was looking forward to being reunited with them for Christmas. But, after checking the cost of a flight home, Ethan realised it wouldn't be possible as the cheapest ticket cost £1,200. He said: "I was going to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve alone. I knew I could do it, but it wasn't going to be the best experience." But just one week before Christmas, Ethan found tickets costing £600 and decided to surprise his friends and family. Ethan's mother, Debra Ronan, knew about his return and organised the surprise, telling the family that she had just fostered a rescue dog and they should gather on Christmas Eve. Ethan said: "When I arrived I was still a bit anxious because I had a lot of people to see still, but once I settled in I knew it was going to be a good Christmas. "I always go to the pub with my best friends on Christmas Eve, and it was really great to have some normalcy and sanity. "Seeing everyone really completed Christmas. We all finally got together on Boxing day and the missing piece was connected. "My sister cried. She really missed me. We had been calling every day while I was gone. "I feel like I'm ready to do it again after coming back for Christmas. I needed this time away to realise what I could get from the city."