Tori Spelling might've found new love for Christmas -- 'cause she was hanging out with a mystery stud during last-minute shopping ... and he seems to be cool with her kid too.

The '90210' star was out at a mall just outside of L.A. Friday, and she was rolling with her teenage daughter, Stella, whom she shares with estranged husband Dean McDermott. The two of them had company here ... some middle-aged dude who was part of the pack.

He was seen chatting up Tori and Stella inside the building, especially TS ... staring deep into her eyes. Eventually, he left with them too -- and drove away with Tori riding passenger.

No word on who this guy is, or what his relationship to Tori might be -- there's no sign of PDA here or anything, so it could just be a pal or maybe even a relative. Still, considering everything going on with her these days ... it's interesting to see a new face in the mix.

Remember, Tori just recently talked about experiencing her first "single mom Christmas" ... this in the wake of her splitting with Dean earlier this year. Now, she's not so alone, it seems.

The fact Stella was with them for this outing also speaks to a familiarity that might explain something -- namely, this guy might not be a romantic partner ... 'cause you'd figure Mama Bear wouldn't bring around a fresh fella like this without some groundwork being laid first.