One Michigan woman just had what can only be described as the Christmas of a lifetime after scoring Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as her Secret Santa, CNN reported.
The Reddit user was stunned to receive an incredible 81-pound package in the mail from her online Secret Santa, only to discover just who exactly was sending her the generous Christmas offerings.
The woman, who has been identified only as Shelby, was participating in Reddit Gift’s annual Secret Santa gift exchange.
Run by the much larger website Reddit, its sister site allows users to take part in various exchanges throughout the year, but it’s safe to say the holiday event is its biggest and most widely participated in.
Shelby said that she received a notification on December 17 that her Secret Santa gift was being overnighted.
Understanding that this was definitely an expensive choice from the shipper, she went online to check out the tracking details and was startled to see that her incoming gift weighed in at an incredible 81 pounds.
That was when she began thinking that perhaps her Secret Santa was someone special. Someone like Bill Gates.
When the package finally showed up, it had a big red “95” emblazoned on its side.
Although that’s awfully close to the actual weight of the gifts, Shelby said this was actually identifying the fact that she has now participated in 95 gift exchanges through Reddit.
So just what exactly did THE Bill Gates decide to send her? Well, buckle up because it’s a *long* list.
In her post on Reddit Gifts , Shelby shared her Christmas haul.
I encourage you to check out her actual post to see the full list, but here’s a quick summary: a manuscript of “The Great Gatsby” signed by Gates himself, lots of books, cat toys, some pretty intense LEGO building sets, a handmade Zelda quilt, and a plethora of both Harry Potter and Twin Peaks memorabilia.
Most Reddit users, particularly those who participate in the gift exchange, know that Gates enjoys participating as well.
He’s actually been secretly sending lavish and incredibly generous gifts to one special user every year since 2013. This year, it just happened to be Shelby.
“I never, ever thought he would be my Secret Santa,” she told CNN . “It’s really surprising.”
While the majority of Shelby’s gifts from Gates were wicked cool nods to her interests, there were some that tugged on her heartstrings, too.
She revealed the most touching gift he gave her was a donation he made in her mother’s memory to the American Heart Association. Shelby lost her mom in April, ten days before she married her husband.
“I was really touched by it. It was really thoughtful,” she said. “I had mentioned in my Reddit gift questionnaire that my mom had passed away, but I hadn’t mentioned the AHA at all.”
For anyone interested in seeing a more in-depth look at Shelby’s gifts from Gates, she’s posted two videos on YouTube documenting them all.
In one of the videos, Shelby even shared the note Gates sent along with the hefty package of presents.
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“I know no gift will ever make up for losing someone so important to you,” his note read. “I hope you and your family find your ‘new normal’ this holiday season.”
h/t: CNN
