A lucky lady who was participating in RedditGifts exchanges for her 95th time hit the jackpot when she found out that Bill Gates (yes, the real one) was her Secret Santa. She can be seen opening some of the gifts:
The Microsoft founder sent the Reddit user - known only as Shelby - 81 lbs worth of gifts which included a manuscript copy of The Great Gatsby, memorabilia from Twin Peaks and even toys for her cat. What a LAD.
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Perhaps the most thoughtful gift from the 64-year-old was the donation he made to the American Heart Association which was done in honour of Shelby's mother who passed away in March.
Thanking Gates in a Reddit post, Shelby wrote: "Bill Gates, you are a blessing. This year has been a complete rollercoaster of emotions for me; in March, I lost my mother completely unexpectedly only 10 days before my destination wedding.
"It has been hard to drum up holiday spirit this year, and this has been a zap taser of Christmas cheer. I have felt like I've been on another planet the past few days and I still cannot believe how lucky/cool/honored/all the adjectives I am to have had someone craft such a special and personal set of gifts just for little ol' me.
"And your donation to The American Heart Association in my mom's memory is the most special gift of all. It means more to me than I can express."
Bill Gates participates in the exchange each year and, coincidentally, the 33-year-old joked about it beforehand telling MarketWatch: "I always thought it would be super cool to be matched with him some day, but I never really would have expected this to happen to me."
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Taking to Reddit, Shelby wrote: "I'm full-force in my getting-ready-for-bed routine. I check my phone one last time and I spy an email alert informing me that my RedditGifts Secret Santa package has shipped!
"I log in and am a bit taken aback that the package is being FedEx overnighted - sounds expensive. I also noticed that it was being shipped from Washington state, and as a seasoned RedditGifter, I remark to my husband, 'Huh, wouldn't it be something if my Santa was Bill Gates?'"
The following day, when Shelby went to pick her mystery package she explained how the clerk shouted: "OH MY GOD! You're the BILL GATES package!!!!!! We've been waiting for you all day. Is this really from Bill Gates, or is it a hoax? Grab a cart because you're going to need it."
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Shelby soon discovered that the huge box wouldn't fit into her car - meaning that individually-wrapped presents had to be put into the boot.
She carried on: "I open the box and am immediately struck by a package that is literally lit up with a strand of fairy lights. Wow! I see the infamous Bill Gates letter placard and photo and my stomach flips."
The card from Gates himself reads: "Wow, I'm impressed that this is your 95th Reddit gift exchange! You seem like a very generous person, and I hope my gift makes you smile this Christmas. I've included some fun things to enjoy both at home and outdoors - plus a couple of great books I think you'll like."
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He went on: "At the same time, I know no gift will ever make up for losing someone so important to you. I was very sorry to hear about your mom, and I've made a donation to the American Heart Association in her memory. I hope you and your family find your "new normal" this holiday season".
Here's a full list of the gifts Shelby received:
- Bill's Deck of Books 2019!
- A Harry Potter santa hat
- Hylian shield earrings
- A very heavy and beautiful handmade Zelda quilt
- A hammock (with bug net!)
- Almond Rocca, Seattle mint chocolates, Jelly Belly's
- Toys for my cat, Emmy!
- Seven packs of assorted Oreos
- A cat-themed logic game
- Eight hardcover books
- An extremely fancy manuscript copy of The Great Gatsby
- A candle with a passage from The Great Gatsby inscribed
- Two exceptional adult-level LEGO sets: Microscale Hogwarts and the retired UCS R2D2 (truth be told, I had previously splurged on both of these sets already; you must have gotten a perfect read on my interests so color me impressed!)
- A plethora of Twin Peaks gifts including a shirt and sweatshirt; a book by director Jonathan Sanger and some memorabilia from his collection including 5 scripts from season 2 of Twin Peaks, and an embroidered L.L. Bean jacket worn by crew members during the second season of the show.
Topics: Entertainment, Celebrity, Reddit, bill gates
