Reddit user surprised with Secret Santa gift from Bill Gates
A Michigan woman got the Christmas gift of a lifetime when she was surprised with a big delivery of presents sent by Bill Gates. A Reddit user who goes by Shelby on the social media platform couldn't believe it when she realized her Secret Santa was the billionaire founder of Microsoft.
Shelby typically participates in Reddit's annual Secret Santa exchange on RedditGifts, a site that hosts gift swaps each year. She wrote and made a video about it being her 95th experience doing the Secret Santa exchange in a post.
"What is going on!" she said. "I just won Secret Santa 2019!"
A Reddit spokesperson confirmed to CBS News on Friday that Shelby received the gifts from Gates through the Secret Santa exchange. Gates is known to participate in the RedditGifts Secret Santa exchange every year.
About a week before Christmas, Shelby says she received a notification that her RedditGifts Secret Santa package was being shipped overnight from Washington state. She remarked to her husband, "Huh, wouldn't it be something if my Santa was Bill Gates?"
The notification said her package weighed a whopping 81 pounds, so she asked FedEx to hold onto it after it arrived. When she got to the FedEx store, she couldn't fit the package into her car, so she opened it up right there, much to the delight of staffers and other customers.
"Bill Gates, you are a blessing," she wrote. "This year has been a complete rollercoaster of emotions for me... 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."
Among the presents she received were an "extremely fancy" manuscript copy of "The Great Gatsby," a bunch of "Twin Peaks" gifts, eight hardcover books, a cat-themed logic game, a hammock, Zelda quilt, a Harry Potter Santa Claus hat, seven packs of Oreos, several boxes of candy, a pair of LEGO sets, and Hylian shield earrings.
The gift that struck her the most was a donation made by Gates in memory of her mother, who died 10 days before her wedding in March. She said, "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."
Gates also included a personalized note for Shelby, wishing her some holiday cheer despite the loss of her mother: "I know no gift will ever make up for losing someone so important to you. I hope you and your family find your 'new normal' this holiday season," he wrote.