Lucky woman got Bill Gates as her Reddit Secret Santa
Few people can claim one of the world’s richest men as their “Secret Santa.” But that’s what happened with one lucky Reddit user, when she discovered that the person behind her generous gifts through Reddit’s holiday gift exchange was none other than Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The online gift exchange program allows people to swap presents with friends and even strangers around the world.
The Redditor known as Aerrix wrote about the gift exchange in a Redditgifts post Dec. 16 and described how thrilled she was when she opened the giant box that was mailed to her overnight from her Secret Santa.
“So then I get the box open and there’s just bubble wrap EVERYWHERE, but under the first layer I see a picture... and my jaw. Just. Drops. I will let the picture speak for itself! I immediately call my husband at work, I normally text him first to make sure it’s ok if I call but I couldn’t wait...he answered and I spoke very quietly because I knew if I didn’t I would just yell, and I said something like “dear, please tell me you can talk right now,” and he sounded worried and he’s like “yes? What’s going on?” And I said BILL GATES IS MY FREAKIN SANTA!!!!!!!! I worried him too much, it took a second for it to sink in but oh MAN I was excited and flipping out!” she wrote.
What did Aerrix receive from the famous philanthropist and tech entrepreneur? Well, a big video game lover, she got matching “Legend of Zelda” mittens for her and her dog, Claire.
“I just had to go for the two unwrapped boxes that said “Aerrix’s Mittens” and “Clairrix’s Mittens” first. My dog’s name is Claire, btw, how freakin CUTE IS THAT?! He got me ZELDA MITTENS and you guys, matching ones for my DOWG!” she wrote.
If that wasn’t good enough, Gates also sent her a Microsoft Xbox One, “Harry Potter” slippers, a paper “Zelda” “Master Sword,” Cajun cookbooks, and even a photoshopped photo of Gates with Aerrix, her husband, and Claire the dog.
Perhaps most meaningfully, Gates made a donation to code.org in Aerrix’s name. The nonprofit helps students learn all-important computer science skills.
“I’m just blown away by his generosity, which went even further than all these gifts because he submitted a donation to code.org in my name to give more students the chance to learn computer science, which is AWESOME because it’s something near and dear to my heart as my husband is a programmer and my brother has a degree in computer science!” she wrote.
The Secret Santa role isn’t something new for Gates. In fact, in 2013 he gave another Reddit user almost identical gifts. That year, user Rachel received matching mittens for her and her dog, a teddy bear, a coffee table book called “Journeys of a Lifetime,” and a donation made on her behalf to Heifer International, a global nonprofit that works to end poverty and hunger through sustainable agriculture production and education, CNET reported.
We’ll have to wait and see under whose digital Reddit Christmas tree Santa Gates leaves presents next year.
