TORONTO -- A Michigan woman was shocked to receive an 81-pound Secret Santa gift from one of Reddit鈥檚 most famous gift exchange participants, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, complete with a heartfelt message about the recent death of her mother.
known by her first name Shelby, signed up for the annual Reddit Secret Santa gift exchange organized by users in the subreddit r/SecretSanta.
Having participated in 95 previous Reddit gift exchanges, Shelby knew that Gates had participated in the holiday version of Reddit gifts for several years -- but didn鈥檛 expect to be the lucky recipient until she received a shipping notification for her massive 81-pound gift.
鈥淭he best thing is, I go to the FedEx location and I鈥檓 like 鈥榟ey I鈥檓 here to pick up a package...鈥� and they鈥檙e like 鈥榦h it鈥檚 you! We鈥檝e been waiting for you all day,鈥欌�� Shelby said in a YouTube video uploaded Dec. 20.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e like, 鈥榶ou鈥檙e the Bill Gates package!鈥欌��
Inside the box, she found a personalized message from the tech giant and a thoughtful collection of gifts based on the questionnaire Shelby filled out at the start of the exchange, including a manuscript copy of her favourite book 鈥淭he Great Gatsby鈥� with a handwritten message from Gates, a collection of memorabilia from the TV series Twin Peaks, and two adult-level LEGO sets.
But Shelby noted the most thoughtful gift of all was a donation to the American Heart Association in her late mother鈥檚 memory.
鈥淏ill 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," Shelby wrote on Reddit.
鈥淚t has been hard to drum up holiday spirit this year, and this has been a zap (Taser) of Christmas cheer.鈥�
has been holding its annual Secret Santa event since 2009. According to the platform, approximately 200,000 users -- including Gates -- from 140 countries participated in last year鈥檚 event.
Gates鈥� thoughtful gift-giving abilities have become a fan favourite since he first participated in 2016.
The website also hosts non-holiday related gift exchanges, which allowed Shelby to participate in over 95 different gift exchanges throughout her time on Reddit.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun to try to learn about a stranger and try to make their day鈥� and get something in the mail other than bills,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been such a crazy year and this was such a fun thing to have happen to me 鈥� I can鈥檛 even believe it.鈥�
