Have you ever been on the website reddit.com? It’s basically a site where you can post trending internet stories–or, if you’re like me, you can pop over and read trending internet stories. This year, some of the posters on reddit participated in a secret Santa Exchange. One of the girls, Rachel, received a HUGE surprise when she received her Secret Santa’s gift. Her Secret Santa, known to her only as “Bill”, had her wishlist prior to sending her gift: make-up, nail polish, etc. 
When she received the gift, she opened it, not to find her original wishlist fulfilled, but instead a stuffed animal cow, a travel book, and a certificate saying a donation to Heifer International {an organization that gives families in need things such as “animals, seeds, clean water, stoves, a chance for girls to go to school.”} Now, here’s the best part, included in her package was a picture of “Bill” holding the stuffed cow and the certificate. The “Bill” was none other than Bill Gates! Rachel, shocked and amazed, wrote Bill back–and so eloquently, I might add. Pop over and read her response HERE.
Oh, and her P.S. is pretty awesome too. 😉
~Mavis
Jenny says
So she didn’t get ANYTHING she asked for ?
bummer
You’d think with all his money he could have given her something she wanted
and then included the heifer stuff as an additional item.
Jess says
Seriously? She’s obviously over the moon about what she did get. And why does he have to spend tons if money on a secret Santa gift exchange just because he has it? The gifts he gave her showed what a caring and thoughtful person he is rather than just getting stuff on a provided list. He researched his giftee and chose appropriate gifts which made her feel good. I doubt she’d have been as happy with makeup and nail polish.
May says
Jenny, you need to understand how the Reddit Secret Santa gift exchange works! He did perfectly fine. If you read what she wrote (link is above) she mentioned that she goes on and on (in her Reddit “likes and dislikes”) about her love of travel, so the travel book he sent her ” was perfectly and EXACTLY tuned into my interests.”
That’s part of the fun, reading into your Secret Santa recipient’s likes and dislikes and surprising them. He took the time to do that, and I think he did a great job with choosing a nice gift fit to her interests. She thinks so too, and that’s what counts. How much money he has is not an issue in a gift exchange!
Jenny says
Ok. As long as she’s happy with what she got.
Like you said, I didn’t click the link to read her response.
My first impression upon reading the post was that Bill was shoving his beliefs onto someone else
and my hackles rose in protection of the poor girl.
Its just a different way of doing things I guess.
Whenever I donate to a cause in someone else’ name,
I just causally mention that it was done in addition to what they asked for.
(a softer, “more of a suggestion” than a “shove it down your face” which is what I thought Bill was doing.
Mindy says
Very cool! She will remember this longer than any nail polish would last and discovered an amazing charity as well. Yay Bill!
Barbara says
She said her box weighed 7 lbs., and she’s not showing everything. The stuffed cow and peanuts don’t weigh anywhere near that! I doubt the book does, either. I’ll bet there was a Surface tablet in there! I got to play with one last summer and I’d MUCH, MUCH rather have one of those than an iPad.
Good for Heifer – more people need to be taught how to feed themselves, and given the means to do it, rather than just gifting them with food. (Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.) When we got burned in the government shutdown, I was so glad I had pots of vegetables growing in my driveway, and that I had bought heirloom seeds that will bring me more in the future. My second pot of lettuce is fabulous right now and I will harvest some for Christmas dinner, and my pepper plant has 6 nice peppers on it!
May says
Amazon shows the shipping weight for the book is 5.4 pounds, and a Surface weighs 1.5, so I doubt there was a lot of leeway for much beyond the cow, packing material, photos, etc. with just the book.
She did say she held back a card, for Christmas and her birthday, since he wrote a personal message she didn’t want to share (or something like that!).
I am sorry the government shutdown affected you.