TODAY’S TALKER

Bill Gates a generous Reddit Secret Santa to Michigan woman

A Michigan woman had a very merry Christmas this year. Her Secret Santa turned out to be Microsoft founder and billionaire Bill Gates.

After participating in numerous RedditGifts exchanges, Shelby, who asked that her last name not be published, hit the jackpot on her 95th exchange, receiving an 81-pound package Dec. 17.

The thoughtful and geeky gifts clearly indicated that Gates and his team really did their homework on Shelby’s interests. Even the inside was lit up by a strand of fairy lights, according to her Reddit post.

After a difficult year in which she lost her mother days before her wedding, this surprise was exactly what Shelby needed for some holiday cheer. However, the most thoughtful gift was a donation the billionaire made to the American Heart Association in honor of Shelby’s mother.

“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.”

According to the post, other gifts included a Harry Potter Santa hat, Hylian Shield earrings and a quilt from The Legend of Zelda video game, a hammock with bug net, cat toys, seven packs of assorted Oreos, eight hardcover books, a candle inscribed with a passage from “The Great Gatsby,” two adult-level Lego sets and a plethora of “Twin Peaks” gifts, including an embroidered L.L. Bean jacket worn by crew members during the second season of the show.

According to Geek Wire, Gates got involved in the RedditGifts’ Secret Santa exchange in 2013, signing up as any other user would.