We’ve all heard of Secret Santa – it’s the gift-giving concept where a group of friends or colleagues pick names out of a hat and anonymously exchange gifts.
Usually, Secret Santa ends up being a bit of a letdown. You end up with someone ridiculously difficult to buy for, and your Secret Santa gift is the kind that’s clearly an unwanted gift from last year.
But it’s the thought that counts, right?
On a bigger scale, Secret Santa can be something really special. The EastIdahoNews.com team has set up their own Secret Santa mission, and it’s incredibly touching.
They’ve teamed up with a real-life Secret Santa, a person who wishes to remain anonymous, to give $500,000 this holiday season.
The aim of the Secret Santa mission is to surprise deserving people every single day from now until Christmas.
We’re all in our own unique circumstances this year, some more difficult than others. The giving stranger behind this mission recognizes that there are people out there who could benefit from their money more than they do.
Diana Boldman is someone who received her own unforgettable Secret Santa surprise, and she couldn’t be more deserving.
She and her husband Cameron are both 65. But they’re not in the position to retire just yet.
Both Diana and Cameron get up early each morning to deliver newspapers all across Idaho Falls, driving a van that’s got nearly 240,000 miles on it.
The work doesn’t stop there for Diana, as she heads to McDonald’s, where she works long shifts to bring in the extra money.
While Diana hopes to retire soon, she can’t stop working for now, as Cameron is on disability and she needs to provide for them both.
After hearing about the Boldman couple, Secret Santa arranged for an early Christmas gift to head their way.
Diana was busy preparing french fries when the news team showed up to surprise her. Though other members of the staff were in on the surprise, it’s clear that Diana had no idea that anything out of the ordinary would be happening today.
When she turned around to discover a camera pointing in her direction, it took her a second to register what was happening.
She was pulled to the side by the news team, who asked her how her day was going. After a bit of chitchat about work and Diana’s health, the news team revealed their surprise.
EastIdahoNews’s presenter explained that a special Secret Santa surprise had been dedicated to Diana.
He handed Diana a present – a bright green box with a silver bow on top – and told Diana to open it.
She held up a piece of rectangular paper, which we can identify without seeing the front of it… a check!
Diana knew, too. She said, “Oh, I’ve seen this on your videos before,” and attempted to put the check back.
Bless her – it must be pretty mind-blowing to have someone walk into your workplace and surprise you with so much money!
The news anchor explained that Diana has $5,000 in gas cards, and a $1,000 check. Diana could only blink in astonishment – but that’s not all!
He led her outside for one final gift: a brand-new red SUV.
Diana was in such a state of shock that she couldn’t even work the car key, which she joked was “smarter than me”.
Sitting inside her brand-new car with her $5,000 in cards and a $1,000 check, Diana’s vocabulary had been reduced to one word: “wow”. But when she climbed out to speak to the news anchor, she said,
“Tell the Secret Santa thank you ever so much.”
We can’t think of a person worthier of a Secret Santa surprise more than Diana! You can watch the heartwarming moment when the big surprises are revealed in the video below.
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