Christmas wonât be the same for Owen Williams or his family for the next 14 years â and itâs all thanks to the literal parting gifts from his late neighbour.
On Monday, the Welsh father about how his elderly neighbour Ken Watson had passed away and left his family something besides memories of friendship.
He described how Watsonâs daughter had come over to his house with a giant plastic bag filled to the brim with 14 gifts.
âIn the sack were all the Christmas presents heâd bought for *our* daughter,â he wrote online, later adding that, âhe always told us heâd live till he was a hundred years old, so these gifts would have taken him up to our little girlâs 16th Christmas.â
Williams said the gesture took him by surprise.
âI was speechless. Gobsmacked,â he wrote in a text to CTVNews.ca. âItâs a breathtaking thing. Words rarely fail me, but this was a rare occasion.â
On Twitter, he wrote: âMy wife and I think it might make a nice Christmas tradition to give our daughter, âa present from Kenâ for the next 14 years.â
Williamâs daughter Cadi is only two years old but sheâd have a new gift until 2032. Williams on whether the gifts should be opened all at once or doled out to her until her teens.
Over 69 per cent of the 67,000 people polled voted for the family to do the latter. Williams said they plan to honour that.
âIt'll be our way of remembering an immensely generous gentleman â our new Christmas tradition,â he said online. âWe'll add the pics to this thread for as long as Twitter is still a thing!â
Although he mused that some of the gifts might not make sense for a teenager, Williams said that wonât matter.
'The real spirit of Christmas, don't you think?'
âEven if she doesn't appreciate the gift itself, the sentiment and the thought behind it is the important thing here,â he told CTVNews.ca. âIt's the real spirit of Christmas, don't you think?â
Theyâve already opened one of the gifts which was the book, âChristmas Eve at the Mellops'â by Tomi Ungerer. The French writer-artist even reached out to and said he would love to sign the book for Cadi.
Williams said the attention his story has received has been staggering. His story has been covered by several news outlets and even became a .
âItâs been an insane 24 hours,â he told CTVNews.ca., adding that âKenâs family have been utterly overwhelmed.â
Williams took to who Watson was besides being a neighbourly Santa Claus. He wrote about Watsonâs love for the accordion and his plan to do a second âwing walk.â
When Watson did his first wing walk, he was and revealed how he had sought more adventure ever since his 86-year-old wife Beryl died in February 2012.
âKen was a former salvage diver, seaman, carpenter, baker,â Williams also about Watson. âThe first time I met him, he was bouncing a 20 ft. (six metre) ladder across the face of his house. He was on top. He was 83 at the time.â
Williams added that Watson would regularly give his dog chocolate biscuits and call her âmy darlingâ and âsweetheart.â
While Watsonâs last gesture was a surprise, itâs not out of character. Heâd given Williamsâ daughter a Christmas gift ever since she was born.
But when it came to the 14 gifts, he called it, âutterly unexpected.â
Our elderly neighbour passed away recently. His daughter popped round a few moments ago clutching a large plastic sack. In the sack were all the Christmas presents heâd bought for *our* daughter for the next thirteen years.
â Owen Williams (@OwsWills)
Tomi Ungerer's team has DM'd me.
â Owen Williams (@OwsWills)
Tomi was really touched by the story, and would love to sign the bookâŚ