Owen Williams of Wales always considered the older man next-door, Ken Watson, a "real character." But after his elderly neighbor left 14 years worth of Christmas presents behind for Owen's 2-year-old daughter, Owen likely considers him a Christmas angel!
When Owen and Caroline Williams moved into their home, they soon met their next-door neighbor, Ken Watson. Ken was in his eighties and the new neighbors hit it off immediately.
They learned Ken had quite the background. He was a former salvage marine diver, a seaman, a carpenter, an engineer -- and he even a baked a wedding cake once!
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Ken seemed just as fond of the Williams and regularly doted on the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Cadi.
"He was very fond of Cadi and gave her a Christmas present every year. Her first was a lovely cuddly soft toy, which he bought for the whole street as well," Owen recalled.
So, it was a sad day indeed when Ken passed away. But this sweet man had something special stashed away that would keep his memory alive for years to come!
Not long after Ken's passing, Owen heard a knock at the door. There stood Ken's daughter, with tears in her eyes and a huge sack in her hand.
"She had a big plastic bag, which I thought was rubbish she was going to ask me to throw out," Owen recalled.
But then Ken's daughter explained. The bag contained gifts for 2-year-old Cadi -- 14 years worth of Christmas presents, to be exact!
"She was quite emotional and I got a lump on my throat," Owen said. "My wife was on FaceTime with her mum in Ireland. I popped the bag onto the kitchen counter and my wife started to tear up and I started to tear up, and her mum started to tear up."
Their amazement only grew as they unpacked the bag.
"It was like a Mary Poppins' bag, the presents kept coming. It's an actually unbelievable Christmas story," Owen said.
Owen shared his experience on Twitter and it quickly went viral. His elderly neighbor's kindness touched many hearts, indeed. And the thoughtful gesture is one Owen and his family will surely never forget.
"It's difficult describing it because it was so unexpected," Owen said. "I don't know how long he put them away whether it was over the last two years or whether he bought them towards the end of his life."
Owen and his wife already opened one of the gifts -- a children's book.
"My wife and I think it might make a nice Christmas tradition to give our daughter 'a present from Ken' for the next 14 years," Owen said, at first.
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But Owen and his wife are still figuring out exactly how they will distribute the gifts. There are enough presents in the bag to last Cadi until she turns 16 and most of the items appear to be children's toys. Either way, it was a beautiful gesture. And I'm sure Owen and his family will remember their special Christmas angel well beyond 14 years!
h/t: CNN
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!