(CNN) As he prepared to host his family for Christmas, Michael Rosenbrock loaded up his shopping cart with all the holiday feast fixings: Ham, stuffing, tasty treats and -- unbeknownst to him -- a quarter of a million dollars.

"I'm hosting the family this year," Rosenbrock told the North Carolina Education Lottery . "I wanted to make sure I picked everything up early. I'm making ham, meatballs, stuffing, the whole shebang."

Apparently, the whole shebang also includes a big wad of cash.

When he got home from grabbing the groceries, Rosenbrock sat down at his living room table in Mint Hill, North Carolina to scratch off a 20X The Cash scratch-off ticket he had bought at the store.

At first, the ticket seemed to be a dud. Then, he entered it into one of the state lottery's second-chance promotional drawings and was in for a big surprise.

Read More