Two days ago I got a notice that my gift had shipped. It was coming from California to Iowa, and I admit that I obsessed with tracking it. I was nearly inconsolable when it ended up in Indiana (two states and a time zone in the wrong direction). However, it finally arrived this morning. I saw “Bear Grylls” on the return address and assumed that my gifter was having a bit of fun. Then I opened the box.

The first thing I noticed was a DVD that said “PLAY ME.” It was a video message from Bear Grylls to me! I don’t have the words to express how excited I was. I called all my friends and family and told them all about it--my grandparents didn’t quite get the whole internet gift exchange bit, my sister and mom (both Redditors) were as shocked as I was, and my dad said to invite Bear hunting with us this January. (Bear—if you’re reading this, we’ll be waterfowl hunting on the Eastern Shore of Maryland the first week in January).

Anyway, in addition to the video message, I got some amazing gifts! I got an autographed picture of Bear, a copy of his autobiography, seasons three and four of Man vs. Wild, an extremely useful Gerber survival kit, and two Man vs. Wild video games!

I feel like I’ve just won the lottery. I hunt all through the fall and winter and fish for most of the year, so it’s quite possible that I will end up in a situation where the survival gear and survival skills I’m going to learn from the DVDs will actually come in handy. Thank you so much!