Internet Culture

‘They wanted to make sure you knew they were still with you’: TikToker finds old, wrapped Christmas gifts in her late grandfather’s attic (updated)

The saga captivated users on the app.

Photo of Braden Bjella

Braden Bjella

Wrapped Christmas gifts.

A viral TikTok showing a family discovering long-lost Christmas gifts has people all over the world getting a belated rush of the holiday spirit. The TikTok, which was posted yesterday by user @hollybrooke92, has already received almost a half-million likes and has spawned several updates.

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@hollybrooke92

This is wild! Mine say from Nana who passed in 2015. The rugrats wrapping paper makes me think these are way before then even. #grandparents #crazy

♬ Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town – Mariah Carey

In the video, Holly explains her family’s discovery of these long-lost gifts.

“My grandfather recently passed away and my cousin found super old wrapped Christmas presents in the attic to my dad, my sister and I,” she details. “We also found an old Christmas card with money in it from my great grandparents who passed around 2002.”

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The TikTok showcases a veritable trove of presents, with each new gift removal revealing more presents underneath. While Holly says her grandfather passed away recently, she writes in the caption that the presents are actually much older, given both the fact that some presents say “from Nana” (who Holly says passed away in 2015) and the abundance of Rugrats-themed wrapping paper.

For the curious, Holly reveals some of the presents in later TikToks.

@hollybrooke92

Reply to @useric9jh1qu3w I know he loved having one last Christmas with his parents in a way. My sister and I are looking forward to opening ours!

♬ original sound – Holly Brooke

Her father, for example, received a high-powered flashlight, a massage chair, and a cover for when he does concrete work. 

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@hollybrooke92

Reply to @allisonannmiles this is so my grandpas humor though. 2 almost identical gifts but the most amazing thing I could have received from them❤️

♬ original sound – Holly Brooke

For Holly, the grandparents opted for both a fleece robe and a Snuggie—both in Holly’s favorite color at the time, pink. Holly says she always put a cozy blanket on her Christmas list and theorized that her grandparents were “making sure [she] still got something [she] loves from them one last time.”

In the comments, TikTok users were full of love for Holly, her grandparents, and their caring gifts, even if they arrived a little later than expected.

“So they gave you warm hugs from the other side, and the absolute knowledge that they loved you? Priceless,” wrote one commenter upon the reveal of the gifts.

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“They wanted to make sure you knew they were still with you this Christmas,” said another.

For Holly, she’s overjoyed by the discovery of the gifts and the inspiration it has brought TikTok viewers around the world.

@hollybrooke92

Reply to @angelarreola9218 my grandpa gave me the best Christmas present anyone could ask for. #family #inspired #grandparents #imissyou #thankyou

♬ It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas – Michael Bublé

In another update, she shares this heartwarming sentiment.

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“The fact that my cousin found old Christmas presents addressed to my family at Christmastime was not only amazing, but it made me feel like they were still with me today,” she shares. “Not only has he inspired me to purposefully do this for my family, but it looks like he’s inspired a few others—which is the greatest Christmas gift that anybody could ask for.”

Update 10:32 am CT, Jan. 4: In an exclusive statement to Daily Dot, Holly says she has a theory as to why she’s only finding the presents now:

“I looked up my great grandmother’s obituary and found out she passed March 1, 2008. So my thoughts are probably Christmas of 2007 the gifts were bought and the money was taken out, but my family didn’t get to come down for Christmas. So the gifts and card were set aside. Then my memé passed a couple months later and my nana and grandpa got so busy with that that the gifts and cards were put away and forgot about. It’s the only thing I can think of that makes sense. No matter the circumstances, this was such a blessing to find.”

She also added, “Snuggies came out in 2008, so they may have been separate events and the cards could have been from 1995 and never mailed.”

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