Totally unexpected Christmas presents?

[Pilgrim]

I have one...thought there might be other stories out there.

My oldest daughter works at the DISH satellite network in Denver. I got a gift from her that didn't look like anything I expected.

(No, it wasn't a squirrel with a vest and rifle...that's the youngest daughter, who is an even bigger character.)

I unwrapped it, and it was a football - with a signature on the side: Barry Sanders, NFL Hall of Fame running back!

Turned out that Barry Sanders recently showed up there for some promotional work - and my daughter Liz was the only one to get a bright idea.  She hit the door, drove across the street to a sporting goods store and bought a few footballs, then zoomed back to the office - and got him to sign each one.  Then she gave them for Christmas to the biggest football fans she knew!  She's a pretty good football fan herself, so she recognized opportunity when it fell out of the sky.

Evidently he doesn't do many signings, and his signature isn't the easiest to get.  This was very thoughtful of Liz.  She's a nice young lady...and she was thinking of her kindly old bass-playing dad!

That ball goes next to one signed by Jon Kitna, who was drafted by, and started for, the Seahawks, and who has been QB'ing the Dallas Cowboys this season.  My youngest brother worked with Kitna's mom in Washington, she he got a football signed for me when Jon dropped by one day.

And both can keep my wife's box of Flutie Flakes company.

[ack1961]

That is a truly awesome story and a great gift - In my opinion, he's the greatest running back ever.  Not only that, but he was a class act on and off the field.  He's what every athlete should strive to be.  Had he only been on the Giants all those years...

[jumbodbassman]

Barry was the man for many years.  Great gift

[OldManC]

What a thoughtful gift. You raised some good ones!

[Pilgrim]

What a thoughtful gift. You raised some good ones!

Thanks, and it's true.  The youngest daughter stopped at an antique book store and got me a 1930's Dick Tracy novel, definitely a collector's item...complete with original dust jacket. That's was also a totally unexpected gift... and very thoughtful.

 I'll eventually read and shelve it next to my 30's (Kipling) copy of The Light That Failed, also a collector item with original dust jacket.