Man Kept Christmas Gift From Ex Unopened For 47 Years, Until One Day He Decides To Open

Heartwarming stories like this are especially hard to come by, but this little snippet of beautiful humanity has left us absolutely fluttered. And after you read about what happened to Adrian Pearce, the hero of our story, after holding on to a Christmas gift he got from his high school sweetheart for 50 years, we think you’ll find a new hope for true love!

Highschool Sweethearts

When Adrian Pearce and Vicki Allen first met, they were just two teens making their first steps in the dating the world. They first met while attending the George S. Henry Secondary School in Toronto way back in the 70s, and soon started seeing each other as a couple. Although they only dated for a very short time and never stayed in touch over the years, there was real destiny at work here. You see, Despite Vicki breaking up with Adrian, he held on to a Christmas gift given to him by Vicki all those years ago, placing it under the Christmas tree year after year for nearly half a century, but never opening it until now. In some odd twist of fate, this is what created an unbelievable bond that would only reveal itself over 50 years later.

Vicki Had Other Plans…

Just before the winter break of 1971, as Adrian was looking forward to all the free time Vicki and him would be able to spend together, Vicki dropped the news: She wanted to break up. Adrian was a wreck, and Vicki wasn’t giving any straight answers as to why their relationship must end. It would be another 50 years before he learned why his first love walked away all those years ago. You can almost see the sadness in those vintage photos of Adrian.

But Vicki Didn’t Leave Adrian Empty-Handed

Vicki left Adrian with a Christmas gift which he placed under the Christmas tree, waiting to see what his lost love had left him. However, instead of unwrapping his gift, Adrian started what would become a new tradition for him that would last for most of his life. After getting dumped by his first big love just before the winter break, Adrian was looking forward to the joy of unwrapping his Christmas presents.

Adrian’s New Tradition

As Adrian opened more and more presents, one gift remained untouched – Vicki’s break-up gift. Adrian, who didn’t want to spoil the Christmas spirit, decided to leave it unopened out of pure emotion, resisting the temptation to find out what she had left him, thinking it would only make him feel worse. This went on for months until eventually, a year had gone by. Now, the emotions weren’t as strong, but for some odd reason, Adrian still left Vicki’s present untouched. By year three, it was already starting to become a tradition. Adrian thought he’d never actually open the gift, which was starting to show its age as years turned into decades.

Eventually, Adrian Had to Move On

At some point, Adrian had to let go of Vicki if wanted to have more than memories to keep his heart warm. After all, the years had gone by, and by now, he’d already met the true love of his life – Janet. The two lovebirds found happiness in each other’s arms and briskly went on to settle down and have kids. Adrian and Janet were enjoying true bliss thanks to the beautiful love they’ve found with each other. And through all those years, Adrian kept his tradition going. As he placed Christmas gifts for his children under the tree every year, he’d also place Vicki’s gift from the early 70s – still intact, but definitely showing its age. At first, Janet was open to this weird tradition, but eventually, she’d lost her patience.

And Now, Adrian Is Finally Ready to Let Go

After decades together, Janet wasn’t too concerned about Vicki posing a threat to her relationship with Adrian. She was more concerned about her husband having trouble letting go of his past. In her eyes, it would be best for Adrian to finally move on from the trauma of getting dumped by his high school sweetheart. Adrian saw her point and immediately stopped placing Vicki’s gift under the Christmas tree every year. But he wasn’t truly over it – he was still taking it out of storage every year to have a look at this decades-old emotional baggage he was carrying along.

Adrian’s Unplanned Celebrity Status

While Adrian never saw his habit as anything harmful, his friends and family were worried about his odd tradition. Was he truly unable to let go of the past? Adrian was tired of answering the same questions over and over, instead of taking to social media to finally reveal his story and how it would end. He didn’t think this is what would set him on the course for real life-changing events! Adrian had explained the story of his yearly tradition with the gift and also revealed that Vicki left him for an older fellow that went by the name Wolfie, shattering his heart in the process. His story touched thousands of people’s hearts on social media, bringing a flurry of attempts to try and locate Vicki all these years later. Adrian’s story continued to gain momentum, with countless national headlines putting him directly in the spotlight.

And there She Was… Or was She?

As Adrian’s story turned into a national phenomenon, more and more women came forward and claimed they were his long-lost Vicki. Adrian wasn’t used to his newfound fame, and he needed to do something about all those “Vickis” knocking down his door. He decided to interview them all, asking specific questions only the real Vicki could ever know the answers to. Sadly, the real Vicki was nowhere to be found. For Adrian, it was time to start getting more active in the search for his high school sweetheart. He eventually found Vicki’s sister, Stephanie, but she had lost touch with Vicki over the years, and all the phone numbers she had given Adrian led nowhere. Will Adrian ever find his long-lost Vicki?

Friends Come to the Rescue

Adrian’s story continued to garner more and more interest until one of his old high school friends finally took notice. As it turns out, he had kept in touch with Vicki all these years, and was even friends with her on Facebook! Adrian’s friend sent Vicki a link to the article and after reading it, she made haste to get in touch with Adrian as soon as possible. She invited Adrian and his wife Janet to come visit at her new home at British Columbia, Canada. But how would Adrian react to seeing Vicki again? Janet was worried…

United, At Last

Adrian and Janet finally met Vicki by the end of 2018. Vicki was totally surprised that Adrian held on to her gift and didn’t open it for all these years. In fact, she was quite shocked! After the three discussed it thoroughly, they decided it was finally time to open the gift and reveal the mystery of its contents after almost 5 decades. This would be final closure for Adrian’s broken heart after so many years, and the story was regaining national attention once more.

What’s the Big Mystery Waiting for 50 Years?

With all the media’s attention focused on Adrian and Vicki’s heart-warming story, they decided to make it into an event and use it help those in need. They would arrange a live television broadcast to reveal the unwrapping of the famed 50-year-old present. At the same time, they would sponsor a Christmas charity organization to honor the holiday spirit that kept this touching story alive for so long in Adrian’s heart.

But What About Vicki’s Side of the Story?

During the live television broadcast, Vicki had revealed her side of the story. While she didn’t quite recall what was inside the Adrian’s famed Christmas present, she did remember what happened when she was out shopping for it. As it turns out, it was during this shopping trip that she ran into Wolfie, her long-time crush. What started as an innocent conversation quickly turned into a kiss, and Vicki had felt terrible for breaking the trust Adrian placed in her. After all these years it really felt silly, but when you’re 15, everything is such a big deal. Now that Vicki had revealed why she decided to break up with Adrian, it was time to finally reveal the contents of her present!

Vicki’s Shocking Present!

After nearly 5 decades of resisting the temptation to open the present, Adrian thought it best to give Vicki the honor of doing on live television with the eyes of the nation on them. However, as soon as she unwrapped the gift, her face turned red with embarrassment. As the camera crew zoomed-in the contents of the present, gasps of surprise could be heard all around the room, as well as the entire nation.

The Innocence of Age 15

As it turns out, Vicki decided to give Adrian a book titled “Love Is: New Ways to Spot that Certain Feeling”. It was a collection of cartoon strips inspired by love letters sent to the book’s author, Kim Grove, by her beloved husband. Vicki seemed shocked at how misguided the gift was, finding comfort in the fact that when your 15, things really seem different. While this was a huge surprise and thoroughly embarrassing for Vicki, it was far from the only surprise to be revealed that evening!

What Did Vicki Think About Adrian?

Adrian’s view of his relationship with Vicki was totally different from the way she saw it back in the day. While Adrian was truly in love, Vicki didn’t see their romance as serious at all. From Vicki’s perspective, her relationship with Adrian was no more than a short-lived high school fling filled with innocence. Adrian, in the meantime, saw it as a serious relationship that would last a lifetime. Adrian, the eternal gentleman, said he held no grudges against Vicki. After all, he had found true happiness with his wife Janet and their children.

The Story Is Far from Over…!

You might have guessed it by now, but Adrian is totally the artistic type, filled with a creative spirit that can move people’s hearts from across the world. Adrian used the televised event to promote himself as an author, announcing his upcoming book titled “The 47 Year Old Present”. The book covered Adrian’s journey from a love-sick high school all the way to his newfound fame – all thanks to a 50-year-old gift Vicki had given him.

One Last Chapter Before this Story Comes to an End

The big Christmas special’s events prompted Adrian to reconsider the final chapter of his new book. He wanted to address everything that went down during the national reveal, including how he felt about Vicki after all these years. He went on to write the final chapter (don’t worry, we won’t spoil it for you!), as well as venture out into other forms of art, namely photography, with the intention of documenting his amazing journey through his lens in the form of a documentary movie. But not everyone felt overly enthusiastic about the project.

Mixed Feelings

Although Adrian was very excited about his upcoming artistic projects, not everyone shared his perspective. Much like his 15-year-old self, the Adrian of today wanted to take things farther than what those around him thought appropriate. In fact, even Adrian’s son went on record stating that he thought the entire story was “stupid”. At the same time, Vicki herself had hinted that she didn’t really understand what made Adrian hold on to her silly present for such a long time. After all, it really hadn’t been that big a deal for her when it happened, let alone today, 50 years later.

All Good Stories Come to an End

Despite the mixed feelings surrounding this whole story, both Adrian and Vicki went on to live happy lives. While this story starting in betrayal and heartache, Adrian and Vicki both moved on, found real love and raised beautiful and successful families. Today, Adrian continues his efforts to write a second novel, attending many writing workshops and putting in a lot of efforts in creating the story of his adventurous and captivating career as a cameraman.

True Love Always Prevails

Adrian recently shared new photos of himself and Janet, including their lovely family. They continue to live a happy life together after decades together, celebrating the amazing relationship and companionship they found in each other’s arms. Together, they continue their astounding journey of true love!