Now, I don't know about you, but on Christmas day, I'm revert to being a child.
While I can't manage to wake up at the crack of dawn any other day - not for work and certainly not for the gym - when the festive season rolls around, I am gung-ho for it all, like every other eight-year-old out there, running straight out of bed to where the gifts await.
You can consequently imagine my horror when I discovered that there is a man who not only has the patience to wait until a suitable hour to unwrap his presents, but has, in fact, chosen to wait an eye-watering 47 years to open one gift in particular. The man, who goes by Adrian Pearce, has no plans to unwrap it soon either.
Yes, it appears that 2018 has met its match.
Adrian was gifted the present by an ex-girlfriend who dumped him 47 years ago. Back then, Adrian was a 17-year-old, 12 grade student at George S. Henry Secondary School in Don Mills, Toronto, and he was understandably excited for the holiday season, being so young and in love.
That was, until his girlfriend, Vicki, broke up with him.
Speaking to CBC, Adrian said "She gave me a present at the same time and I took the present home":
"I had a long walk home and I was all upset and angry, and all the things you feel when somebody breaks up with you.’ ‘And so I fired the present under the Christmas tree. After my family opened their gifts at Christmas, there was still one Christmas gift left and it’s the gift this girl Vicki had given me.
I told my family I’m never going to open that present."
And Adrian clearly stuck to his word, as the gift remains unopened till this day.
Adrian has said that Vicki's younger sister approached him a few years after they broke up, and had given him Vicki's phone number, saying that she wanted to see him again. They met up a few times but then lost touch after realising that they weren't meant to be together.
Adrian still continued to put the present under the tree, however, even after he got married and had children. In fact, he only stopped the age-old tradition after his wife decided that enough was enough. Now, he occasionally pulls out the gift, just to look at it, before putting it away.
He has reportedly attempted ringing Vicki's number, and tried to search for her, but with no luck. He has stated that he doesn't know what he would say if he and Vicki ever reunited, and he is also unsure about how he would explain why he's kept the present after so many years.
Adrian asserts:
"I kept it initially because I guess I had hopes that we would get back together and open it together. Now it’s just become a habit after 47 years of looking at it and having the pleasure of not opening it."
He has also added that he's considering opening it on the 50th anniversary of receiving it, and having a competition to guess what's under the wrapping paper - with the proceeds going to charity.
Well, you can't argue with some people's determination, can you?
