As soon as sixteen-year-old Alecia Arsenault found the photo, she knew it would make the perfect surprise gift for her grandmother’s birthday. It was an image of herself as a five-year-old, presenting her grandmother with a snowball. She’d thought it would be nice to share the special memory with her grandmother, but when she presented the photo, her grandmother’s response turned out to be the biggest surprise of all: she still had that same snowball.
“I was like ‘Are you kidding me?’” Alecia told the CBC. “So we got up to the freezer and went to go look for it and sure enough it was there.”
“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, eleven years that’s been there.’”
“It’s very special,” she said. “Knowing that they think about you enough to bring you something, it doesn’t matter what it is, but a snowball is great for me.”
Nevertheless, It has taken Arsenault some effort to prevent the snowball from melting over the years. She has moved more than once since she received the gift. However, she feels the effort to preserve the gift has been worth it, and she’s happy to see it in her freezer every time she opens the door. “I always think of it,” she said. “I try to put it in the back so it won’t be crushed, but I know it’s always there.”
At 16, it’s hard for Alecia Arsenault ot imagine holding onto a snowball for a decade. “If it were me and some child gave me a snowball I’d probably just throw it back outside when the kid left,” she joked. However, she’s glad her grandmother decided to hold onto it.
“It makes me really happy because I know that she’s thinking of me and has that there, it’s like a part of me is here with her all the time. It’s really adorable, I love it so much.”
Alecia says she can’t quite remember what it was that made her think her grandma would like to receive a snowball. “I’m not sure what was going on in my five-year-old mind that I decided that a snowball would be a perfect gift,” she said.
Whatever it was, clearly her grandmother agreed.
Featured Video
