White elephant parties are one of the most controversial holiday traditions that you are ever going to come across. While there are some who love these events, there are others who are not nearly as happy with what they end up with.
As gifts are chosen and stolen away during these exchanges, tempers are sure to flare and we can see why.
This is the story of one woman who ended up making out like a bandit at a white elephant party, though. Many people end up let down by what they find by the time it is all said and done. It is safe to say that this woman did not have that type of experience. We still cannot believe what she got and we are sure that she is still in disbelief herself.
Lori Janes of Louisville, Kentucky works at Harmon Dental and initially, she thought that she would end up with a gift card to TJ Maxx.
Getting a $25 gift card in a situation like this is a major win when you consider some of the alternatives. From there, the gift was “stolen” away by a coworker, as part of the rules of the white elephant party.
The letdown did not last long, either. According to the Kentucky Lottery, she initially snagged a $25 pack of lottery tickets and was told that they were hers to scratch off. Her coworkers were cheering her on. “Once it got to me, it was done and mine to keep. That’s when everyone was telling me to scratch them off,” she shares. The party got very exciting from there.
She took home $50 on her first ticket. From there, the true fun began when she grabbed a $10 Hit the Jackpot ticket. All 15 numbers on the ticket hit, which meant that she was given the chance to take home the grand prize: $175,000.
“Everyone was going insane. People were getting their calculators out and double-checking. A couple of people even scanned the ticket on the lottery’s app, just to make sure,” she said, according to the Kentucky Lottery. “I couldn’t believe it. It was a $25 gift exchange, and I won $175,000!”
So, what she is going to do with her winnings? Her plans are modest. She wants to pay off her daughter’s student loans and her family’s vehicles. “This is so crazy. I’m truly blessed,” she says.