It’s difficult to know what to buy a baby on their first birthday. It’s definitely a milestone, but one they aren’t going to remember, so do you go all out or do something small. This mom found something meaningful to give her daughter on her first birthday that made for a huge surprise when she turned 18.
The gift that Kim Chastain got then 1 year-old Grace Chastain was a time capsule. Back in 2002 Kim grabbed some of her closest friends and family, and had them all contribute something to the time capsule. Whether it was something quirky, money, or something specific to 2002, she didn’t care. It all went into the box and was hidden for the next 18 years.
It proved to be difficult since the family moved a couple times over the years, but according to Kim, the box has been locked up hidden in their basement for the past 10 years. Grace had no idea.
Grace recently turned 18 and was shocked to learn about her gift. She was so excited to open it up and Kim captured the whole thing in a series of photos that soon went viral after being posted to Facebook. Hundreds of people have shared and commented and over 75 thousand have liked the post. Kim never thought the gesture would get this much attention.
“We kept it a secret all these years, and yesterday she opened it. There was an array of memorabilia from her birth year, jewelry and savings bonds but best of all it was filled with gifts and notes from loved ones, many of whom have since passed. It was really special.” Kim said in her post.
They were able to keep the time capsule a secret right until the moment she came home from a late dance rehearsal. “On her birthday she only had a few of her show choir friends come over because she had rehearsal until late that evening. I had it waiting on the kitchen island for when she got home, she asked me why there was a cooler on the island.” Kim said. When her friends learned about the gift, they were just as excited to learn what was inside as she was and requested updates when she was opening it.
The real hard part that was on her actual birthday, all Grace got was a card. The card explained what the ‘cooler’ was and what the concept was, but her mom was going to make her wait until her birthday part with close friends and family just to build some more anticipation.
The next day she opened the capsule around her grandparents and extended family so everyone could enjoy the gift. There were a lot of special moments as everyone in the family went through what was in the box. Some of the most special moments came when Grace read letters written by her great grandparents and great aunts and uncles who have passed away. Kim also wanted to use the popularity of the post to express that it’s never to late to make one for one of your own loved ones. Whether they’re 5 or 25, they can open it however many years later you want and the memories will be just as great.
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