Man Finally Opens Ex-Girlfriend’s Christmas Gift, Solving 50-Year-Old Mystery
We all know someone who ended up marrying their high school sweetheart. Some of them stay together, others don’t, just like most relationships. However, while some don’t end up with their teenage flames, they still think of them from time to time. For one man, Adrian Pearce, he had an excellent reason to think of his high school girlfriend, Vicki Allen. When they broke up during their junior year, back in the 1970s, Allen gave Pearce a goodbye Christmas gift. 47 years later, the gift remained unopened. Every year, Pearce placed the Christmas gift underneath the tree, but could never bring himself to open it.
Then, after nearly 50 years, everything changed. Forced to finally take the plunge, Pearce opened the Christmas gift in quite dramatic fashion. Little did he know, opening the gift would start an unexpected chain of events. Read on to discover one of the most surprising stories of the year…
1. Adrian Pearce, Typical High Schooler
In 1970, Adrian Pearce was a student at George S. Henry Secondary School, located in suburban Toronto. There, he had a pretty standard high school experience. He developed a love of the arts and, like many others, participated in extra-curriculars. Pearce did fine in school, though it was never his strong suit. All in all, he had a pretty good time in high school.
Pearce, like many other high schoolers, also had a few relationships over his four years at George S. Henry. Some lasted a short while, while others lasted much longer. However, one of Pearce’s relationship would change his life forever. One gift from one girlfriend would follow him for nearly 50 years…
2. Blooming Love
In 1970, the then 17-year-old Adrian Pearce had a new girlfriend, Vicki Allen. It was nearing Christmas, and Pearce felt excited about spending the Christmas holiday with her. Allen was two years younger than Pearce and also a student at George S. Henry. And, as the first serious relationship for both of them, Allen and Pearce were a happy couple. They were teenagers in love!
Pearce looked forward to ringing in the new year alongside his high school sweetheart. But just before the holiday, Allen would deliver Pearce some shocking news that would rock his young world and change his life forever.
3. Not The Christmas Gift He Wanted
Young lovers Adrian Pearce and Vicki Allen had just started their relationship. With Christmas break just around the corner, Pearce could not wait to spend more time with his new girlfriend. Unfortunately, things would not go his way. When Allena and Pearce met up for the first time, she delivered some heartbreaking news: she wanted to end their whirlwind romance. Pearce felt utterly crushed, as he thought they were supposed to end up together. Worse still, it happened just before a holiday!
However, Allen had one final thing to give Pearce before leaving. A parting present if you will. However, she had no idea that her small Christmas gift would change their lives forever…
4. A Parting Present
Just before the holidays, Allen and Pearce met to exchange Christmas gifts. But just as Allen gave Pearce the Christmas gift she bought for him, she also gave him the boot. Allen told Pearce that she was breaking up with him. Without an explanation, she left him with a tiny package, wrapped in shiny blue paper, and went on her way. Adrian Pearce felt stunned. Can you blame him? This came out of nowhere!
The breakup left Pearce so heartbroken that he couldn’t bring himself to open the gift. When Pearce got home, he threw the present under his family’s Christmas tree and vowed never to remove the wrapping paper.
5. A Yearly Tradition
Long after that first heartbreaking exchange with his first love, the little blue package remained a permanent fixture under the Pearces’ Christmas tree every time the holiday season rolled around. Pearce responded to his parents’ questions about his intentions by telling them that he would never open Allen’s Christmas gift. In a strange, sad way, it became a twisted holiday tradition.
And as the years passed, Pearce continued to stare longingly at the lonely package as he held onto the hope that he and Vicki would one day reconnect. He believed that they would eventually rekindle their romance and open up the gift together as boyfriend and girlfriend. Pearce promised to wait for that moment.
6. Heading Off To College
As Pearce prepared to leave for college, he had still not solved the mystery of what was underneath the wrapping paper of his ex-girlfriend’s Christmas gift. Vicki Allen had moved on, and the two were out of touch. It seemed Pearce would never get his chance to reconnect with Vicki Allen. Then in 1977, something finally changed.
Pearce ran into Allen’s sister, Stephanie, who gave him Vicki’s contact information. Now he had a direct way to reach his former flame. But would Pearce be able to get all of the answers to the questions he had? And would he be able to connect with his ex and get to open up the gift with her?
7. Reaching Out
Pearce reached out to Allen with the number he got from her sister. A part of him was still reeling after that Christmas heartbreak so many years ago. He was excited about being led back to his true love and wanted to make sure the two of them didn’t lose touch again.
In the years following their split, Pearce and Allen reconnected a few times. However, after so many years apart, their old teenage romance had burned out. After a few tries, Adrian Pearce and Vicki Allen realized they had little chance of rekindling their long lost flame. So, they decided to call it quits for good. Despite reconnecting, Pearce still never opened her old Christmas gift…
8. Life Moves On
Following his falling out with Vicki Allen, Adrian Pearce went on with his life. He graduated from college, pursuing a career in media as a cameraman. Over the years he worked on documentaries and television shows in Canada. Still, all that time, he never opened his Christmas gift from Vicki Allen.
Life moved on, and the Christmas gift became an odd, joke tradition. As Pearce grew, he finally met the love of his life, Janet. Eventually, the couple settled down together, even having a few children of their own. However, despite all the changed, Pearce kept his holiday tradition. But soon, it would start to wane on those around him…
9. Others Start To Wonder
Years passed, and the gift remained unopened. Over the years, the gift drew almost everyone in Adrian Pearce’s life into its mystery. What had Vicki Allen placed underneath the blue wrapping paper? Even Pearce’s two young children began to wonder about the gift. For years they begged their father to open the present so they could put an end to the mystery once and for all.
Pearce’s daughter, at the tender age of five, didn’t understand why anyone in their right mind would leave a gift unopened in the first place! She just needed to see the contents of the package herself, even if it meant waiting a little longer. So, the young girl asked Pearce if she could finally open the gift after he died. Pearce admitted this was when he started to realize he needed to open the present sooner, rather than later.
10. Janet Puts Her Foot Down
After years of having to look at Vicki’s present under her Christmas tree, Pearce’s wife Janet decided that she’d had enough. She didn’t feel jealousy or as though her husband still loved this woman. However, Janet Pearce grew tired of her husband dragging out the present, year after year. Janet was ready for him to put the past behind him once and for all.
Janet Pearce told her husband that there was no longer a place for his old flame’s gift under their tree. She didn’t force her husband to get rid of the present. Janet only asked that he not bring it out at Christmas anymore. She simply didn’t want to see it anymore!
11. The Search Begins
In the end, Adrian Pearce understood his wife’s request. He stopped adding Vicki’s Christmas gift to the pile of holiday presents, but he decided to keep it in a special place in his home so he could admire it from time to time.
In 2017, Pearce decided that he would finally try to get some closure for himself and his family. He decided he would take one more shot at tracking down his high school ex to see if they could meet to open the gift together. Pearce found an old diary where he kept the contact information he had received from Vicki’s sister. Sadly, all the numbers Pearce had led to wrong numbers or dead ends. It seemed as though Pearce would never find his high school sweetheart…
12. Wrong Number
Pearce soon realized that none of the old methods would lead to him contacting Allen. Instead, he needed to turn to the internet in order to find her. Unfortunately, once again, his search did not produce the results he wanted.
Pearce scoured the web in hopes of uncovering some information that would eventually lead him to his lost love. An online search for Vicki Allen produced some results. Unfortunately, none of them led to the real Vicki Allen. The one Vicki Allen he managed to contact was not his ex, but rather a 91-year-old woman who lived in a completely different area!
13. The Story Spreads
Meanwhile, as Pearce tried to track down his old teenage love, his story started to spread. Soon, friend and families were buzzing with interest. Before they knew it, the story of the gift captured the attention of the media! A local television station interviewed Pearce, allowing him to tell the story of his unopened Christmas gift.
During the interview, Pearce appealed to the viewer watching to help him find a happy ending to his decades-long story. Afterward, he also asked for help from his friends and family on social media. He hoped they’d be able to track down Vicki Allen by making his Facebook post go viral. Hopefully, the magic of the Internet would produce some better leads and give him some clues to Allen’s whereabouts.
14. Could Viral Be The Key?
Adrian Pearce’s story did, in fact, go viral. The idea that a man had kept his ex-girlfriend’s gift for decades got a lot of people talking, and the comments flowed in from all over the world. The story certainly divided viewers and readers. Some viewed Pearce’s actions as sweet and romantic, keeping a loving flame alive. On the other hand, others felt as though keeping the Christmas gift was creepy. Why did he keep it, they asked, if he didn’t still harbor some feelings?
Despite all the media attention, Adrian Pearce found himself no closer to finding the girl who dumped him as a teen. He didn’t know if he’d ever see the gift for himself.
15. Imposters Everywhere
In addition to the comments on Pearce’s social media posts, several women came out claiming to be the woman who dumped him over forty years ago. But how would Pearce know if any of these women were actually the right Vicki Allen?
In order to verify the respondents who came forward in response to Pearce’s post, he had to implement his own vetting process to weed out the imposters. Pearce questioned all of the potential Vicki Allens about details from their past, including high school geology teachers and old dates. If the women couldn’t get those details correct, there was no way he could accept that they were his former flame.
16. Temptation Over The Years
You may be wondering why Pearce never just opened the Christmas gift himself. Was it because he was simply too bitter to give his ex the satisfaction of opening her gift? Or was he afraid of what kind of gift she might have been trying to give him on the same day that she broke his young heart? Worse still, it might be a throwaway gift, which would be a disappointing thing to wait for.
Pearce admitted that he felt tempted to open the gift over the years. Still, he wanted to keep his word to himself, so Allen’s present remained sealed. He admitted that the process of keeping the gift and taking it out around the holidays had become less about his feelings and more of a force of habit over the years.
17. Setting A Date
As the years passed, Pearce started to set his sights on 2020 as his target date for opening the Christmas gift. He thought it would give him enough time to track Allen down and gauge her interest in a reunion.
Pearce also targeted 2020 because the year had a special meaning for him and his young love. Since the pair connected in 1970, 2020 would mark the 50th anniversary of their relationship and would be a great way to close this chapter in his life. Pearce decided that if he could not find Vicki through this very public search, he would still open the gift in 2020.
18. The Right Way To Open The Christmas Gift
Pearce didn’t want his reunion with Allen to turn into some sad, sappy affair. Instead, he wanted a happy reconciliation. Pearce had gotten over all of the bad feelings he held onto when he was younger and was very happy with his wife Janet and their children. He just wanted to have a good time. Pearce thought it might even be fun to create an event of his first meeting with Allen!
He imaged that he could turn their meeting into a contest where people would pay for the chance to guess what was actually inside of the package. The person who guessed right would win a prize. Then, Pearce made the whole thing even better: they’d donate the money the collected to a charity!
19. What Could Lie Inside?
As previously stated, while Pearce never opened the gift, he certainly felt temptation. Some night he would lie awake, wondering about what Allen had bought him all the way back in 1970. Over the years, Pearce tried to guess what might lie inside the mysterious Christmas gift.
At one time he guessed it might be some old photographs that the two had taken at some time during their relationship. He also thought that the gift might be some kind of book. Pearce even thought Allen’s package might have been some chocolates, which would definitely be too old to eat after all of these years.
20. One Step Closer
In 2017, the trail to Vicki Allen got warm. A mutual friend of the pair from high school saw one of the articles written about Pearce and the unopened Christmas gift and forwarded it to Allen. At first, she dismissed it. Allen could not believe she could be the center of a viral story! But when she saw the article post on Facebook, she “liked” it, which sent an alert to Pearce.
When Pearce finally saw Allen’s picture, he had no question. He had finally found the real Vicki Allen, after all this time! All of a sudden, Pearce had renewed hope in his ability to make a reunion with Allen a reality. Could he also open the Christmas gift, once and for all?
21. Identity Confirmed
After all of the imposters, Adrian Pearce wanted to make sure he had the really Vicki Allen. Sure, she looked like her. However, that could have been a coincidence. Just like all the others, Pearce quizzed Allen about their old high school and their commons friends. She answered all the questions with flying questions. After all these years, Pearce had finally found his long lost sweetheart.
Allen could still not believe that, after all these years, Pearce had never opened her Christmas gift. Even so, she was excited to be internet famous and to be talking to an old friend again. Soon, Allen invited Adrian and Janet Pearce to meet her face-to-face in person, in British Columbia. The reunion would finally take place! But how would it turn out, once they were all together?
22. The Reunion
Within days, Adrian and Janet Pearce boarded a plane to British Columbia. After they landed, as they drove to Allen’s home, they wondered if the meeting would go well. After all, whether you think what Adrian did was sweet or creepy, there’s no debating it’s a tad odd. The Pearces understood that the reunion had the potential to go wrong.
Thankfully, everything went great! At the meeting, Allen admitted that she had no idea what she gave Pearce in 1971. She waited to see the gift, just like everyone else! And she definitely had no idea that her decision to break things off would have such a lasting impact on Pearce. “I didn’t know he felt as intensely as he did,” Allen said in an interview.
During the reunion, Adrian finally worked up the courage to ask Allen what he needed to: would she open the Christmas gift with him for charity?
23. Things Happen Fast
In 2018, Pearce saw his dreams of a reunion event with Vicki Allen come to fruition. Allen agreed to turn their very personal gift exchange meeting into a charity fundraiser. They held the fundraiser at an Edmonton area cafe, charging for entry. After the event, the Pearces donated all the proceeds to the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton. The organization is one of the Pearces’ favorites, providing meals for families in need during the holidays.
From there, things happened rather quickly. Before they knew it, the time finally came. With his wife Janet by his side, Adrian Pearce began opening the package he received so long ago, in front of a large crowd. Now, everyone would discover what Vicki Allen gave to him all those years ago…
24. Speculations Galore
Before they finally opened the Christmas gift, everyone involved shared what they thought it could possibly be. Vicki Allen admitted she had no idea what she bought Pearce all those years ago. She remembered visiting quite a few record, book, and trinket shops with Pearce, meaning lots of possibilities. Both she and Pearce thought that it couldn’t be too expensive, as Vicki worked at a tire shop for $1.25 an hour at the time.
Speaking of Pearce, he thought the gift would turn out to be a wallet. Pearce’s wife Janet, on the other hand, thought it would turn out to be an Archie comic from the 1970s. Soon enough, they’d all have their answer…
25. Vicki Allen Stops Everything
As the event started, you could feel the excitement in the room. And it continued to build as everyone waited to learn the contents of the nearly 50-year-old-package. But before Adrian could open the gift, Vicki Allen stopped him. The huge crowd that came from all around the Edmonton area wondered if they would ever get to find out what was in the gift.
But after Allen broke his heart back in the ‘70s, Pearce made the promise that he would not open the gift. So rather than forcing him to compromise on his principles, Vicki Allen decided that she would do the honors. So, she opened the gift for her ex-boyfriend so he wouldn’t have to. Then, the gift opening began once again…
26. The Reveal
Before sharing the gift with the crowd, Allen took a peek inside of the package herself. Instantly, she closed the package and turned bright red. She clearly felt embarrassed, giggling “Oh, no. I can’t give that to him!” Allen removed the now worn blue wrapping paper to reveal a children’s book entitled, Love Is: New Ways to Spot That Certain Feeling. After all these years, everyone finally discovered the content of Pearce’s Christmas gift.
The book, by syndicated New Zealand cartoonist Kim Grove, was a part of a series of small books which feature her illustrations. Each booklet was a collection of Grove’s comics accompanied by short sayings about love for her future husband, Roberto Casali.
27. The Reason For The Break-Up
There’s no doubt, it must have been quite embarrassing to share such a personal gift with a crowd. Still, Allen managed to not melt from humiliation. After all, the book acted as a reminder of the special place Pearce must have held in her heart. It’s really quite sweet!
In fact, even her decision to break up with Pearce was in an effort to protect him. Allen told Pearce that when she went to the mall to buy his Christmas gift, she kissed another boy. To make matters even worse, Allen admitted to Pearce that she kissed the boy back. She knew that Pearce wouldn’t be happy with her for being unfaithful, so she ended things before he had a chance to find out about her indiscretion.
28. A Bit Careless
As Adrian Pearce looked over his newly opened Christmas Gift, Vicki Allen started talking to reporters and crowd about why she bought that gift. Ultimately, Allen admitted that she had been “a bit careless of his feelings,” back in their teenage years. She added that the gift “just shows ignorant a 15-year-old can be.” As Adrian looked through the book, Allen hoped that she had at least penned a message on the inside cover.
To Allen’s surprise, she had been thoughtful write a loving goodbye inside the book. However, ultimately, the two decided not to share the message, wanting to keep part of their long-lost love private.
29. A Teenage Fling
While speaking to reporters that day, Allen continued to reveal her views on their teenage romance. To her, her and Pearce’s relationship hadn’t been that serious. All these years, not knowing about the unopened Christmas gift, she believed it was just a short-lived romance. She never thought too much about how it affected Pearce. On the other hand, he felt quite differently about the whole ordeal.
Still, while Adrian Pearce cared about the present, he harbored no ill-will. After all, he had Janet, the love of his life, and they are incredibly happy. However, he did have special plans for the finally opened Christmas gift…
30. Preserving Their Legacy
Adrian Pearce wanted to protect the legacy of the famous Christmas gift. Pearce told reporters that he planned to frame the book so that he could preserve the gift he had held onto for most of his adult life. However, Pearce wasn’t the only person to receive a present at the event nearly 50 years in the making!
Pearce didn’t want Allen to go home empty-handed, so he gave her a gift. Especially after being such a good sport and willing to indulge him in fulfilling his high school fantasy! So, Pearce presented Allen with a beautiful, hand-designed cigarette case. Why, you ask? Well, because the young couple were both smokers back in the 1970s when they were dating.
31. Paying It Forward
While the story of the unopened Christmas gift is incredible, it’s not the only reason the Pearces and Allen made the news that day. Remember, the Pearces donated all of the proceeds from the opening event to the Christmas Beauru charity. They broadcast the event live on CTV and also encouraged people watching to go online and donate.
Adrian Pearce felt so grateful for the whole experience, he needed to take to Facebook to share the good news. “Thank you to all who contributed to the Edmonton Christmas Bureau during ‘The 47-Year-Old Present Opening’ at A Boutique Gallery Bar by Gracie Jane. The total was over $1,300.00! Thank you for supporting such a worthwhile charity!” he wrote.
32. Yet Another Passion
When he’s not tracking down long lost girlfriends, Adrian Pearce loves to write! While working as a cameraman back in the day, Pearce took a writing class. At the time, it was just to sharpen up his skills in order to snag an upcoming gig. However, while taking the course, Pearce found a passion for writing. From there, he became a budding author and started writing on the side. Over the years, he’s competed in National Novel Writing Month and even helped his wife Janet publish her own book!
After becoming a budding author, Pearce realized that he could share the story of the Christmas gift with more people. So, he started working on a book. But the opening ceremony would mean he needed to make massive changes.
33. The 47-Year-Old Present
If you think the story of Pearce and Allen’s long-unopened Christmas gift would make a great book, you’re not alone! By the time that the couple opened the present in front of an audience, he had already penned quite a bit. But he wanted to give readers the complete story. So, after opening the gift, he, along with his wife Janet and Vicki Allen, added to and edited the book.
In 2018, Pearce self-published a book about his experience searching for his high school love and solving the mystery of her last gift nearly 50 years. Not one to beat around the bush, Pearce titled the book The 47-Year-Old Present. But Pearce didn’t write the book all by himself, so his wife and Allen also ended up on the front cover.
34. More Than Just A Book
While their book covers most of the story, to get every bit would take thousands of pages. So, Adrian Pearce believes that after reading The 47-Year-Old Present, readers will want a lot more of the story. So, he’s started on a project that would bring the tale of the Christmas gift to an even wider audience. And for those who have read the book, it will give an even closer look at the whole affair.
Pearce plans to use his experience as a cameraman to bring his story to an even wider audience by sharing it on the screen. Pearce wants to produce a documentary that lets viewers in on some of the details of the story of his – including some additional information which was not included in the book. But how does his family feel about the fact that he wants to bring their story to the big screen?
35. Not Everyone Is Thrilled
Pearce has outline how he wants to make his Christmas gift documentary. Of course, it will feature interviews with himself, Vicki Allen, and his wife, Janet. Pearce also intends to track down some of the stories auxiliary players, like the boy who kissed Allen and her sister. However, it might surprise you to find out that those closest to Pearce are not as excited about the documentary as he is.
As we’ve discussed, Janet Pearce is ready to leave the story of the Christmas gift behind her. Additionally, Pearce’s own son (above, left) called the entire story “stupid.” Still, the world seems to disagree. After the live television opening, Allen and Pearce’s story gained even more worldwide attention!
36. No Hard Feelings
Soon after the live opening of the gift, news agencies in the United States, the UK, Australia, and even Russia and Denmark started running the story of Adrian Pearce and his long-lost girlfriend, Vicki Allen. What surprised readers around the world most was the lack of hard feelings between anyone involved. After all, you rarely hear stories about exes who can remain friends, let alone a wife who is fine with it!
Despite breaking up almost 50 years ago, both are very happy now. They both went on to marry people they love and have wonderful children. Neither of them ever imagined, back in 1970, that their high school relationship would become a viral story.
37. Inspiration From The Past
Often, a song can perfectly capture our emotions. We’ll turn on a tune and instantly transport back in time, to a specific event, place, or feeling. A single song can remind of us of one particular night in college or an entire year. It’s incredible! Adrian Pearce knows this first hand, including his own first-hand experience in The 47-Year-Old Present. He said he can remember exactly how it felt when Allen dumped him. And he has the song “Be Careful With A Fool” by Johnny Winter to thank for that.
While writing Present, Pearce wanted to use the lyrics in the book. However, doing so would have caused copyright issues. Instead, he felt content with talking about the book and sharing the song on Facebook.
38. A Busy Bee
Adrian Pearce doesn’t just love writing, he also adores reading. In January of 2019, he boasted about reading 43 books in 2018! While that’s certainly not the most, it’s quite impressive. And Pearce has a great work ethic when it comes to reading, writing, working, and, well, just about everything else! After all, it takes some serious self-control to not open a Christmas gift for 46 years.
In fact, Pearce has multiple projects lined up. First, of course, is the 47-Year-Old Present documentary. However, after that, he plans on changing direction. Pearce is going to write another book, this time about his years as a cameraman. Whatever you think of Pearce holding onto a Christmas gift for almost five decades, there’s no question he’s lived an exciting life!
39. What Does The Future Hold?
Since that heartbreaking Christmas back in 1970, Adrian Pearce admits that he has healed and has let go of any bad feelings he harbored toward Vicki Allen. In an interview with CTV News, Pearce said, “Any ill feelings I have towards Victoria are long gone. I got over it. I’ve been married for 40 years.” After 50 years, everyone is finally where they should be.
Pearce doesn’t know what the future holds, but he is grateful that he, Vicki, and his wife Janet have all been able to move forward as friends. Of course, this is not the end of the viral tale of the 47-year-old Christmas gift.
No comments: