Daughter shocks her dad with surprise gift he sold 30 years ago

‘Oh good - I love crying over strangers in the morning,’ a touched fan writes

A thoughtful daughter stunned her father with an item he never thought he’d see again.

Lindsey Moore (@lindseyswagmom) knew exactly what to get her dad when she randomly picked him for a Secret Santa gift this year. In a poignant video posted on 22 November, the loving woman shared her father’s heartwarming reaction upon opening his gift.

“I got my dad for Secret Santa. I’ve been waiting 30 years for this,” her on-screen caption read.

Lindsey can be seen handing her father a card with a picture of one pug wearing a Santa hat on the front. “Holy s***, I can’t read that,” Lindsey’s dad proclaimed, squinting at the paper. The woman next to him, who may be Lindsey’s mother, snatched the card from his hands and began to read his daughter’s words aloud.

Lindsey’s message touched on an influential moment from her childhood – when her dad was forced to sell his Dan Marino football card from the athlete’s first season on the Miami Dolphins.

“Money was tight, so you were selling your most prized possession – at least I viewed it as that,” Lindsey wrote. “I felt your sacrifice and it taught me that I would do whatever necessary to ensure my future family never needed anything. It was a lesson that has stuck with me since that moment.”

“As you got back in the car with extra cash to pay for whatever – bills due, groceries needed – my 7-year-old mind was determined to repay you,” she continued.

Lindsey knew she wouldn’t be able to pay her father the entire amount he covered by selling his card. However, the eager woman wanted to make up for his sacrifice.

“I will never be able to fully repay that debt,” her note went on. “Seven-year-old me would be so elated to see that I finally fulfilled that promise I made to myself. Thank you for everything.”

As Lindsey’s letter wrapped up, her dad’s eyes watered. He reached into a large envelope inside the gift bag and pulled out the card he thought was long gone.

Filled with joy, Lindsey’s father walked over to her and wrapped her in a warm embrace.

“I’m not crying, you’re crying,” Lindsey said.

Viewers indulged in the poignant moment, commenting how touched they were by the sentiment.

“The reading.. the kid.. the background noise.. beautiful moment but my god getting there was ROUGH,” a touched fan wrote, while another said: “Kids always listen and notice things even when you have thought they didn’t.”

One woman added: “Oh good - I love crying over strangers in the morning.”

“When he started crying I LOST IT,” a fourth noted.

The Independent has contacted Lindsey for a comment.