Happily Staff

A dedicated dad who never missed a single one of his daughter's games, matches, races or track meets struggled to hold back tears as he peered inside a surprise softball full of photographic memories. For Amanda Gardner, 18, from East Texas, her father Gary, 53, was not only her biggest supporter, but also her coach. That's why she wanted to surprise him after years of dedicated support as she prepared to head back off to college.

A healthcare worker mom who thought she had a ‘new patient’ was moved to floods of happy tears when her military daughter walked in to surprise her after an eight-month deployment. Private First Class Mariah Diez, 20, had been stationed in Grafenwoehr, Germany with the U.S. Army during most of 2020, but in December she got the news she was allowed to head home.

A boy with Down syndrome could not hold back his tears as he was surprised with a golf cart so he could take up driving just like his triplet siblings. Tyler Hayes, 16, has never let his condition hold him back, but when his siblings Ryan and Rachel turned 16, too, they were able to obtain their drivers licenses and start to drive. So come Christmas, his family lined up the special surprise for him.

A girl with cerebral palsy who was told she may never walk was able to enjoy snow for the first time - thanks to an ingenious idea by her uncle to add pool noodles to the base of her walker. While Winter Storm Orlena brought much of the Northeast U.S. to a halt, the Durborow family saw it as an opportunity for Colbie, aged three, to experience playing in snow for the first time.

An immigrant couple were moved to tears as they read a note from their sons revealing they had paid off their mortgage and debts. Jocelyn Bolanos, 59, and her husband, Ferdinand, 59, could not hold back their emotions as they read through the note from their children, Jeremy, 25, and Kevin, 30.

A husband of 66 years brought tears to the eyes of his family as he returned from a hospital stay to surprise his emotional wife. Vincent O'Brien, 89, and his wife, Mary, 90, had never been apart during the holidays in their more than six-decade romance. But at the end of last year, on December 15, Vincent was taken into Mater Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, due to complications from gallstones. So once released, he set about surprising his wife.

A man who couldn’t wait to be a dad so he could get away with rocking a fanny pack was stunned when his wife surprised him with one - with a positive pregnancy test inside. Sebastien Jolicoeur, 29, from British Columbia, Canada, made the statement to his wife, Olivia, 26, last year, which gave Olivia the perfect idea for a surprise pregnancy announcement.

A humble teenager was left stunned when he spotted his dream car in a parking lot - only to be handed a set of keys which suddenly opened the door as a surprise gift. Zach Werner, 15, from Chandler, Arizona, had dreamed of owning a Tacoma as his first car, telling parents Nate and Stacy how he wanted to add bigger wheels and an impressive stereo system. But for the months leading up to his big surprise, Zach was told the vehicles - even used - were pricey and difficult to get ahold of. But on Christmas day that all changed.