Kind Old Man Left Young Neighbour 14 Years' Worth Of Wrapped Christmas Presents After He Died

Following his passing, a compassionate neighbor gave the two-year-old girl next door 14 years' worth of wrapped Christmas presents.

For the last two years of his life, 87-year-old Ken Watson lived close to Owen and Caroline Williams and made friends with their daughter Cadi.

When he passed away, they were shocked to see his daughter Jenny arrive with a bag full of gifts for Cadi, one for each year until she is 16.

His kindness "knocked the family off their feet," and they started a custom of Cadi receiving her "Ken gift" on Christmas Eve.

The first present Cadi opened in 2018 was a copy of Tomi Ungerer's novel, Christmas Eve At The Mellops.

A cuddly goat was a gift from 2019, a train set that spelled "Cadi" was from 2020, and she unwrapped a massive Crayola coloring book from last year.

The family from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, has no idea what is inside any of the gifts because they are all wrapped.

But six-year-old Cadi is eagerly anticipating Saturday to open Ken's fifth gift.

By publishing each present online to inspire people to '£BeMoreKen' and get to know their neighbors, Owen is maintaining Ken's legacy of generosity.

A managing director of a social organization from Barry, South Wales, named Owen, 44, said: 'It was a rainy windy night and I was getting Cadi ready for bed.’

'There was a knock at the door and it was my neighbor's daughter, Jenny, clutching a large bin bag.’

'I thought it was rubbish that needed to go out, but she said these are the gifts my dad has put away for Cadi.’

'It was confounding, magical, ridiculous, and heart-warming. It knocked me off my feet but in the best way possible.’

'It was the feeling that gets you in the throat when your brain is processing quicker than your heart can take it.'

Ken informed the family that he would live to be 100 years old and that he had purchased enough gifts to endure until Cadi's sixteenth birthday.

'I took in the sack and started getting them out, and they kept coming and there were 14 in total,' he said.

'They were all beautifully wrapped in thin traditional paper, the kind your grandparents use. We were all blown away by it.’

'Being the Twitter user I am, I started tweeting about it and I asked if my wife and I should open now and rewrap them or lucky dip until 2032.'

68% of the 67,000 Twitter users who participated in the survey suggested the parents should hold a lucky draw every year until Cadi is 16 years old.

'We couldn't resist opening one on the night as there was a tiny tear in it; it was a beautiful olive-colored book called Christmas Eve At The Mellops,' Owen said.

Owen added: 'Ken was a former salvage diver, seaman carpenter, and baker.’

'I remember him playing his accordion at night and sometimes still think I can hear his "oompah" music.’

'The first time I met him was in September 2015. I wanted to give him a bottle and say hello.’

'He was on top of a ladder at the age of 83, in a blue boiler suit painting. The ladder was like a pogo stick, he was 20ft up in the air.’

'I looked across to Lloyd, who lives across the street and we both mouthed "what the heck?"'

One of Ken's closest friends was the family dog, Wci (pronounced Wookie), and their friendship began when he offered him a chocolate digestive that she wasn't meant to eat.

'The dog went wild like he had a magic pheromone,' Owen said. 'She fell in love with him - she would destroy the plants in the garden at the spot where she would see him.'

Ken loved Cadi as if she were his own granddaughter even though he didn't have any of his own.

He gave her a huge, cuddly Lion named Elvis for her first birthday and then spent $24(£20) on one for each child on the street.

'I went into a lovely local toy shop called Giggles and I happened to mention to the owner that our neighbor had bought Cadi one of the lions for her birthday,' Owen said.

'She replied "was it Ken?" She then told me he came in after seeing them in the window and decided to buy them for all the children in the street. He was a Santa-Esque figure.'

courtesy owen williams

Caroline, a 38-year-old assistant head teacher who is Owen's partner, won Ken over as well.

Ken's neighbours were devastated when he died in 2018 from cancer.

Now Owen wants to encourage others to spend this Christmas getting to know their neighbours.

He said: 'We all have a neighbour, they live above, below and beside you.’

'You never know what doors might be opened by opening a door.'

courtesy owen williams