Christmas surprise: Cary man's 3-year-old son unwraps entire family's gifts at 3 a.m.
A Triangle man who's a published author now has a funny story to tell at future Christmas gatherings.
Cary father Scott Reintgen woke up on Christmas morning and came downstairs to find all the presents had been unwrapped.
It turned out his son was so excited about Christmas that he woke up in the middle of the night and opened all the gifts. Not just the ones intended for him. Everyone's.
"Yall. My three year old came down at 3am and unwrapped EVERYONE’S presents," he said on X (formerly Twitter) alongside an accompanying photo of the mess made. That tweet had more than 6.7 million views as of Tuesday afternoon and their story was featured in The Washington Post.
At 3 a.m., mom and dad woke up to their middle child asking for scissors to open Santa's gifts.
Reintgen said his son explained to him that he wanted to clear up any confusion about which person received the gift. So much for the mystery.
"His explanation was that he was trying to help us out, trying to make sure it was clear whose presents were whose," Reintgen said. "The wrapping paper was getting in the way for him."
The dad of three took it all in stride and chalked it up to childhood enthusiasm and the holiday spirit. It's now a lighthearted part of their family.
"We’re not mad. He’s a good kid, and it’s a story we’ll tell for the rest of our lives," he said in a later tweet.
Reintgen is a Cary native and taught at Jordan High School and Holly Springs High School before becoming a full-time author.
