You know that moment when you do something nice for other people, and the universe decides to drop a big fat reward in your lap just for kicks? Yeah, that happened to a woman in Michigan this Christmas.
Our main character, a 66-year-old woman (who, understandably, would rather not have her name plastered all over the internet), decided to spread the holiday cheer by buying a bunch of lottery tickets as gifts for her family. But because no good deed goes unrewarded—or because life is just deeply ironic—she kept one ticket for herself. And that one turned out to be worth a casual $1 million.
She picked up the tickets at Ox's Smoked Meats in Westphalia, Michigan. Yes, apparently you can buy both lottery tickets and smoked meats in the same place. America, folks. Anyway, she grabbed a stack of tickets, including a single “Major Cashword” ticket for herself—a $20 crossword-themed game with a million-dollar top prize.
Like a true Christmas purist, she didn’t scratch it right away. Nope. She waited until Christmas Day, probably while sitting next to a tree covered in tinsel and watching her family unwrap their not-million-dollar gifts. When she finally scratched it, she thought she had won $1,000. Pretty solid. But then she double-checked with her Lottery app and—boom—turns out she was off by, oh, $999,000.
Cue immediate disbelief. Because what do you even do when you suddenly find out you’ve won seven figures? Well, if you’re this lady, you show your husband and kids, lock the ticket in a safe, and try not to have a heart attack.
“Finding out you won a $1 million Lottery prize on Christmas surrounded by your family is an amazing and exciting way to win,” said Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli, who probably wishes she were the one holding that ticket instead.
So, what’s next for our accidental millionaire? She recently strolled into Michigan Lottery headquarters to claim her winnings. Instead of getting paid out over years (who has time for that?), she took the lump sum of about $634,000. Her plan? A few trips and saving the rest. Because, let’s be real, what else do you even do after winning a million bucks on a complete whim?
Oh, and for anyone wondering, there’s still one more $1 million prize left in the “Major Cashword” game, plus a handful of smaller prizes. Odds of winning anything? 1 in 3.28. Odds of pulling a power move like this lady? Let’s just say you’re probably better off saving your money and investingw in, well, literally anything else.