A Tennessee woman who leaves gift cards for delivery drivers on her porch to express her gratitude was moved to tears by one driver’s reaction. She shared the touching doorbell camera footage online, in hopes of inspiring others to say thank you to those who work hard to make our lives easier.
Christine Long, who lives just outside of Nashville, pins gift cards from various outlets at eye-level, placing them right outside her doorbell on her porch beside a note that reads: “Attn: delivery drivers. Thank you for delivering our packages, please take a treat!”
“I primarily shop online, and I know how hard they’re working to get everything delivered by Christmas,” Christine explained to The Epoch Times. “We have packages arriving before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m. so it was just a way to say thank you.”
Christine, who began buying her gift cards in October and putting them out in November, said that many drivers are surprised when they first see the card. They usually will grab a gift card and say thank you, giving a nod or a wave toward the camera. Christine said she enjoys watching their reactions. However, this year, one Amazon driver’s response moved her to the core.
“I don’t know which one to choose now,” he added, through laughter.
“He stopped me in my neighborhood a few days after the video went viral, and told me he saw it,” she told The Epoch Times. “He thanked me for posting it, thanked me for the gift card, and wished me a Merry Christmas.”
Christine, who works in HR and recruiting, pioneered her gift card idea during the 2020 holiday season after finding that a gift basket with snacks didn’t work so well in the cold as drivers were in a hurry, and didn’t notice the snacks on offer.
She grabbed whatever gift cards were available at the grocery store, in denominations of $10 to $15, usually from fast-food or coffee chains so that drivers could “grab lunch or a drink” on her.
Looking at her, a friend of hers decided to do the same, hanging her gift cards on a wreath by her front door with a sign. “It was a way cuter setup than mine!” said Christine.
“I ended up gifting to one of my friends’ husband,” she recalled of her trial run. “His wife shared it on Instagram, it was very cool to see; I had no clue he delivered for FedEx. The amount of packages he was delivering during the holidays was insane.”
This year, Christine estimates she has gifted at least 20 cards so far.
“I just wanted to spread some joy, maybe inspire someone to do the same,” she explained. “I think it’s important—especially now when we’re all so busy and life gets overwhelming—to just step back and remember to be kind, say ‘Thank you.’
“Some days, it’s all we need.”
