Teen Turns $4 Thrift Shop Doll into His Grandma in the Most Amazing White Elephant Gift Moment Ever (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Aidan Sebastian turns doll into gift for grandma.Photo:Aidan Sebastian (2)

Aidan Sebastian (2)

One teen got extra crafty with his white elephant gift!

This year,Aidan Sebastianand his family decided to try a new game during their Christmas festivities: a $5 white elephant exchange. Leading up to the exchange, Sebastian, an 18-year-old architecture student from Arkansas, knew he wanted to gift something comical and fun. To get inspiration, he and his mom decided to visit thrift stores.

While walking around one store, they came across the doll section. After looking through the section and not having any luck, Sebastian’s mom picked up the last doll, who happened to be sitting face-down.

“When she flipped it over, we both saw her face and couldn’t help but laugh; she looked just like my Grandma Jo,” Sebastian tells PEOPLE exclusively, recalling how he decided to purchase the $4 doll and turn it into his 90-year-old grandma, Joanna Thomas, as his gift.

Next, Sebastian says he bent some wire around a Sharpie to make circular glasses. Then, he used some old purple yarn to crochet her signature slippers. The entire process of making the doll look like his grandma took a day to complete.

“The most challenging part was holding back laughter long enough to make any progress,” he says.

Sebastian, who developed a love for sewing and crafting from Thomas, adds that he’s been posting crafting videos on TikTok for two years. So, he figured he might as well share this project too — not only to share with others, but also to look back on for himself.

Although he has had videos do well in the past, he did not expect this one to gain as much attention, amassing more than1.2 million views.

“People were absolutely loving the doll and were also amazed at how much she looked like my grandma. I was overjoyed and knew I had to post more updates,” he says.

Aidan Sebastian with his grandma.Aidan Sebastian

Aidan Sebastian

For now, only the college student and his immediate family know about the doll. While it’s been difficult keeping it a secret, he’s excited to see what my grandma says when she sees herself as one of the gifts at their large family Christmas gathering.

“Finding this doll was extremely lucky, and I do not know if I will ever stumble upon another doll that reminds me of a family member,” Sebastian says. “However, if I do, I would absolutely do the project again; I think it would be hilarious if it became a tradition to gift a new member of the family each year.”

“I hope that this story shows people that the best gifts are often not the most expensive or large but rather the most personal and thoughtful gifts; a $5 gift can be the gift that carries on for generations and means the most to a person,” he adds.

source: people.com