Santucci: Pokémon YouTube creators made my son's Thanksgiving birthday unforgettable
If you want to bless me, bless my kid.
I remember hearing that concept for the first time when I was 25 years old. At that time, it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. Then again, I didn’t have a kid then.
But here I am, well, a bunch of years later. Thanksgiving Day is my son Josiah's 12th birthday and a lot people — mostly complete strangers — have gone out of their way to make it a good one for him. And just as I was told, I feel overwhelmingly blessed and grateful.
More than words can describe. But I’m going to do my best.
This all started a few months ago when my son, a Pokémon card collector, said he really wanted a mystery box for his birthday. A mystery box is exactly what it sounds like: A surprise box filled with Pokémon cards and related items.
He’d seen them opened on YouTube several times and wanted in on the action. Versions of mystery boxes can be found just about anywhere from big box retailers to eBay and Amazon, and they range from under $10 to well over $1,000.
After I guaranteed him his mystery box would be a lot closer to the low end of the spectrum, I was all in. I liked the idea and, quite frankly, I loved that I had a task with a clear objective. I also saw it as a challenge. My son said last year that it was his best birthday ever.
Oh yeah? Let’s see what we can do to top it.
How to make a mystery box special? YouTube!
For the past few months, I picked up little things here and there to try to fill up this mystery box. Mostly cards and packs, but nothing too extravagant. Definitely cool, but not quite Best Birthday Ever caliber. At least not in my mind. So, I started thinking about what could make this box different.
That led me to YouTube.
Content creators played a big part in my son collecting, so why not reach out to them to put something special in the box?
My first idea was to see if any of the YouTubers we watched sold any of the cards they showed in their videos. One of them, a husband-and-wife duo called Pokepair, immediately responded to an email asking if they had a specific Pokémon my son liked. They didn’t, but they said they wanted to send my son something for his birthday. I was expecting something very small and simple, probably mostly stickers. (For some reason stickers are big in the Pokémon collecting community.)
Nope. They sent a tin filled to the brim with packs and cards as well as a sealed box. I was — and still am — stunned they would do this for him.
And if you’re wondering, they didn’t know I was a journalist. I wasn’t planning on writing a column at the time. I was just trying to do something cool for my son and have something to put in his mystery box. I just wasn’t expecting them to send another mystery box for the mystery box.
But at the top of the tin, they wrote a nice birthday note. That was the lightbulb moment.
What can I get my son that wouldn’t be in every other mystery box? Pokémon birthday cards signed by YouTube content creators — the same people who helped him understand and appreciate the hobby.
Pokemon birthday cards ... and whole lot more
So, I reached out to YouTubers we watched and asked for an autograph. Nothing complex, just a basic Pokémon card with a signature or a birthday message for my son.
What I didn’t realize is how amazing the response would be. PokePair set the bar, but they weren’t the only ones to go way beyond. YouTubers like RED or BLUE, Pokemon Wonder, ChampStampPokemon, Tencax, Team Pocket, Mypoke_Journey and others not only sent a signed card but full packages with packs, cards and even graded cards for my son’s collection. They’ve also increased my son’s anticipation for his birthday, with boxes — too big to hold just one card — arriving in the mail the past few weeks.
PokeRev, who has more than 2.3 million subscribers on YouTube, and CooltrainerRyan sent my son an amazing gift (I don't want to spoil it ... you'll see why later) along with cards signed by both of them. They also sent one signed by both of them as well as Poke Vault. That triple signed card will become a treasure in my son's collection.
It wasn’t just YouTubers either. A pastor at our church who collects Pokémon gave a mystery box. Big League Cards in Casselberry heard about the mystery box and asked me to stop in so they could contribute.
Some of his favorite YouTubers like TheBulbaStore, Poke Collect and AndysPokemonStuff signed cards that my son will cherish as a special part of his collection.
People, most of whom never met my son or me, were willing to go way beyond to make his 12th birthday so memorable and special. For that, I am so grateful. At a time of year when we’re reminded to pause and be thankful, the words “Thank You” don’t seem to be enough but please know how thankful I am.
Lastly, if I did this right, my son should be reading this just before he cracks into his birthday mystery box. So, this next part is just for him. (You can keep reading if you want to eavesdrop with your eyes.)
Happy birthday buddy!
Your mom and I love you more than you will ever know. Hopefully, this mystery box is everything you dreamed of and more. Please never forget how many people went out of their way to put a smile on your face today. Never forget what this feels like.
It’s my prayer that when you find yourself in a position to be a blessing and make someone else smile, you’ll take it.
Jon Santucci is the statewide high school recruiting reporter for the USA TODAY Network - Florida. He can be reached at jsantucci@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Pokémon YouTube creators made son's Thanksgiving birthday amazing
