4.06 PM Friday, 29 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:56 06:10 12:26 15:53 18:37 19:52
29 March 2024

Obamas' Christmas gift sent to wrong family

US President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. (REUTERS)

Published
By Reuters

A Chicago-area family got a belated Christmas surprise this week - a book of family photos from the White House meant for the Obama girls' godmother, according to media reports and the White House.

Alane Church, who lives north of Chicago, told NBC's "Today" show on Thursday that her family got a box of Christmas presents a week late from an uncle in New York. When they opened it, they found an extra gift at the bottom - a "beautiful personal" book.

Church said the gifts appeared to have been re-boxed by the U.S. Postal Service.

The photo book was addressed to "Mama Kaye + Papa Wellington from Barack, Michelle + the girls." "Mama Kaye" is the Obama girls' godmother, Eleanor Kaye Wilson, who lives in the south Chicago suburbs.

"It's very special, very special - private moments of their year of 2013 together," said Church. She said the gift would be sent on to Wilson.

A White House official acknowledged the mis-delivered gift.

"There was an errant delivery, but we're appreciative of the effort under way to make sure the gift arrives at the intended destination soon," the official said in an e-mail.

Neither Wilson nor Church could independently be reached for comment.

Sue Brennan, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service, said in an e-mail that the agency "takes issues like this very seriously and we are investigating the matter."