When I opened my final present last Christmas, the last thing I expected was a pack of socks. Having saved the best gift for last, I was looking forward to something my parents guaranteed to be “the best present I will ever receive.”

Leading up to that Christmas break, I was ready to take a two-week break of doing nothing but sleeping and watching TV. So when my mom told me she had signed me up for a two-week SAT grammar bootcamp, I angrily drafted a list of cons to veto her decision in hopes of dodging the class.

But when she showed no sign of giving in, I begrudgingly accepted the sad fate of my long-awaited winter break.

To compensate for registering me for the bootcamp, my mom promised a Christmas present that I would appreciate sacrificing my break for; this gift, she said, was something I will be able to use every day.

On Christmas morning, when I opened the present to find a pack of socks, I initially passed it off as a funny prank. Not wanting to hurt my mom’s feelings, however, I remained silent and waited for her to bring out my real gift.

But when 10 minutes passed with her asking me if I genuinely liked my gift, I started to believe the socks were my real present. After all, socks really are things I can use every day, and my mom was never one to pull such pranks.

When my family began cleaning up, signaling the end of our annual gift-opening, disappointment began crashing down on me. Suddenly, my mom exploded with laughter, pulling out a new iPhone 6S box from behind her.

I broke out into a smile as I realized I had just gotten played by my mother. Even though her scheme had caused me 10 minutes of quiet panic, I have to agree that the iPhone is by far the best gift I’ve ever received.