8-year-old surprises mom with 'most thoughtful gift' for Christmas

An 8-year-old boy has gone viral this holiday season for surprising his mother with what she called "the most thoughtful" Christmas present.

Ruth Hagmann's son Hudson gifted her an American Girl "Molly" doll on Christmas morning, complete with glasses and a red purse. She shared her heartfelt reaction while unwrapping the present on TikTok, where the video quickly racked up over 13 million views in just three days.

Although Hagmann is now 33, the mom of two told "Good Morning America" the gift was especially meaningful to her because her previous Molly doll was her favorite toy growing up.

"I brought her everywhere. I was obsessed with her. I did everything with her," Hagmann recalled.

However, when she was 10, Hagmann said her father died and she and her family moved homes, and it was around then that she lost her beloved doll. She shared her childhood memory and story with her son Hudson and the story stayed with him.

"He has a favorite little toy plush and it's a crocheted little ghost. And he was talking about like, if he ever lost it, he would cry and he would be so sad. I'm like, 'You haven't lost it. You don't have to worry about that.' And then he asked me if I had ever lost a toy -- and so, it was probably last year, I told him the story of me," Hagmann recounted.

Hagmann said her special present on Christmas Day took her by "complete surprise." She said everyone in her family, from Hudson and his 6-year-old brother Dax to her husband C.J. Hagmann and her mother-in-law Cherrie Sayles, had managed to keep it a secret.

"[Hudson] went to my mother-in-law's house, and he went to her and he was like, 'I have the perfect idea for mommy for Christmas.' And they spent months looking online," Hagmann explained.

They eventually tracked down a Molly doll, which American Girl had discontinued but then re-released in 2021 for the doll's 35th anniversary.

"After I stopped sobbing, I just was staring at him in awe, and I just kept saying, 'You have no idea what this means to me.' And he was just saying, 'I love you, Mommy, I love you, Mommy,'" Hagmann said. "I think he just wants me to … feel like, I don't know, that I could have my favorite toy -- and it was just so sweet. So, I just kept telling him how much I loved him and how thankful I am."

Hagmann described her older son as an "old soul" who is "so considerate" and "intelligent for his age."

"It's crazy that he cared enough to even ask me that question and asked me about my childhood to begin with," she said. "He's just so thoughtful."

"It was just an amazing Christmas. It was one I'll never forget," she added.

After Hagmann's TikTok video went viral, it caught the attention of American Girl and its parent company Mattel.

"American Girl actually messaged me yesterday and they offered me and my family to come down to New York City and eat at the American Girl doll cafe. And also, they offered to buy Hudson any Mattel toy that he wants, which is so sweet," Hagmann said.

The mom of two said she hopes to surprise her kids with a trip to the Big Apple in January.