Gag gifts aren't uncommon.
But a Utah man, who asked Insider to refer to him only as Ryan in an interview, has managed to outdo everyone.
Ryan gifted his parents with a portrait of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
OK, McGregor is a star and an attractive man with numerous film credits. Most recently he played a grown up Christopher Robin in Christopher Robin alongside the denizens of the 100 Acre Wood.
So what is the gag part of this gift?
Ryan told his parents it was a portrait of Jesus.
Ryan shared his prank on YouTube (the video has since been taken down) and later shared a photo of the portrait hanging in his parents' house.
Ryan/Reddit
Ryan seems to be feeling a bit of prankster's remorse though, as he captioned his Reddit post:
"I've made a huge mistake. Mom loves her Jesus Christmas present and I'm not sure how to get out of this thing alive when she figures out."
Ryan arrived at this particular prank with a little inspiration from Reddit user kwar42, who had, several years prior, commented that Obi-Wan closely resembled Jesus.
"It stuck out to me as looking like a picture we had growing up of Jesus," Ryan said.
"I kind of chased that thought to, how funny would it be if my parents didn't recognize who it was and actually hung it up on the wall. I have always tried to get away with things or pull some pranks on my family members and this seemed perfect."
Now that Ryan's prank is common knowledge, the Reddit post having gone viral with over 103,000 up-votes, he knows it's just a matter of time before his parents find out the truth.
He decided to let his dad in on the secret, especially after he seemed to notice something was up anyway.
"My dad kind of hung around saying it looked really familiar to him. He said 'it almost looks like Obi-wan Kenobi.' But figured it was just coincidence."
Ryan's parents, who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have never seen the Star Wars prequels. Ryan said they may have seen him watching them, but never actually saw the films themselves.
Said Ryan:
"As of now, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, mom doesn't know. Still working on my exit plan there."
Reddit users had plenty to say on Ryan's post.
Some advice, some commiseration over just how much trouble he's going to be in with his parents, and plenty of Star Wars quotes.
"You should just watch the movies with her to see if she realizes." -deathson10
"I can't get over the fact that older Christian women think Ewan McGregor is Jesus lmao" -Calebwcobb
"Oh no, my friend... this is a mistake, a terrible mistake! You have gone too far, this is madness!" -Kwazedilla
"Lost a mother's trust u/cd4life has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing." -SMAMtastic
"I imagine her reaction will be something like this:"
"If she believes it's Jesus, then it's Jesus. That's how faith works, right?" -beowulf1005
"McGregor has played Jesus before so I think you're in the clear." -TazzManJR
Wait, McGregor played Jesus?
Looks like you're in the clear Ryan!
Twitter is also having a field-day with this one.
In a Reddit comment, Ryan said:
"Considering saying George Lucas based obi-wan's appearance off of this picture."
Sounds like as good an exit strategy as any, so long as his dad is willing to keep up appearances now that he knows the truth.
And if it all falls apart, give mom a copy of Christopher Robin, available here.
Who could resist a guy who hangs out with Winnie the Pooh?
@GregAbbott_TX/X
