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Watch these kids react with delight to the worst Christmas gifts ever

Two weeks before Christmas, Tim Cocker tried an experiment on his two young children to gauge their sense of appreciation. After raising their expectations for something big, like the "Ben 10" watch his son kept mentioning, he gave each one a wrapped present. But when they opened the gifts, they were in for a surprise: The boy got a banana. His little sister? Her package didn't contain the “Ken
Kids love their worst gifts ever!
Kids love their worst gifts ever!YouTube

Two weeks before Christmas, Tim Cocker tried an experiment on his two young children to gauge their sense of appreciation.

After raising their expectations for something big, like the "Ben 10" watch his son kept mentioning, he gave each one a wrapped present.

But when they opened the gifts, they were in for a surprise: The boy got a banana. His little sister? Her package didn't contain the “Ken King” doll she'd asked for, but an onion.

And the two of them couldn’t have been more delighted.

“It’s my present,” the little girl squealed. She initially thought she was holding a pumpkin, until her brother corrected her. “No, it’s an onion," he said.

He then turned to his own gift and declared with an amused smile: “And I’ve got a banana!”

Cocker captured the exchange in an adorable YouTube video, explaining why he gave his children such odd presents.

“As we approach Christmas I wonder if my children realize how fortunate they are when they are inevitably spoilt rotten on Christmas Day,” he said. “So I decided to let them have one early gift 2 weeks before Christmas. One terrible gift that is.”

Cocker posted the video three years ago, two days after Jimmy Kimmel issued a challenge to parents to film themselves for a segment called "I Gave My Kids a Terrible Present." The video just started garnering global attention recently, probably as viewers seek out true expressions of the holiday spirit.

Follow TODAY.com writer Eun Kyung Kim on Twitter.