A man had to step away from a holiday party to make sure a Christmas gift from his friend — a lottery ticket — was really a winner. The friend gifted two lottery tickets to a married couple at an annual holiday party shortly before Christmas, according to a Dec. 26 news release from the Maryland Lottery.

A Mega Millions player went to check his ticket before going Christmas shopping — and he realized he won a huge prize. “It was the most happy experience of my life,” said 52-year-old Estuardo Gomez Diaz, who claimed his prize two days before Christmas, according to an Iowa Lottery news release.

Mega Millions’ jackpot edged closer to the billion-dollar mark after its latest drawing brought no grand-prize winner. The jackpot stands at $970 million.

If someone wins the Christmas Eve Mega Millions grand prize, it ill be the largest jackpot ever won in the month of December.

Ladaryenne Smith from North Carolina won $150,000 from a $5 scratch-off lottery ticket on Christmas Eve, planning to save and invest the money after taxes.

A lottery player “made history” on Christmas Eve when they won the largest jackpot in a game’s history, Wisconsin lottery officials said.

A trip to the liquor store ended with someone winning an intoxicating amount of money in the Florida Lottery, and the big news came just in time for Christmas. The Fantasy 5 evening drawing was held Saturday, Dec. 21, and the winning numbers were 1-7-11-18-30, lottery officials said.

A trip to the package store on Christmas Eve got one lucky patron a winning lottery ticket. The $100,000 winning ticket was for the “ Mass Cash ” game, and was won at Bridgeview Convenience Store in Tyngsboro. That ticket was the only prize above $20,000 in the state on Tuesday.

A Mega Millions player may win a big jackpot on Christmas Eve. The lottery prize for the December drawing is now at $1 billion.