Grace McNeilly was blissfully unaware that she was facing a bleak Christmas before the jolly red elf called her name and set the four-year-old loose on Kmart’s toy aisles for a very long 90 seconds.

Grace’s dad, Steve, had surgery for a broken shoulder about six weeks ago after coming off a motorbike and will be off work for at least a few more months.

“We were almost boycotting Christmas,” the relieved dad said. “This couldn’t have happened at a better time.”

Grace’s mum, Joanne Watkins, agreed and couldn’t believe one of Grace’s three Bay Post/Moruya Examiner coupons had been drawn from more than 600 entries in the barrel.

“Hers was the first entry in there,” she said.

“And she’s been bugging us all day, asking when we were going to the draw. She must have had an idea she was going to win.”

Grace was so excited she spent much of her 90 seconds jumping up and down on the spot but recovered well to stash away about $600 worth of toys in the trolley.

Joanne said most would find their way under the Christmas tree but some would also provide presents for cousins and others would be safely hidden until Grace’s fifth birthday in February.

Kmart was packed for the toy draw and Kmart manager Scott Covington thanked the crowd for their attendance by drawing some bonus $20 gift vouchers for those who missed out on the major prize.

And, at the end of the evening, Mr Covington had the pleasure of wheeling an excited Grace and all her goodies through the checkout for what she said would be “the best Christmas ever!”