There are birthday gifts, and then there are birthday miracles.

Some people get socks. Some get a new tie. And then there’s a guy from Simsbury, Connecticut, who casually gave himself a $1 million Powerball win for his 60th birthday. Talk about setting the bar high for next year.

It all started on August 30. The Powerball jackpot had swollen to a mind-boggling $1.03 billion — the kind of number that makes you stop mid-gas-station-coffee and think, “Why not me?” So our birthday man — keeping his name private because, honestly, who wants cousins you’ve never met showing up at your door — grabbed a Quick Pick ticket from Pride Convenience Mart on Hopmeadow Street.

Later that night, he matched all five white balls: 3, 18, 22, 27, and 33. Missed the Powerball number (17), but that didn’t matter. Five matches still meant $1 million.

He checked his ticket, saw the number light up, and, as he put it, “It was hard to keep a straight face when I scanned the ticket at the store.” Hard to blame him — that’s not exactly a poker-face moment.

“It was pure luck,” he said. And honestly, that’s the truth most lottery winners don’t sugarcoat. He doesn’t have big plans yet, but one thing’s certain: he’s not done playing.

“Winning is a myth to those who don’t play,” he added — part motivational quote, part humble brag, but mostly the kind of thing only someone holding a $1 million check can say with a straight face.

Powerball keeps rolling on — with jackpots dancing around hundreds of millions and tickets still just $2. Drawings happen three times a week, because apparently once isn’t enough for this kind of suspense.

As for our lucky Connecticut man, he’s proof that sometimes the best birthday gift doesn’t come from someone else — it comes from a split-second decision at a gas station counter.