A gift box apparatus having a locking mechanism and a programmable timer for selecting a specific date and time for when the gift box apparatus may become unlocked to reveal a gift contained therein is disclosed. In one embodiment, the gift box apparatus includes an integrated compartment that may be automatically released from the gift box apparatus at a preselected time, thereby revealing a key contained therein, which may be used by a recipient of the gift box apparatus to unlock a main compartment of the gift box apparatus and retrieve a gift contained therein.