Today, the 22nd of December 2018 at 6PM sharp, there was knocking on my front door. Whew; I did not miss the delivery. I really need to get that doorbell checked out. All hail the thoughtful package delivery people!

I considered waiting for Christmas to actually arrive before opening the gift... but it soon became clear there was no way that was happening. Not only was I way too curious for my own good, but the package smelled oddly good. I couldn't really place it, but it turned out to be the mix of fresh packaging cardboard (which I personally perceive as a pleasant smell) mixed with what was hidden inside the gift... but now I am getting ahead of myself.

Before you go and judge me for it, the anticipatory sniff test is a well-kept tradition. Some barbarians out there go wild and agitate a gift just to listen to the sounds that result, but I prefer a slightly more subtle approach. But it simply smelled too good to resist the moment my nose pressed against the cardboard...!

Eager as I was, I set straight for demolishing the package to get entry. Only after I managed to get through the tape with a blunt pokeything did I remember pictures of the unpackaging were supposed to happen. Whoops! (Yes, I should have used a knife, but I was unreasonably paranoid about cutting the contents... Christmas came early, don't blame me for being giddy!)

That explains the sloppy damages presented on the first picture (1). The label wasn't an envelope with contents like I initially thought, but who cares: the anticipation of carefully trying to unwrap yet another thing made the buildup so much more worth it!

Inside, I find two envelopes (2). One green and one red with yellow-beige lettering detailing christmas wishes in various languages. The green envelope was on top when I opened it, so that's where I start: I open it, discover a charming card with a snowman on the cover... and then I begin reading.

My jaw drops.

I am not sure if my Swiss Santa happens to have Dutch roots, or whether he used some internet contacts to translate his own thoughts, but I totally did not expect to read a carefully handwritten note in my own language! And the contents were even more amazing! I will translate the contents a little down below; you'll understand why in a moment.

As I opened the next envelope (3), I realize that these weren't envelopes. Or well... they are, but hand-folded! One envelope uses the inside of the wrapping paper as the outside, and the other one uses it properly. I imagine the green is supposed to be the inside, but I can only praise my Santa for doing this as I secretly liked the green shade so much more. Green just shouts 'Christmas!!11', right?! ;-)

The next envelope has a card with even more text. And it is still all in Dutch! What else can I say but 'heartwarming attention to detail'? Amazing!

After this, I moved on to slowly unpacking the actual package, already knowing what one of the contents is. Yes, that is the thing that made the package smell so utterly irresistable when I had it in my hands, causing the anticipatory sniff test to backfire oh so spectacularly on my initial intent to wait till christmas!

So what is this delicious thing that lured me in? This is where you'd typically find some clickbait... but I won't be that heartless. However, a flashforward is in order, first.

When I was editing the pictures I took, I realized all the contents on the box were numbered. Alas, the mix of my overhead light being out and the ballpoint pen being really hard to see even in proper lighting means I had totally missed the intended order for all the contents. Whoops!

Thus, the Christmas-tree card is the one I ought to have read first, and the Snowman-card was the one I was supposed to read second. Which means that on the photo (4), the text on the right card is the Christmas-tree card that is supposed to be read first, and the one on the left is the Snowman-card that is supposed to be read second. And even though I messed up the order for myself, I'd like to keep the order intact for this post, which is why I left off on the translations until now.

Card #1 [Christmas tree] says the following:

Geachte BLACK_HANDKERCHIEF, Ik wens jou en de jouwen een heel vrolijk kerstfeest! Ik hoop dat je van de feestdagen zult genieten en misschien kunnen mijn cadeautjes je hier op zijn minst een beetje bij helpen. Voor het komende jaar wens ik je alleen het beste, goede gezondheid en veel vreugd met al die mooie dingen die je doet. Ik weet zeker dat je veel mensen blij maakt met je werk bij de Zonnebloem! Naast wat in de andere kaart wordt genoemd vind je hier een aantal kerst- koekjes die ik zelf heb gemaakt, en ook iets om te doen als de tijd tussen kerst en oud en nieuw te lang lijkt. =) Ik hoop dat je van jouw cadeautjes zult genieten. Al het beste uit Zwitserland. -SANTA

Or in English:

Dear BLACK_HANDKERCHIEF, I wish you and yours a very merry Christmas. I hope that you will be able to enjoy the holidays and perhaps my gifts will be able to assist you with this a little bit. For the upcoming year I wish you only the best, good health and much joy with all the beautiful things you are involved in. I know for sure that you make a lot of people happy with your work at 'de Zonnebloem'! Besides the thing mentioned in the other card, you will find a number of self-made christmas cookies, and also something to busy yourself if the time between Christmas and New Years happens to feel a little bit too long for comfort. =) I hope you will enjoy your gifts. All the best from Switzerland. -SANTA

Card #2 [Snowman] says the following:

Geachte BLACK_HANDKERCHIEF, Het werk dat jij en andere vrijwilligers bij De Zonnebloem doen is prachtig! Om uw werk te ondersteunen heb ik CHF 40,- gedoneerd aan de Zonnebloem. Ik hoop dat je mensen kunt blijven helpen en dat je mensen hebt die naar je uitkijken als jij het nodig hebt, op de manier waarop je naar anderen kijkt! Alleen het beste, -SANTA

And now in English:

Dear BLACK_HANDKERCHIEF, The work that you and other volunteers of 'de Zonnebloem' do is wonderful! To support your work I have donated CHF 40,- to 'de Zonnebloem'. I hope that you will continue to support people and that you have people of your own that look after you when you need it in much the same way that you look out for others. Only the best, -SANTA

At this point, you can hopefully understand the degree to which I was flabberghasted. Not only did my Santa take the time and effort to communicate in my native tongue, but he also donated to a charity I have been volunteering for for almost 8 years. Just wow.

It is actually only while I am writing this that I convert his donation to Euros - sorry Santa, my brain has zero relationship to Swiss Francs! - and I find that it is more substantial than my initial impression of the number left behind. EUR 35,- isn't nothing at all! Or for those Americans who read this: the convered number stays roughly unchanged at $40.

It is a very amazing donation that I can only express my deepest gratitude for.

So now I have caught up to the present - or is it past? - once more. The outward shapes (5) betray just a little bit what might be inside, and the olfactory senses seal the deal.

On the left, item #3 are the homemade cookies. Dayum, those smell good! And once unpacked, they smell even better... Mmm. I can only barely resist the urges...! (6)

On the right, the shape, weight and above all the label betray its the contents: it has to be a book. The reference in the first card combined with the fact I mentioned a 'safe choice' in terms of reading material makes me think I know what it might be.. and it is indeed 'The Way of Kings' by Brandon Sanderson.

Let it be said I love many of his works - I went through a phase a couple of years ago where he was practically my literary diet! - and life somewhat intervened with me keeping up with some of his more recent works that just kept piling up. (Seriously, does he have a life? That release rate is insane! The man is an utter monster!) As such, I cannot state enough how thankful I am to finally have gotten rid of all the little excuses I kept telling myself as to why I haven't gone to the bookstore to pick up another book of his! With a bit of luck, it'll hook me right back in and cause me to happily relapse on this guilty please of an addiction. ;-)

Suffice to say, my Santa has fed me in all the ways. My spiritual self has been satiated with the donation to the charity I cherish. My gluttonous self is being tested and will eventually be rewarded when the photos and this entire prose are uploaded to Redditgifts. And my intellectual self will be tickled into fictional intrigue in the form of reading. (7)

What else could I possibly ask for?

Thank you, Santa, for your *thoughtfulness*.

Thank you, Santa, for your *generosity*.

And most of all, thank you, Santa... for *making my Christmas*!

P.S.: I titled picture (8) 'Full Resolution Closeup'... because it looked simply too yummy and gorgeous to resize. It is the closest I can get to sharing the utter irresistableness of that plate I have sworn not to touch until I post this entire thing... argh, WHY AM I STILL TYPING?!