Hey Space Santa! I wish you were not so anonymous, because your gifts seriously made my week. I had mentioned to my Santa that as a little girl, I lived about 45 miles away from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. My parents sprang for yearly passes, so on the occasional weekend, my dad shuffled me into his Jeep to trek to the museum where we spent hours checking out the Saturn V and Apollo Lunar Modules, taking in the space race narratives, ogling Space Camp's Underwater Experience Tank, and guzzling down banana split flavored "Space Dots" (now known as Dippin Dots). These were the days, and undoubtedly I have to attribute much of my then-blossoming interest in science to the magic of the Space & Rocket Center.

My nostalgia for those magical days back in Huntsville must have been acutely picked up by my Santa, because his/her gift was truly out of this world. Beyond this, each gift had a specific significance to each of my interests and/or memories. A souvenir book from the USRC, a t-shirt of an astronaut mid-EVA, and of course the always delicious freeze-dried ice cream sandwich.

Thanks so much, Santa. Your thoughtfulness and generosity are overwhelming, and I hope you know how much I appreciate you.