This is a little long, but I promise you’ll understand why when you read what my Secret Santa did.

I have gotten really lucky with Secret Santa this round. My Disney Santa sent me gifts that were so very thoughtful and meaningful.

I’ll start with the Alice in Wonderland record. My all-time favorite book and Disney movie. It’s the original record from the 1951 Disney movie and includes all the songs. This is an amazing find. I love vinyl and have been collecting for some time. I’ve looked for this in the past.

This next gift is like nothing I’ve EVER received. My amazing SS sent me a vintage Disney World locket. Now this means a great deal to me. I shared in my info that my grandparents moved to Florida when I was 6 (I’m 37 now btw). I visited them for 2-3 weeks nearly every single summer until I was an adult. My grandpa had a stroke and they decided to move back to my state. They LOVED Disney World. They had season passes every single year. It was so much fun with them. Some of my favorite memories are with them.

My grandparents have both passed in recent years. Grandpa was 94 and passed in 2015 and Grandma at 91 passed in 2018. They lived long and fulfilling lives and they still mean the world to me. This past February (and my Santa doesn’t even know this) I took my family to Disney World and it was the first time I had been there with neither of my grandparents still alive. It was a bittersweet vacation and seeing my kids having so much fun made me see why my grandparents loved taking us. Everyone was so happy and excited and you can really live in the moment there. Probably sounds cheesy, but it felt a little magical. My grandparents loved us a lot and we were always laughing and having fun.

That’s why this locket is so incredible and sentimental. As soon as I started reading the card, I felt tears. It’s pretty amazing how you can connect with a total stranger with just a little information. I know this was long and if you stuck with me, I thank you. And so many thank-yous to my Secret Santa. You made me feel nostalgic joy and love and I couldn’t help but smile thinking of my Grandparents.