So my Secret Santa has been really amazing - and it's not done yet! There are gifts on the way, but I decided not to wait and to share the first two.

I wrote a longer story here already: http://www.reddit.com/r/secretsanta/comments/2pr0gw/my_secret_santa_experience_so_far_or_i_believe_my/ which mentions the lovely breakfast box of goodies I got first (and the tea is amazing, really really good, I had some this morning!)

Then today I get a delivery - a large box on my front step. Like, really large. I see on it a note that says gift from secret santa. I barely remembered to get a picture of the gift first, fully intending an unboxing...but when I opened the box and saw the hilt I kinda freaked out! It's an absolutely gorgeous fencing sword! I had said I'd love to learn swordsmanship/fencing! After bouncing around the house with the biggest grin ever, I promptly ran to the internet to find classes near me, and it turns out the nearby college has a fencing club open to the community and they offer beginner classes on the spring! WOOHOO!

Thank you so much santa, I don't even have words. I may faint before the rest of the packages all get opened at this rate!

Edit 12/21: So today I got 3 more boxes, containing a leather frog and belt for my new sword, a book on chain mail (which is awesome! I have some chain mail jewelry and adore it, something I had not actually mentioned at all on Reddit...so either uber stalking or really awesome guess!) and a gigantic box with a bone for my hound dog Elvis!

Edit 12/22: So today I managed to not get a speeding ticket on my way home, knowing from tracking number that another 5 packages were scheduled for delivery today! I had to open the one labeled "nautical and ship decor" first because ...well duh, it was a terrible hint! Inside was an amazing set of brass binoculars that are just gorgeous! In the next box was a plushy moose for my hound to destroy! The there were 2 poster tubes - containing 2 beautiful posters I had said I was interested in during the Redditgifts contest - my walls in my house are pretty bare and these are going to make them pretty! I loved Sword in the Stone as a kid, and who doesn't love Firefly?!

Speaking of fireflies, as I finished opening the first set my doorbell rang with 2 more packages! This set was a box with a book on how to use the amazing sword I got, and a second giant bone (this one's ham!) for my hound (he sure must have been good this year!), and the second was a beautiful pendant necklace in which is a tiny blinking purple light like a captured firefly! It's gorgeous!

I really can't even begin to thank my secret santa enough, this is my first SS (I've done other exchanges) and it has been amazing!

Edit 3, 12/28: So I went out of town for the holidays and had to hold my mail, which meant extending the amazingness of this exchange all the way until this weekend! I came back home to 2 more gifts. Even though my santa has been nothing but amazing, I have to admit a box from "HorseLuvrz" made me slightly nervous. But it just had an even bigger bone for my hound! That makes 3 giant bones and a plushie for him! And the last package had a Burning Empires book - I play Burning Wheel with friends in my weekly tabletop game and had discussed with my Santa how awesome it was!

I'm really blown away by my Santa's generosity. I have to say I was inspired and went and sent some anonymous gifts to a friend who's having a crappy week to keep paying it forward. This has been the best Christmas ever (even if I came home with the flu thanks to my in-laws :( ).

THANK YOU SANTA!