I'm so eager to get this HUGE THANK YOU uploaded that I'm sorry we had to settle for camera-phone pictures!! I'll try to update the goodness with better pictures soon...so that I can capture the awesomeness.

My Santa sent me a message and asked about my favorite books of all time. I had mentioned that as a writer and an English teacher, reading is my lifeblood. And while I might have thought the question had something to do with my gift...I definitely was ill-prepared for the amazingness to follow.

Let's say something: My Santa is a SUPREME stalker! I'm pretty easy to find on the Internet, but there was some digging done here. You have to discover that I love Christmas, being warm, and my passion for journaling. This is the best gift for that.

Without further ado. A timeline:

Fed-Ex shipment says package will arrive on December 24th. I call FedEx to check on package. An employee says it's on its way to me! YAY!! We go to our Christmas Eve festivities...come home: no package!

Call again this morning...and Fed Ex employee says TODAY. But we were having Christmas Part 2 at my mom's house...and I didn't want to leave without the shipment. We leave, I get a notification that the package was delivered. I SEND MY HUSBAND BACK TO OUR HOUSE TO GET THE PACKAGE. Because Reddit!

He brings it in and we unwrap everything together.

There are gifts for my kids (a game for my boys; coloring books; puzzles). And then a fleece blanket and a journal...but the best...the thing that made me cry and cry...

Ornaments. Book ornaments. Of the covers of my favorite books of all-time.

OMG.

OMG.

OMG.

The thoughtfulness...the creativity...the craftiness. All of the above. PLEASE GIVE MY SANTA GIFTS. This is the most amazing thing -- I've had some great Santas before, but no one so in tune with me.

I could not be more overjoyed. The ornaments are already on my tree where they will be for the rest of my life -- as a reminder of my love of reading and the kindness of strangers.

Thanks you!! THANK YOU!!!

(PS. For Arbitrary Day...I was shafted. It happens. Then I got a rematch. And I was shafted by the rematch! Ha! People don't get gifts all the time, and it's sad, but I had talked to a Redditgifts person via email and asked if there were other rematchers for people shafted by rematchers? Out of curiosity. And they said, sadly, no...but they'd make sure I got matched up with someone amazing the next time. I don't know how they did it...but they did it. Big thank yous all around.)