The title says it all. My Secret Santa is the GOAT of Santas - Greatest of All Time! I've posted pics of what I'm getting, but you'll see why I haven't posted the actual pic yet when I explain it. Grab some popcorn, this story may take a while.

So my Santa contacted me in mid December to say he hadn't forgotten me, knew what he wanted to get me but was just trying to figure out the logistics. As I replied - I was intrigued. Sure I live in Australia, but what could he be wanting to get me that would have logistics that need 'figuring out'?

The next messages put me on an emotional rollercoaster of skepticism, shock, joy and despair. It started with his message. "Do you have Paypal?" "Um... no?" was my reply. After all, I had just spent the previous day reading about Paypal scammers and a close work colleague had had all her bank accounts drained that same day by a hacker so I was not about to give out any details about myself to some stranger on the other side of the world.

He quickly tried to reassure me that he wasn't a scammer (cos that's not what a scammer would say right?) and had to break the news that he wanted to get me my dream gift, a Surface Pro 4.

A mother freaking Surface Pro 4! I have wanted a Surface since before they were first released, when I saw the first advertisement. I had written on my Exchange Preferences page that if I got someone who was either Bill Gates or just plain crazy that my ultimate gift would be a SP4 but seriously, I never dreamed that someone would buy it. I would be more than happy with a book or anything. Christmas is about giving.

This was where the logistics issue came in. He couldn't purchase it from the Australian Microsoft site because he lives overseas and doesn't have a local billing address, and if he brought it from where he was and shipped it, then it would have foreign plugs and the warranty would be tied to his home country. So he thought the best thing would be to send the money to me and have me buy it myself.

I wanted to believe. It's my dream gift and I wanted so desperately to believe that it was real, but come on. Who in their right mind would send a couple of thousand dollars to a stranger for an internet secret santa gift? My Santa, that's who.

We ended up using a different service - where he needed my bank account. My family and friends were unanimous that he was a scammer and I ended up opening a brand new bank account just in case - sorry Santa, I had to be extra cautious. He did say that it was my choice. He would purchase it and ship it if I was not willing to give any details but I figured a clean bank account would be safe. We agreed to meet on Facebook (yes my Santa had revealed his true identity in an effort to further reassure me that he was a real person and not a Grinch intent on destroying my Xmas) and early one Saturday morning (my time) I gave him the final details he would need to transfer the money or steal my identity or something equally sinister.

It was done. Over the next few days I got email confirmations that the money was on it's way, was in the country, at my bank, but it never turned up in my account. It's here that the despair set in. You see, in my nervousness, even though I had checked the account info, I had transposed a couple of digits on my bank branch... and the money was now sitting in limbo.

Long story short, over the Xmas/New Year period we had to wait for everything to reverse before it could be put into the real account.

By the time the money had come into my account I was no longer shocked to see it there. I had come to believe that my Santa was a stand up guy. He's goofy on Facebook and I think we'll be good friends.

He sent enough money for me to get a SP4, a keyboard and the Microsoft Complete for Surface warranty plan. The money arrived yesterday and while I wanted to post a picture of the package from Microsoft with me unboxing my beautiful new baby I don't think it's fair to keep it to myself about my Santa's awesomeness since it'll be a while before I get delivery - especially as the delay is due to my error in my details.

So... thank you so much to my not-so-Secret Santa. I'm sorry to have doubted you (can't blame me though right?) and thank you so much for getting me the most perfect gift. I can't wait to be able to take my writing with me everywhere I go and to have the ability to pull my new SP4 out anytime the muse descends.