This was my first year participating in Secret Santa and boy it did not disappoint. I was always a lurker on Reddit, so it didn't make my Santa's job easy, but they seemed to have taken my little bit of info and ran with it. :D

As soon as my gift had marked that it was shipped, I regressed mentally back to age 5 and kept saying prayers asking the weather not to change or the truck to break down, etc.... That worked for the most part as it trekked from my santas location to me.

As I sat in my cubicle contemplating whether this bed would actually work, or just become a coffin, I got an alert saying my package had been delivered. The next few hours of my shift seemed to have dragged on... It also didn't help that my friend kept saying I most likely got adult diapers. When my shift ended, I rushed home to find no package waiting. :(

After a few calls to FedEx - I found out it had been delivered to the wrong house and it would take 48hrs before I could possibly get my package - smh. fml. ugh. Being the logical thinking adult who had not regressed back to the mentality of a 5 year old, I did the only sane and logical thing - walk down the street going house to house looking for packages on a front porch. Needless to say, I finally did locate said package, but not first w/o getting confronted by a neighbor who thought I was trying to steal someones christmas.

After proving the name on the box was mine, I rushed back home to rip it open and explore all the goodies I was bestowed. First thing that confronted me was a large bundle of bubble wrap. After getting sidetracked, it became clear it was food! A bag of bacon and cheddar flavored Lay's... mmmmm....bacon.

I continued my quest of boxlandia and found 7... that right, 7 more items to keep 5 year old me busy opening. The next gift I tore open contained 9 inch tongs. I followed that by unwrapping what surely was its sister gift as it shared common wrapping paper. It was the bigger version, 12 inch tongs! I would like to say the first thing I used them for was to create a beautiful and elegant dish for dinner, however I would be lying. I exacted revenge on my friend for the diaper comments.

Continuing on my gift wrapped odyssey, I next tore into a gift w/ a green bow. Inside was a handheld grater - something that will get plenty of use. With it being Christmas time, I think some fresh nutmeg for my eggnog is in order. :) The next gift contained two bottles of HP sauce. I have actually never heard of this before and was very curious - so first thing I did was try it. I think that is going to be perfect w/ some steaks. Sort of like an Heinz 57, except more umami like. I don't think 2 bottles will last me too long - I will definitely be getting more of those. I also love the connection to my name - whether intentional or unintentional... I give you credit. :D

The next 2 gifts I got immediately made me feel like I was being brought into someones house for a celebration! It was a bottle of Greek seasonings and some of the best cookies I have ever had. I mean, those cookies were the type you would get at a family reunion, one where your grandmother would keep slapping your hands telling you to save some for everyone else. If I hadn't known they were sent thru the mail, I would have thought they had just been baked a few hours before. I did try to pronounce the name, however I'm sure I butchered it and felt it better to not try.

The final gift I received was an Anker 20100mah battery pack. It is by far better than any battery pack I had owned and I am sure to get many many many many many hours of use out of it. For those unaware, lots of my friend grew up in the "country" and I visit their hometowns alot - having that amount of backup power will be a lifesaver, especially if the only internet connection available is via ones cell.

All and all this secret santa was both a pleasure and exciting experience - one which I will most certainly do again. I enjoyed being able to open gifts, ones which a complete stranger had spent so much time and effort on. I mean, for a complete stranger to take time to think of getting something for you that you will both use and enjoy, then to go the extra mile of wrapping and putting little notes on each gift - it blows me away. Even taking time to make something homemade - which to me is like giving a little part of yourself, it just reaffirms my faith in humanity, especially in times like these where we are constantly hearing about us at our worst.

Thank you thank you thank you again secret santa. I know words sometimes cannot communicate ones gratitude enough - but I hope these words do and I wish you and your family the best this Christmas.

TL;DR - Awesome first secret santa - reaffirms faith in humanity.