Santa Cristina sent me a lovely letter, which I received several days ago from her home in Melbourne, Australia, telling me what she had ordered for me. Cristina stalked me very well, and knew that people who struggle to bring hope into the world are important to me (and important for me to support). "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" arrived today.

This book, by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Katherine Boo, looks at families trying to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones in Mumbai, one of the most unequal cities in the world.

While the book will be a welcome addition to my library and my brain, Cristina's letter was the best part. (To get in the spirit of things, I read your letter upside down.)(And yes, Cristina, we can most definitely arrange a swap at a later date. In fact, I've got dear friends in your city, and they keep nagging me to come to Australia!)

The best part of Secret Santa, it seems to me, isn't the stuff - it's the connections we make to people who we've never met who bring us joy and peace and laughter and whimsy.

Thank you, Cristina, for sending me season's joy from down under!