I've been a longtime lurker of Reddit, but this year finally decided to come out of the closet and join in on the fun. What better time than Secret Santa? :D

Right off the bat my SS had me fulll of excitement, for when I woke up early December 2 I had this message waiting for me:

"From: your secret santa 2013 match to you, Dec. 2, 2013 Subject: Mischievous Elves North Pole Update: Santa's elves were tasked with picking out a fun and memorable gift to ship out to you for the holidays, BUT:

Upon my return last night...oh what a fright!!! 23 elves were swinging from the chandelier light.

They purchased a keg of imported brew and decided to drink it instead of mailing it to you!

While they are recovering from their bender last night

I've tasked them once again, and they'd better get it right!

Stay tuned for future updates! "

WOW! If I wasn't in the Christmas Spirit already, this certainly sealed the deal! I asked Santa to go easy on the poor little elves, and thought that would be it until Dec 25.....boy was I wrong.

Few days later I get the glorious message notification, and rush to open my inbox. What do I find waiting for me there but a CHRISTMAS CRYPTOGRAPH. Oh, my SS knows me well!!

"From: your secret santa 2013 match to you, Dec. 5, 2013 Subject: Coded Message - Decode & Enjoy! BLFI KZXPZTV DROO YV NZROVW LFG GSRH DVVPVMW! SLKV RG YIRMTH Z HNROV GL ZOO ZXILHH GSV NROVH! SL! SL! SL!"

Needless to say, I didn't get much done at work over the next little bit while decrypting this awesome message. After a while of decyphering, and plugging along, and jussssst about solving the puzzle........all it took was one asshole coworker to enter it into google and we had the answer within seconds -.- OH WELL. It was funny because there were a few of us in the office getting all excited like a bunch of 10 year old's over this message sent from someone across the country/world....

ANYWAYS turns out this is what the coded message said:

"YOUR PACKAGE WILL BE MAILED OUT THIS WEEKEND HOPE IT BRINGS A SMILE TO ALL ACROSS THE MILES HO HO HO"

Oh, bring a smile it did indeed. I can't tell you all out there in Redditland how excited I have been these last few days, and just generally happy. Big thanks right here to SS and the staff here for putting this whole thing on. I had no idea it was going to be this amazeballs.

After excitedly firing off another message to Santa, proudly declaring the puzzle solved (shhh!), I was treated to yet another reply:

"Bravo! Secret Santa will be posting travel photos of his journey with your package. He thought you'd get a kick out of this since you are a fan of travel yourself!

Link below is to Photobucket: Secret Santa's Starting Point

http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag315/captivatingcrafts/Indianapolis_zpsf9df0b9b.png"

YES!!

A few days go by and I sign up for the Holiday Card exchange. Now a bit of backstory, I live in Vancouver, Canada, but I setup my address on the SS as a Blaine, Washington address in the States as it's only a 30 minute drive from my place, and I wanted to save on shipping for my SS. ANYWAYS, so while signing up for the card exchange I decided cards arent expensive to ship, and changed my address to my Canadian address. Within minutes I had a message from SS asking WTH was up. I explained the situation, and lo and behold he outdid himself again:

"From: your secret santa 2013 match to you, Dec. 6, 2013 Subject: Ho! Ho! Ho! Package Two Is A Go! Heck ya! I've got 2 shipping addresses so why not ship to both?! I must confess I cheated a tad bit and placed a custom order online that will be shipped directly to your Surrey, British Columbia address. According to their top dog it takes 5-7 days to complete this masterpiece, then another 3-5 days via airmail to arrive at your doorstep.

This company is a little fishy but they do excellent work! (hint)

Oh, and they don't offer gift shipping so please shred the receipt that will undoubtedly be packed right along with your Not so Secret Santa gift. Tsk!

Glad that address is still okay to send to because the box already has graphics on it pertaining to Blaine, WA :D

Thank you for making this Secret Santa experience so much FUN!!! "

So let me get this straight, Santa finds out I have multiple addresses, so decides what the heck and sends even MORE presents, and then SS actually thanks me?! WHO IS THIS GUY!!! The word amazing just keeps coming to mind...

Before I know it, there is yet another message from Herr Klaus himself:

"And the adventure begins!! http://i1371.photobucket.com/albums/ag315/captivatingcrafts/postofficepackage_zps2652ffc4.png "

2 days later, package arrives in Blaine and I get this:

"Woo Hoo! Record Breaking Time :)

http://s1371.photobucket.com/user/captivatingcrafts/media/destination_zps0db8e8f1.png.html"

It's here! It's here!! I hop in the car and make the trip to Blaine to get my PRESENT!! Hardest part was having it sit in the passenger seat for the drive back home, WONDERING what the heck was inside.

Oh. But I wasn't safe yet.....we ran into REAVERS on the journey home, also known as the 'Canadian Border Services Agency'. These Grinches were determined to ruin Christmas, but I did not let them! After being accosted and having them open some of my presents (Sorry Santa!), I was released and allowed on my way. Feeling much safer, of course.

Finished the ride home, cracked open the box and was presented with what you see before you. I actually choked up a bit. I know I keep saying it, and it has been said many times already on this board, but Santa really really really really outdid himself.

There were gifts for my wife, my pet Koko and myself. What really amazed me was there was also a gift for my dog Penny. Crazy thing about this is, Penny doesn't in fact live with me (lives with the parents), and I never mentioned her on my profile.....Cyberstalking = win. All the gifts were extremely well thought out and just plain awesome. I keep forgetting the fact there's also still more on the way.....

Sorry about the wall of text. In a nutshell, its painfully clear Santa really really read my profile, and really really tried to make this special for me. From the meticulous wrapping, to the gifts themselves, to the buildup, to the whole damn experience. Thank you Santa, I haven't felt this excited during Christmas in almost 20 years. You really made me remember what Christmas is all about. Right now I am literally bursting with Christmas Spirit, and I will be sure to pay it forward. Haven't felt this good in ages.

I still can barely believe that there is more to come... :D

THANK YOU