My Secret Santa sent me gifts which reflected everything I told him I was interested in and yet they managed to surprise and delight me. Because they were sent via international mail, the gifts finally arrived on New Year's Eve and were well worth the wait.

My Santa wrote me a nice detailed and entertaining letter spread across a couple of postcards which included a bit of information about himself and where he is from. He also offered to send me more postcards from his travels around his country. That is a great gift by itself in the age of email. (Yes, Santa, I would love to find some postcards from you in my mail box. Thanks for offering to make my every day mail more interesting.)

I told my Secret Santa that I liked handmade things and cooking so wrote out some of his favorite recipes with conversions and detailed notes. He also sent a Spaetzel grater and caraway seed, which I would need to make the recipes. I am really excited to try to make Kasspatzen, which Santa says is better than macaroni and cheese.

Santa also sent me a book by Cornelia Funke, called The Thief Lord, a fantasy story set in Venice. I love books set in foreign locations and I am looking forward to reading this on the plane when I travel to Europe next month.

I think my next gift, Cockroach Poker, is more for my friends and family than for me ;-) I told Santa I liked games and he gave me one that I am sure will challenge my bluffing skills! LOL

I can't thank my Secret Santa enough for the gifts. I truly appreciate the effort and thoughtfulness that went into my gifts.