Our Reddit Gift Exchange was SO much more meaningful than I ever imagined it would be. Simply put, it went way beyond the "stuff" exchanged. It was that profound sense of truly belonging in the world - that connectedness to all humankind. That feeling of being a part of something so much larger than ourselves. The feeling of really what Christmas is about - generosity of spirit, love, sharing and caring.

I was so lucky - and spoiled ! My Santa sent me a gorgeous 10-pound coffee table book by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, "Earth From Beyond", featuring breathtaking aerial photos of our beautiful planet; a copy of the collaborative French-American film, The Artist, which I haven't seen yet; and, a lovely encouraging note about her hope that I someday get to travel to see some of our beautiful world. All of this, by itself, made for an outstanding gift exchange, and I was so happy and content. BUT, my Santa was so much more generous and loving that she didn't stop there!

Like most, I shared in my bio certain things about myself - like my dream of traveling the world but having little opportunity to do so. Maybe this is what piqued the curiosity of our Santa Sleuth because she dug deep - taking to the Internet to find out more about me and discovering facts beyond that stated in my Reddit bio. Shortly after getting my gifts, a second box arrived that was even better than the first!

What I didn't disclose in my bio is that I am a special needs parent with three kids on the Autism spectrum. My SS found out by finding and studying my YouTube channel. Through her curiosity and attention to detail, she chose special gifts for my husband (calendar) and for each kid (music book, art book, French beret) and wrote each of them a personal note. Even our cat Bebe got a great French cat toy that she looooves. To top it all off, on Christmas Eve, our sweet Santa sent me a gorgeous flower arrangement for my table that arrived just before we sat down for dinner! Magical timing!

Perhaps the most important and meaningful part of this experience for me was my Santa's personal investment in my family. She made all of us feel so special! As a special needs family, sometimes we do feel a little different - a bit left out of things and alone on our little island - especially at the holidays. But our Santa's kindness, generosity of heart and thoughtful recognition of my family erased those feelings this year. The kindness and friendship of a complete stranger (now our friend) was even more special to me than the gifts themselves! Definitely we will do this again next year!

Peace and blessings to the entire Reddit family - especially to our new friend Audrey in France - for making my family's holiday so very special. Below is a link to our daughter opening her beautiful French beret as we all cheered.