I'm not an easy giftee to stalk, I'm more of a lurker than a commenter, and I didn't give my Santa much to go on. In addition, I ended up being the most difficult recipient in the world after FedEx sent my package halfway across the country and back when I left to spend the holidays with family. But they nailed it; it's like they looked through their monitor and sent a gift straight to my soul.

First, a homemade treat. It's amazing. It's salty and sweet (my kryptonite), and I ate nearly a whole layer before remembering to take pictures. I need the recipe.

Next, BOOKS! Dozens and dozens of books on a KINDLE FIRE! My SS showed concern that I might be a book "purist, fond of turning actual pages", and don't get me wrong, I love the smell and feel of books. But I long ago lost space on my bookshelves for new books, and I read too much to cart them around. Just last week I packed twelve (yes, 12) books for a weeklong trip, and had to lug them all over an airport.

I think they somehow got ahold of my Goodreads bookshelf, because it's preloaded with some of my favorite authors (Phillip K Dick, Ian Fleming, Steinbeck, Chuck Palahniuk), plus dozens more from their own library (and I trust the recommendations of anyone that has Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Art of Dreaming, Dharma Bums, and Clockwork Orange in their library). It even has several that are on my "To Read" list - I've been meaning to read Atlas Shrugged for years, but my copy is huge and unwieldy and difficult to hold. This is something I never would have splurged on for myself, but suits me perfectly - THANKS!

While reading the personal letter they included, I realized that there was a gift missing. It sounded like they had sent something weeks ago, before our ships-in-the-night shipping fiasco. I searched the house and discovered a small USPS parcel that my roommate must have collected and forgot to tell me about. Inside was a funny little red cat statue with another note saying to expect something more. I love the random red cat, it shockingly (again, soul stalker) matches my eclectic decor, and has already found a home on a shelf on which I keep knick-knacks from around the world.

SS, thank you! It was more than I ever expected, and totally worth the wait!

(PS: I wouldn't have been creeped out if you had stopped by while you were in town, haha)