So this was a really interesting exchange with some really cool coincidences. TL;DR: awesome Santa, awesome exchange, awesome coincidences. And Santa, in case you could absolutely not have time for the back story (and I wouldn't blame you because it's getting long): you are amazing. Thank you so, so much.

First, some back story (this is going to be long, so you might want to grab a cup of tea or something? I don't know, whatever, nobody's forcing you). My grandmother was a seamstress. She refused to go pro on an industrial scale, a few times she was offered stupid money to make large numbers of children's dresses specifically but she always said she wanted it to be for fun, not obligation. She made the wedding dress for my primary school teacher's daughter, and the mother-of-the-bride dress, and she always used to dress me in dresses she'd made and they always came with matching panties to go over my own. She made my mother and me clothes out of matching fabric, too.

Anyway, yesterday was Easter Sunday and the sixth anniversary of her death. I wasn't having a brilliant day yesterday, and by 6pm I was counting down to bedtime and wishing I could just leave the house and go sob somewhere by myself. And then the doorbell rang, and it was a lady with a baby in a buggy and a parcel. My Fabric Exchange parcel, to be precise - it had been delivered to her by mistake on Friday, and she'd only just had the time to drop it round. I think a gift of fabric on the anniversary of my seamstress Nan's death was pretty cool in a coincidental sort of way BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!

I was chatting to the lady about our incompetent My Hermes guy and asking where he'd delivered it, since I'd never seen her before. Our street has a little close off it where all the even-numbered houses are, and oftentimes drivers don't realise it's even here. And the street turns into another street after a tiny crossroads, and this lady lives at an address like My Number, Other Street. COINCIDENCE THE SECOND: we almost rented that very house when we moved here, but rented this one instead. Spooky, hey?

Anyway, I thanked the lady, cooed a bit over her baby and went upstairs with my parcel. Inside it had FOUR beautifully wrapped packages and a note. The note from my anonymous Santa said she'd sent 4m of each fabric (4m!!) and she hoped that I'd have enough to make a skirt for my daughter and me!! I'm absolutely definitely going to make us matching skirts and I'm overwhelmed that the thought of matching mother-and-daughter clothes came in this parcel, on this day, from a lady in a house that we almost lived in. If I believed in spooky coincidences I would absolutely think that my lovely Nan was steering the incompetent My Hermes driver to deliver it wrongly so it would arrive on this particular day. I think the truth is more likely that he's incompetent, but I think it's amazingly cool and I'm so absolutely delighted with these gorgeous fabrics. And ribbon! Beautiful, stunning ribbon! Just look at these amazing ribbons and this gorgeous fabric! I'm going to rummage around for a pattern today and if time doesn't get away from me I'll update with pictures of us in our finery. Thank you, Anonymous Santa. You are amazing.