If I didn't get the real santa for this exchange then I feel pretty certain he oversaw the matching process because somehow I was found by someone who completely understood my bizarre range of interests and used them to find me not one but two things I absolutely, completely love.

He began by giving me my first experience of gold (hooray!) and sending a lovely, friendly message. Then before I knew it, two gifts were marked shipped with the intriguing detail that they were neither from his country nor mine.

When the first arrived I nearly hugged the postman. It was from Iceland, a place I'm currently completely obsessed with! With superhuman self control I tucked it under my Christmas tree and waited. Then another package arrived - also from Iceland! I nearly hugged the postman again. At this point I honestly didn't much mind what was inside these parcels, I was just so over the moon that there were two pieces of Iceland in my home!

This morning (Christmas morning) I awoke to the kindest, loveliest message from my Santa, revealing his reddit identity and offering Christmas wishes that went straight to my heart. There was a huge swirl of different things to do today but I knew I'd have a little time to myself in the afternoon so I saved the two packages for then. I'm so glad I did.

The first gift honoured not only my love of Iceland but also my love of sheep, felted wool and looseleaf tea - a gorgeous, tactile, beautifully crafted tea cosy, ordered from a wonderfully skilled artisan on etsy! Santa knew I was celebrating Christmas in a hot climate, and therefore that useful woolly things would be few and far between. But a tea cosy is just perfect even in the very middle of summer and though I'm almost certain I've never mentioned it, I actually didn't have one! It looks as though it was made to fit my favourite teapot. I do a bit of knitting and felting myself and I am so impressed and inspired by the way this beautiful piece has been put together.

The second gift was wrapped in a way that would gladden any Icelandophile's heart, in red paper with snowflakes and with a borderline magical card of a glacier lit up at night. (Google translate has helped me to figure out most of the lovely message inside but there are a few words I'm still working on!) Inside the parcel was something I just love so much I hardly even know what to write. It's a wintery woolly hat with a snowflake design, knitted in gorgeous Icelandic wool, all beautiful raw colours but the softest, comfiest wool. (I know because I cranked up the air-conditioning as cold as it would go and tried it on!) I will be wearing this in winter whether it gets properly cold or not. But even better, this gift has made me finally decide to go to Iceland (something I really ought to have done years ago) and wear it there and send my Santa a photo so that he can see all the happiness his kind, thoughtful gifts have inspired.

Thank you, monoglot, for helping to make this Christmas such a special one for me. You were were honestly a dream secret santa and I can't tell you how grateful I feel that my path crossed with yours.