I had the most thoughtful Santa this year! I can’t even believe how much effort went into understanding how my brain works and picking out perfect gifts (plural!) for me. I know no one will read all of this, but I like to acknowledge every awesome gift.

After what was basically a 14 hour work day, I opened up what I thought was one of my Amazon packages that disappeared into the USPS black hole. The box was filled with several things that LOOKED like an order I would place but didn’t.

First was a music box puzzle shaped like a robot. Right off the bat, I knew that my Santa really put a lot of thought into finding something that fits me perfectly. I love puzzles (I didn’t mention this in my notes), I love love love music boxes (again, not mentioned), and while I think robots are scary and AI will likely turn malevolent and take over the world, I’m extremely interested in robot/AI movies and books for some reason. I also love surprises, and the box doesn’t say what song the music box is going to play, so now I’m even more excited to put it together.

Okay, next: A really great flashlight! I’m a firm believer that a person can never have too many flashlights. None of mine are rechargeable, so that’s what I was planning to look for next. BUT not only is the flashlight I received rechargeable, it’s also focusable (none of my others are) AND it uses an 18650 battery like my others, so I can share batteries between them. AWESOME!

Next is something I never knew I needed: a toilet light! I’m a little obsessed with staying hydrated, which leads to pretty regular late-night trips to the restroom before I fall asleep. This light is motion activated, turns off automatically, and can be any color in the world (Santa knows how much I love colorful things). Between the flashlight and this, I’ll never have to use a light switch in my house again!

You thought I was done with the gifts? Me too, but nope! there were two more in the box! One was a cable/electronics organizer bag. How did my Santa know that I carry basically every type of charging cable with me everywhere (just in case!)?? They get rolled up and zipped in a pouch of my backpack, which means they get tangled and hard to find sometimes. This bag will keep them organized, and it also has room for my flash drive(s) and I bet I can get one of my flashlights in there. I love fun gifts, but I really LOVE useful gifts. This is so cool.

Lastly, two pairs of lightsaber chopsticks that light up! Again, although I mentioned flashlights in my notes, I didn’t specify that I pretty much love anything that lights up, and this is no exception. I actually don’t have any chopsticks but needed some last weekend. Not gonna lie, I wanted to eat gummi bears out of a bowl with chopsticks while playing Cards Against Humanity so I wouldn’t get the cards sticky.

I’m on page 2 of my Google doc now and should probably wrap this up. But I can’t just yet because my Santa messaged me with a link to a mix tape (well, Spotify playlist)! Mix tapes (okay, realistically CDs and playlists) are possibly my favorite thing in the world. I make them all the time and have a ton on Spotify, but I rarely rarely (seriously, it’s very rare) get a mix from someone else. There are two things I secretly always wish someone would give me: one is a mix tape/cd/playlist, but I’ll never actually ask for it. My Santa was the first to hit me with a mix, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. 43 songs! WOW! So many of my favorite bands that I think my Santa might actually be...me. I better go buy a carbon monoxide detector.

My Santa was seriously amazing this year, and I wish we could be best friends! This is the first time I’ve felt like writing to my Santa isn’t enough of a thank you.

EDIT!: I came home to two more surprise packages today! I have the Santa that keeps giving! One was a wireless quick charger for my phone. I've been wanting one of these because I've had too many close calls where I almost damaged my charging port. I also had an original iPhone back when they came with a free dock charger. Ever since I got rid of that phone, I've been missing a dock. I like to sleep with no lights at all, and this charger has a light that turns off automatically, unlike many of the other ones I've seen online. I don't have to feel like I'm sleeping on the streets of Vegas with this one.

The second package was a rechargeable electric hand warmer. I absolutely hate being cold, and I'm pretty sure I'm colder than most people because I carry a hoodie everywhere I go, even in the summer. Unfortunately, hoodies don't keep your hands warm when you're typing at work. I'm looking forward to knowing what it feels like to have warm hands.