I am told there is a box waiting for me, which I shall see Sunday evening. Further news on Monday.
Me! Me! I’ll go next! 
I got a big ol’ box from @MissTake in Minnesota. It was a treasure trove of goodies!
- A small box of chocolates which I promptly ate while taking out the rest of the prezzies. (No one is surprised to read this.)
- A container of gorgeous fudge, which I took to share with the church choir last practice. (I know my limits…)
- A cute stuffed raccoon named Spunky, made from recycled bottles.
- Yummy cat treats (at least I assume they were yummy… didn’t taste myself, although they looked like they would be good on a Triscuit).
- Catnip mice-- always a big hit and always lead to instant cat mania!
- A small can of salmon-- might have to arm/paw wrestle Sweetie for that, as we both love salmon.
- And two absolutely adorable cookbooks.
One is the 100th Anniversary Cookbook from Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. OMG, it is precious. MissTake added that not only did she grow up in this church but her mom had been baptized there in 1937. So sweet. (Are you sure you meant to part with it?) Like all cookbooks of this genre (and I have a bunch) there are multiple recipes for things like cheese balls and jell-o salad, and in this case, hamburger soup and breakfast casseroles. There are directions for multiplying quantities to serve 20, 50, and 100. There are recipes with personalized names, "Doris’s Poor Boy Filet " “Rose Peterson and Evelyn Peterson’s Baked Rice,” “Agnes Orred’s Rice Pudding.” @MissTake, is there a recipe from your family in here? These cookbooks are a window into a community, and I love to read them.
AND there is a recipe for Lutefisk. Of course. I believe that is a commandment issued to Lutheran churches in the midwest.
The other cookbook is called “Herbs in a Minnesota Kitchen,” and is typeset in the familiar (to some of us) Courier typewriter typeface of yore. With little “handwritten” notes on each page. It comes from a family farm called Dehn’s Garden that produces specialty crops and herbs for grocery stores and restaurants. Happy to report it’s still in business!
Thank you so much, @MissTake for a wonderful batch of presents! I’m really enjoying them.
And thanks to @JaneDoe42 for organizing this so quickly.
I wanna hear what everyone else got!
I’m glad you liked everything!
No, there aren’t any recipes from my family in the cookbook, but my family has made a lot of recipes from it! Agnes Orred was the organist for around 50 years, very lovely woman. Any recipe from a Nelson/Nelsen/Peterson are from descendants of the founders, some who are still active in that little church.
Thankfully, lutefisk was removed from every darn potluck in the late ‘70’s. While I’ve never eaten it, I can recall the stench too easily.
I sent you my copy, as my mom kindly bequeathed me her copy, full of notes and comments.
And I, too, am a collector of church and community cookbooks. They really are a window into the social history of a specific time and place.
I hope Sweetie likes the stuffy and the salmon!
The cat treats - we jokingly call them “meatgurts”, since they look like Gogurts. Just be warned, they can be messy!
I LOVE knowing this!
Oh my. I am deeply touched. 
I assure you it has come to a good home. I’ve been paging through it every day and loving it. Although I was raised Catholic and I’m now Jewish (for 25+ years), I met my late husband in a Lutheran choir and we were married by a Lutheran pastor. I have fond connections to Lutherans.
I couldn’t agree more. I’m going to hunt around and send you one from this area. Sorry, there won’t be a lutefisk recipe. 
But there will be a zillion recipes for King Ranch Chicken, each one a teensy bit different from the others.
Messy cat treats are good, because it gives the cat something to do (i.e., washing their face and paws) for the rest of the day. 
I had one helluva tough day yesterday, and decided, “Ya know what…?”
@carnut thank you 
from both me, and from Monkey who is currently chasing his new jingle-ball throughout the kitchen.
He has already batted the feather-toy down the stairs. That one went fast - he actually plucked it directly out of the box as I was opening it.
I also got a box of “Top of the Line Assorted Dark Chocolate” (and having had one already … can confirm, are delicious) plus a magnet that says “Beauty Tip: Don’t Be A Racist” which has been slapped onto the fridge.
It’s decent advice! 
There was also a pair of socks - being on my feet all day, I can always use new socks - bearing the slogan “My Favorite Salad Is Wine” which is hilarious given that I eat perhaps one vegetable a week or so.
Additionally, a Ruth Bader Ginsberg hanging air freshener … oh, sorry. A “DISSENT.”
(… say it out loud …)
Oh, my gods, once I got the joke, that gave me the giggles. I laughed myself to streaming tears.
Finally, to calm me back down: a beautiful, colorful striped purse. I need pretty colors in my life, and luuuurve this wee tote for walks (since women’s clothing never has pockets, grr.)
All this was, of course, topped with a nice handwritten card identifying my Santa and containing a very sweet sentiment.
I feel overwhelmed with joy and contentment, which isn’t a common occurrence for me.
Thank you so much, and to @JaneDoe42 for shoveling all this together this year.
My mom was raised Lutheran, despite having Jewish roots on her mother’s side. In fact, while some of the service was held in Norwegian until the early 1950’s, my mom was fairly fluent in Yiddish. I was raised Lutheran, went to a Lutheran college, and thanks to said college am now atheistic. Go figure.
Ooh, cookbook exchange? Can you hear my squee of excitement?
Well, I’ll just leave this here for y’all:
That’s the result I hoped for. I couldn’t keep a straight face in the store. The strawberry that Monkey dived for is full of catnip. But I find it hilarious that she dove in and grabbed it. The chocolates are from a local maker that has been around since 1905.
Merry Christmas dear Purple. We are so glad you are here.
I’ve had to retrieve and re-toss the damn thing so many times today. Monks keeps bringing it to me, with that plaintive “mew” that is so exasperating and heartwarming at the same time.
Thank you for bringing joy into Casa De Shoe.
So glad everything got there ok and I’m happy that you liked everything! I had fun picking things out! The chocolate came from my favourite pusher . . . Errr, chocolatier in Victoria, BC. I add to my stash every time I’m out there. The snowflakes were indeed made by me - beading is a craft where nearsightedness is an advantage!
I thought the socks were fun - and my retired curling broom was too big to post,
Have a great and safe Christmas!
Thank you for posting that. I less than three Garrison Keillor.
Now that the house is all festive, I opened my gift from @Rhiannon8404 - Thank you!
I received a bag of coffee from Insight Roasters, which is currently in the Insight mug, sitting on the Sacramento tile coaster. It’s delightful coffee!
The Sacramento fridge magnet is, well, on the fridge.
I received a lovely bottle of olive oil, which is being saved for next summer to have with fresh tomatoes and cheese.
And, folks, she made kitty treats. Mayme is a happy kitty! I babysat her brother, Pepper, this weekend and he nigh on bit my fingers off to get them.
And I love the Gorey Xmas card!
Many thanks!!
Here we are in the last week before Christmas and almost all of the packages have been delivered. Please remember to post here when your packages arrive, some folks are shipping internationally which always adds time.
Your cookbook from St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Pleasanton, Texas, is on the way. No lutefisk recipes, but there are 10 recipes for pecan pie. Those trees are all over everywhere around here. I have a couple in my yard in the city. Enjoy! 
A lovely package from Michigan arrived! I opened it immediately!
Seriously yummy stuff with candy canes and kisses; Michigan mitt shaped rice crispy treat and Michigan gummys. I am going to totally taunt my Michigan coworker with those.
An emergency Nutella jar, that will go in my backpack, and hot mustard, this will be deployed when I have chicken fingers.
Furry comfy socks to warm my perpetually cold feet. And the thing that made me laugh the most, as it reminded me of the cabin pressure episode “Ipswich” , a very true mouse pad that states “ I might be slightly incorrect ( but I’m definitely not wrong”).
Thank you to my very own sugar plum fairy… oops, sugar plum terrier… uh purple horseshoe.
I am so happy you like everything! I am especially happy Mayme and Pepper liked the treats. My kitty loves them so I was hoping yours would, too. (Tbh, I tried a few fresh out of the oven and they tasted pretty good).
I took a chance with the Gorey card and I am so glad you appreciated it.
My feline overlords might want some too, can you share the recipe? Please?
Here you go!
The recipe is adapted from Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero (If you like cozy mysteries, this is a fun series!)
3/4 shredded or grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup organic spelt flour
1/4 plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup organic polenta
5 Tbsp grated parmesan
Preheat oven to 350°, line cookie sheet with parchment paper (you could use cooking spray if you want)
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add water if too dry. (I needed 1/4 cup of water)
Knead the dough into a ball, roll out to 1/4 in thick. Cut into desired size or shape (I did like, 1/2 in sqares)
Bake 25 mins
Copied and pasted into my cookbook, thank you! I’m going to give them a try in a couple of weeks and then our feline overlords will also thank you
And I have now laid eyes on it, but not yet opened.