I got my box of goodies today from the lovely and charming Rhiannon8404!!! YAY!! She enclosed a card explaining all the goodies, which are all local to her area.
From where she grew up:
Olive oil (plain and basil) and balsamic vinegar (my daughter were eyeing these…)
Chocolates!!
An Apple Hill candle - it smells yummy!
Placerville Hardware fridge magnet (from a store going back to the Gold rush! Very cool!)
From where she is now:
Sacramento magnet (in lieu of a politician, and I do appreciate that)
And almonds (grown and processed in Sacramento)
The magnets are already at work on my fridge, and I don’t expect the chocolates to last till midnight. I’m going to share the almonds with my spousal unit, because I’m nice, dammit, and when I burn the candle, I’ll allow everyone to enjoy the scent. Just hope I don’t have to fight my daughter over the oils and vinegar.
Thanks so much, Rhiannon8404! You’re a super gifter!
Yay! My prezzies are through Customs and making their way Southward! Check your PMs Y’all. I sent my recipient the tracking number to you so you can see its progress!
Just a note: you don’t have to go to the post office and stand in line. You can go to USPS.gov, enter your information (including a credit card for payment) and print a label just like they would at the post office. If you have any kind of scale (I use a coffee scale) you can weigh the package. The form will also ask you if any dimension of the box is longer than 12 inches. It will ask you all the questions the post office clerk would ask you, including the value of the contents (suggest you keep it low-- under $25). Pay, print label, tape to box, and then take to the post office any time, including when it’s closed, and deposit in the big package dropoff chute thingie. No standing in line.
If you don’t have a printer (some people don’t) you might be able to do this at an automated station in the always-open part of the post office (the lobby where people can always check their boxes). It will have a scale, a way to accept payment, and will print you a label.
So today I didn’t see any packages in my po box again, so alas my next trip will be 12.29 Saturday. I’m cool with that cuz I’m working so much and it’s simply the only day off I have to pick up any packages. (I mailed my parcel earlier in month so hopefully carnut got it)
I’m really patient: I once waited 5 months for an Etsy item. I subscribe to a comic and it takes roughly 21 days to travel from New York across 7 states to me!
ThelmaLou! I could hug you! I never knew there was such a thing! (I guess I don’t “get out much”, do I?) Label is paid for and printed (I even looked up the Zip+4 because I’m a former USPS employee), and I’m taking the box to the chute thing-a-ma-bob doo-hickie right now.
Aw honey, you made my day. I just discovered this myself and it’s so cool. I hate standing in line in the post office. It started when that mini post office wanted to charge me $22 to mail my SDMB Christmas box. I came home and printed an $11 label at USPS.gov.
I had a small box to mail last week and just as I put the label on it, my mailman came to the door. (I live in an old house with a mail slot, so the mail comes into the house.) I opened the door and asked him if he would take the package, and he did! I didn’t even have to step outside.
I am a slacker no longer! I shipped my gifts out this morning which means they’re heading north (but not TOO far north) and should be there by midweek!
I got my package earlier this week but since the person didn’t use their SD name, I’m not sure who to thank.
That said, it contained two beauuuutieeful handmade roses (the purple is the color of my bedroom decor!) and chocolate and, yes, just for me, more chocolate.
And, no, the chocolate didn’t melt. I’m saving it as it is “crunch time” on my work project and I’m sure that one day next week it will save my life because I will stuff it in my face and chew that chewwy cocoanut oooh rather than say something I’ll regret.:rolleyes:
Thank you, thank you my forever secret santa, or perhaps you can PM me your SD name? And just a couple of posts above mine here is my Secret Santa, a secret no longer! Thank you!
Darlin’, you are the best! I thought my box would be too big, at 20” x 10” x 9”, but that chute do-hickie whatcha-ma-callit was exactly 20.25” wide — and the box fit like a glove, and that chute whos-a-ma-whatsit swallowed it whole. So my package is on its way!
Yay, ThelmaLou! I was NOT looking forward to standing in that line at the post office. Now I don’t have to, and my Doper recipient should get their gift this week!
Whoa, I am beat. Had to work the whole day today, and also tomorrow too — it’s 10 days before Christmas and we’re in crunch mode. I’ve had late nights all week, and even last week I pulled an all-nighter. So I will open my gift. The package is still sitting on the kitchen counter, still in its shipping box.
A big hug of thanks goes out to ThelmaLou!
I’ll open it when I can give it my full attention.
It’s one of the marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal, at least the original lineup. Pink hearts. Orange stars, yellow moons, green clovers, blue moons …
Well, I couldn’t hold out any longer, so back into the box I dove. I found the yummies! There’s a big ol’ summer sausage (which pretty much requires a “that’s what she said!!” joke) and a bar of really delicious chocolate, dark, salted, with almonds (minus a piece, to verify the tastiness level, then another piece to confirm) and … what’s this? WHAT IS THIS?
Vegemite. Y’all!!! I have never tasted it, always been curious, but it’s not exactly a thing in Texas so when would I get a chance? Now I have this little mini packet of the stuff in my hand. (I literally was like, “I don’t remember saying how much I wanna try it … how did she know?”) So I’m excited to get a chance to try it out!
To round it out, there was a card, enclosing a lovely and very heartfelt letter. You may add me to the list of folks admiring their Santa’s handwriting, too. So much warmth and joy in one cardboard box!
I, for one, will be waiting with great interest to see how you like it. There have been a LOT threads* on this stuff on the board, and I’ve bought it, but never really… you know… I always wanted to. So do report. You may benefit from suggestions/coaching from Dopers who know [del]what the heck to do with it[/del] how best to appreciate it.
So many great things have happened here since I last checked in! Reading the reactions of all of the people receiving their gifts is so fun. But I think @purplehorseshoe was the most fun! (I might be a little biased, but y’all - she used the word verklempt, so…)
Now that you have read the letter, you know that I did not make the Say Yes magnet, but got it from a local glass blowing shop.
I so appreciate @bullitt asked about your name - a thing that I have been wondering about. I was trying to come up with a thing to make, and it struck me all at once. Of course! A purple horseshoe is the clear choice. It has been a while since I used my quilling supplies, so it was fun to dust off that box. Almost as much fun a gift wrapping lol
Funny story about the “packing peppermints”. I always top a Christmas parcel with a candy cane - it just feels more festive. And I looked everywhere for that dern box of extra canes, but it eluded me. So I threw in a handful or two from the giant container that those mints come in. Every recipient has enjoyed those, so I’m thinking they will be the go to from now on. @justanothermike and I sure do like them.
I’m glad you liked your snacks, and I’m so glad you’re an adventurous type who is excited to try the vegemite! I’ve been enjoying it on things. I just attended a pizza making party and afterwards I got the idea to have tried vegemite on a pizza. She has another one in the spring, so I’ll definitely try it then! And the eternally helpful @ThelmaLou has provided some very interesting reading material that I’ll be perusing for ideas! Thank you!
EmilyG, thank you, thank you! We opened your gifts tonight, and loved every one. I really admire any kind of crafty and artistic ability, and you did not disappoint! Homemade ornaments, greeting card, pin, gift cards, magnet … all amazing. You’re so talented! Thank you for all of the wonderful things. My house is already displaying most of them.
Kimstu — thank you! Your package arrived a couple of days ago, and I opened it last night.
What fun inside!
Thank you for your nice, handwritten note on a postcard of the pretty Hudson Athens Lighthouse in Hudson, NY (gImages, https://goo.gl/z3Pc3e) — not one hour south of my hometown and childhood house (gMap, Google Maps). Next time I’m there I’ll have to find that lighthouse. Yes, I grew up there, when my dad was a professor at RPI (small engineering school also known for hockey). I hold good childhood memories of my time there in Troy and Latham and the Hudson River Valley. And yes, in Schenectady too.
There were several gifts inside, nicely wrapped… and with Origami folded bows! I’d never seen them before, and it was a nice touch (images, https://goo.gl/NMV1UU).
My wife dove right in to the maple sugar-spun cotton candy — such a unique taste. And the maple sugar candies, still to be tried, brought back nice childhood memories. I always wanted those, they look delicious, and now I get to try them! (I might even share them with my wife. Maybe.) There were two tea infusers, one shaped like a frog and the other a monkey, and their arms hold onto the mug while they’re steeping. Very cute. The honey will come in handy because my wife has a cold and sore throat, for some nice tea and lemon. And the woven fabrics from your travels to India are very nice!
Thank you, Kimstu, for the very nice and thoughtful gifts! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
I’m going to share the almonds with my spousal unit, because I’m nice, dammit, and when I burn the candle, I’ll allow everyone to enjoy the scent. Just hope I don’t have to fight my daughter over the oils and vinegar.
