I'm floored. All hyperbole aside, I'm well and truly floored.
Like most (all?) of us, I come into this thing genuinely more interested in giving than receiving. Like most (all?) of us, I would have been genuinely grateful to receive whatever Santa saw fit to send me. That said, I was expecting to get a thoughtful gift of holiday tidbits, maybe a Christmas card, and gobs of tobaccos suited to my taste.
I got none of that. No card, nothing Christmas related, no pipe cleaners, lighters, hot sauce, baked goods, and not a single ounce of tobacco.
And I could not possibly be happier
I came home today to one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received. A few weeks ago I posted some questions about meers, looking to try something inexpensive and - if the experiment worked - looking at getting a carved figural in the likeness of a bulldog. The good and great Kyle Weiss was kind enough to offer me a bargain on one of his meers, and I have enjoyed it very much (and very often).
Hand to God, I'm not kidding when I say that I literally told my wife YESTERDAY that I was going to get in touch with a carver (recommended by another brother here) THIS WEEKEND to get an idea on pricing and other particulars, as a Christmas present to myself.
As it turns out, I have one less thing to do this weekend. Here's what was on my doorstep after work today (my apologies for the poor photography...and, yeah, I'm a nail biter):
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.
A very heartfelt thank you to my Secret-but-not-really-all-that-secret Santa - I appreciate this more than a forum post could possibly communicate.