When I got home from work yesterday, there was a notice on my door that there was a package waiting for me at the Post Office. I just picked it up, and it was from my Secret Santa, Shir! Yay!

I got a lovely shawl (perfect for me, who is always freezing in my office), an adorable silver charm bracelet, a cookbook all about cuisine from Jerusalem (can't wait to try some of the recipes!), some coffee-flavored swirled halva, and some delicious-looking chocolates. Thank you so much, Shir!!!!

I'm a little worried about my Secret Santa package. I mailed it before Christmas, over three weeks ago, now. At the risk of outing myself, it did have a ways to travel, but I hope it's just in transit, and not Lost Forever. Giftee, I hope it gets to you, soon!

Oh, yay! So glad it arrived!

The book is Jerusalem by Ottolenghi and Tamimi, and wow. I heard a lot about it, but the minute I saw it and read a bit I understood the hype and immidetly wanted to buy copies for all of my friends abroad. The way they write about the city through its cuisine is simply marvelous.

And a note for my secret Santa: the address I gave is my parents' address, and they didn't go to the post office since Monday (car broke down). It should have arrived, but most likely I just didn't get the notice about it. I hope I'll have it this week!

Oh! I've been told that the package arrived, and waiting for me at home.

Can't wait to get it in person, but it will take another 3-4 days before I'll open it.

2012 was weird in that it wasn't what I'd call a great year, but 2011 was so awful that 2012 positively glows in comparison. So I'm just going to concentrate on the good stuff:

- I got a new job as a senior tech writer for a company that is VASTLY different in corporate culture than my previous employer. Supportive managers! Career development! People repeatedly telling me I'm good at my job! At some point I will stop being mildly freaked out by this.

- I stopped the hellacious antibiotic routine I was on for the Lyme disease, which made my newly-developed gluten allergy go away, and it looks like I'm bouncing back from the year + of illness.

- I had a couple of huge breakthroughs in therapy. Actual emotional health (instead of maintaining a really convincing act of it) is weird. Good, but weird.

My big goal for 2013: finish the novel and send it to my agent. I'm hoping to get that done in the first few months of the year.

Anyone in the regular exchange who did not yet receive a gift, please email me.

amyth! Awww, amyth. Thank you, so much. Such a wonderful package, and I'm only sorry it got me so long to get to it - it's been waiting for me for at least a week.

So amyth gave me a very appropriate merit badge, and a fantastic purple scarf. And a bigger-on-the-inside bag, and a beautiful bracelet. And a CD by an artist I'm not yet familiar with but will be soon, and a marvelous - absolutely marvelous wood bookmark, with an eighth note carved on it. Absolutely beautiful. Attached to all of these there was a beautiful card.

Thank you so much, amyth. I feel so lucky to have been introduced to this board almost five years ago. This gift exchange is only a small reminder to all of the things, in wisdom and and experiences I got from being here - and as much as these exchanges make me incredibly happy and grateful for knowing people from all over the world, I cherish the everyday of posting here, whenever I can post here regularly.

So as corny as it might sound, thank you for being yourselves.

Shir, you know I've kept those candy tins on my windowsill and every time I look at them I think of you? Now you do.

(Okay, I also think of candy. But also you.)

Aww, P-C. laughs. Thank you.

I really did get so much from here. And I love you all. And hi, that merit badge will get on my (newish) bag, right next to that snowflake I also got from here.

Hooray, hooray! I'm so glad that you got the package, and that you liked the contents!!

I don't know if the musician is to your taste, but I know that music is very important to you, and it was recorded outdoors, just a few miles from my apartment. So it should give you an audio taste of North Carolina.

I love that you liked the merit badge. I saw it and I just had to buy it.

What was the merit badge for?