The Christmas Package

Last week Mom told me she'd sent our Christmas package and I should call her when it arrived. She said it would be here in a couple of days. Christmas packages are a Big Deal(tm) to my mom, so I immediately went on the lookout. Lo and behold, the next day there was a notice in my box that we'd gotten a package but I had to go and sign for it. UGH! With our commute there is just no going to the post office on weekdays. I'd have to do it on Saturday. I was annoyed my mom sent something I'd have to sign for, but I figured she just wanted it to get here in time.

So Saturday rolls around and I FORGOT TO GET IT. They close at 1 on Saturdays and I totally spaced it. It still wasn't too late though. I knew I'd have to get that package on Christmas Eve Day Monday, come hell or high water. I still had my city mentality and I figured they wouldn't close early, at least not before 1. How wrong I was! I got there at 12:20 only to find they'd closed at noon. I almost cried. Not because I wanted the presents, but because I knew my mom would be so upset.

The first thing I did was phone my sister to try to make her tell me what was in the package. My plan was to find out and then lie to my mom and say I got the package and we loved everything in it. This was a little lie for the greater good. A necessary lie. My sister let me down though! She refused to say what was in the package. I was soo upset. How could she hold out on me like this??

I ran the rest of my last minute errands and on my way home stopped to get the mail. We don't get home delivery, our box is about 1/2 mile from our house with all the neighbors' boxes. A bunch of folks were already there waiting for the mailman which gave me a brilliant idea: I would ask the mail-lady if I could wait at the post office for her to finish her route and she could get my package.

I had little confidence my plan would work. It had to be against the rules but it was worth a try. When she arrived I told her about my problem and she volunteered to pick up the package and deliver it to my house after her route! I could barely believe it! This would never happen in the city. I got such a warm Christmas spirit feeling and I wished I'd given her more than a bag of Moose Munch this year.

That night I took my daughter out to see Santa riding through the streets on his fire engine (more small-town goodness) and on the way back I stopped at the mailbox. Sure enough, there was my mom's package! All was right with the world.

When I got home my husband said, "The mail lady brought by that package." I froze. What package? I had the one I had been fretting myself crazy over for almost a week. He said, "Your sister-in-law overseas sent us something." It took only moments for me to process. I'd been worrying for days over the wrong package, for the wrong reasons. My mom's package didn't need to be signed for, it was just very late.

Feeling silly about all that worry and stress, I realized I still got a great lesson on Christmas Spirit, and we got to eat chocolates from Belgium on Christmas Day while opening presents from my mom. Not to mention the discovery of my sister's traitorous streak!