Christmas Miracle?

Anyone who follows me on Twitter might have noticed the following tweet a few days ago:

Just informed TODAY by JCPenney.com that gift I ordered for @mob308 on 12/14 is no longer available. It took them 8 DAYS to figure this out?
9:15 AM Dec 22nd

I spent a day whining about there being a GIANT HOLE OF DISAPPOINTMENT IN MY CHRISTMAS to anyone who would listen. It didn't occur to me that there were tons of retailers offering free shipping upgrades on the 21st and 22nd and that maybe I could find a replacement elsewhere. In short, I was being an ass.

Yesterday morning, I went online and found a different item in the same genre, plus a sweet bonus gift (and something for myself) for less than the cost of the one item that JC Penney screwed me out of. They offered very reasonable 3-Day UPS Ground shipping, which meant that it wouldn't be here by Christmas, but that I would get it next week. That was fine with me! (The alternative - overnight shipping - was $20. Since it wasn't a "Santa" present for a small child, that wasn't going to be worth it to me.)

I came up with creative ways to package "future gifts" so that Scott would still have something to unwrap tomorrow. I came to the computer just now to do some creative photo editing, and went into my email to pull a picture from the original order. The package shipped yesterday afternoon, and I decided to check the shipping email and see whether it had really shipped, or if the company had done one of those "notified UPS to pick up package" things. Imagine my complete and utter elation when I saw the following:

Status: In Transit

Scheduled Delivery Date:
12/24/2009 (Updated)
12/30/2009 (Original)

What's completely shocking about this is that I've followed packages online before, and have seen a shipping company (I'm thinking FedEx) HOLD things in their local hub in order to not deliver before the promised date. To think that there was room on a truck and that UPS said, "hey - she didn't pay for the quickie shipping, but we have the space!" just absolutely blows my mind.

I'm not getting my hopes up too high... I'm betting that my package has the lowest priority on the delivery truck. But for now, I'm holding off on doing my creative packaging. I might not need it after all!

And so, I'd like to wish a VERY Merry Christmas to the UPS drivers and warehouse workers out there delivering Christmas to children (and grown-ups) everywhere! I'd also like to wish a Merry Christmas to the people at an internet retailer whose name I cannot reveal at this time. I'm a fan for life!

Service? I'll Say!

I renewed my vehicle registration online at noon yesterday, and my new sticker came in the mail today.

Holy crap!

The back of the Lake County Tax Collector envelopes says, "Serving you is our only business." Apparently yesterday afternoon, serving ME was their only business.

Tasty Mail?

Here's my little helper monkey... erm kitty... licking stamps. I just didn't have the heart to tell him they are the self-adhesive kind!

Well, I'm sending out about 80% of our cards this morning. Among those not yet mailed: my grandfather, my godfather, a cousin or two, and 2 local friends (hmm... interoffice mail, anyone?).

May the force be with my little Yodas as they pay passage to such far places as St. Petersburg (FL) and Marlton (NJ).

Snail Mail

In a week or two (or maybe less... but let's not hold our collective breath), if you find an envelope in your mail box with Yoda stamps and a return address label that features skeletons playing percussion instruments, that would be from us.

I bought the Yoda stamps because I didn't like the Christmas stamps or the Holiday stamps. And Scott and I couldn't agree on the Eid stamps. So Santa Yoda it is.

"Know what you are getting for Christmas I do! Felt your presents I did!"

As for the return address labels, they match Scott's checks. And they are so old, they have our old zip code on them. But at least the names and the rest of the address are still accurate.

I am addressing as many envelopes as I can today. I ordered the stamps online because I hate the post office THAT MUCH. It was worth the extra $1 and the 3-5 business days. Still, the cards should all be done and stamped by Friday.

Cards in the mail before December? Who am I and what have I done with Jamie??

Nice Touch

Recently I got two mailings from companies I was affiliated with. Both have convinced me that if I ever decide to run a business (doubtful, but work with me here!) that I must remember this message:

People love to get mail.

Really. I got a thank you card from my vet's office yesterday. It's not personalized, or even signed, but I really like the thought. About a month ago, I got a postcard from Locks of Love thanking me for my donation. It's not going to convince me to grow out my hair again, but it was still a nice touch... and a better souvenir than the shaggy mess I'm currently growing out!

Mail Call

From the ParkHopper Mailbag:



I know it's hard to read, but I had to share this postcard I got from my darling mother. I read the top line and laughed until my stomach hurt. Scott says he doesn't think she was being funny. I know that my mom knows her audience and stopped sending Jesus rhetoric to me long ago. Anyway, the original printing from the postcard says:

Formed millions of years ago by volcanoes, glaciers and other natural forces, the Colorado landscape is an awe-inspiring blend of mountains, lakes, forests, and plains.

And mom changed the first line to read, "Formed thousands of years ago by God..."

...and she sent the Colorado postcard from Texas, which makes it even better!