I got one once that was simply cotton muslin, almost a burlap fabric, possibly even handspun and handwoven and closed with rough string. My address was written across it with a sharpie, just legible enough. I pictured it inside a donkey’s bags, making its way carefully over a mountain pass to get to the nearest post office; it did take some time to get to me. When I saw it I was utterly charmed–I loved that it shared its background with me. I wanted to meet the people who had done this.
This one was an ordinary manila envelope. Just as much happy anticipation and I still wish I could meet the people behind it.
Because inside were 61 hand knit finger puppets.
No, he wrote back via Ebay’s message board, he always puts in an extra “in case one fails.”
That was such an unexpected statement that I laughed. I wish I could show him the faces of the small, tired child starting to whine at her mother behind us in a ten-cart (!) line at Costco today in the moment when one of those finger puppets came out of my purse. Magical. Absolutely magical.
I got a shy, happy wave bye-bye not long after as the mom beamed.