Thursday, December 16, 2010

Ho Ho.... Huh. (Part Two)

(Thank you to everyone who entered our Truth is Stranger than Fiction contest!  Vic and I are excitedly reading the entries and will post winners Mon, Tues, and Weds... I will link to her winners, too, so you don't miss out!)

So you read about our adventures with Mall Santa here.  Further holiday head scratching ensues in 3...2...1...

Every year I take my kids to get Christmas portraits.  The portrait place is good with kids, they don't overbook - the experience itself has repeatedly been good, even with small kids.  I order a bunch of pics for family and I usually order all of my picture Christmas cards from them as well.  This does, however, become a little pricey (last year, the total ran over $200), so this year, I decided to go with one of their smaller packages of cards, knowing I would need more.  No prob, I planned to make more cards with Shutterfly.  (So, yes, there are two completely different versions of our Christmas cards this year, lol).

I always do the Christmas portraits the first week of November. There is method to my madness - we all have two days off of school that week, and early November is generally a few weeks before random illness makes my kids all snot-nasty.  This year was no different - a week after the portraits were taken, Tootsie Roll ended up with a cold and pink eye, and Curly Jones had a double ear infection and was wheezing in both lungs and sucking on a nebulizer every four hours.  (See?  This mama is no fool!)

I got my 36 portrait studio cards pretty quickly, addressed them, and created my Shutterfly cards on December 4, along with some other photo gifts.  On December 8, the photo gifts arrived in my mailbox, but the cards were nowhere to be seen.  On December 10, I checked my order online.  It said that the photo gifts had been delivered Dec. 8 by USPS and that the cards were delivered the same day by UPS.  I checked the tracking number with UPS, and sure enough, it said they were delivered to my front door.

Oh dear.  Bright orange Shutterfly envelopes are sort of hard to miss, but I went back out and checked all around the front steps, then over to the garage and anywhere else I could think it might have ended up.  No cards.  So I contacted Shutterfly and they told me to wait a few more days.  I said that didn't really make sense since both their site and UPS confirmed delivery two days prior.  They just kept saying to wait a few more days and they would reprint the order.  Urgh.

Meanwhile, I'm at home sighing, because this past summer, someone stole my credit card number and started ordering things, having them delivered in my name to my house, and picking up the packages before I got home.  This was a giant hassle which culminated in a 7 year lock on my credit (for my protection) and a two-day police sting in front of my house (eventful, but unsuccessful).  So of course I'm thinking that my package stealer has returned, even though we've gotten several holiday packages from Amazon recently without a problem.

The next day was Sunday, and after lunch, I had gone shopping while CJ napped and Handsome Hubby and Tootsie Roll hung out at home.  I came home to see the bright orange Shutterfly package on the steps inside  the house where we often leave the mail we bring in before we go through it.  I found HH in the bedroom and said, "The Shutterfly package came?  On a Sunday?" 

CJ, snuggled in my bed, said, "Mommy, it came.  The doorbell woke me up from my nap."  I looked at HH and he said, "Yeah... um.... someone rang the doorbell but when I opened the door, no one was there, just the package.  Completely ripped open."  Like so:
With my name and address, perfectly correct, on the other side.  Meaning... the package had been delivered, someone took it, kept it for four days deciding whether or not to return the Christmas cards with my kids' pictures on them, and then their conscience kicked in and they did.  And rang and ran.  Weird.

It sucks that people steal packages.  It's good that conscience or holiday spirit drove someone to return this one.  I mean, they could just as easily have tossed it in a trash can so as not to get caught.  It's funny they took this package and not any of the 15 others that have arrived bearing Christmas gifts for my entire family over the past few weeks, since they sit outside until we get home.  Huh.  Well, Merry Christmas, anyway. :)  Maybe the holiday spirit is alive and well after all.

14 comments:

Elliot Grace said...

...neat story:)

Interesting how the package was returned, almost movie-like...of the Holiday variety. Goes to show how the Christmas spirit can sprinkle down on all of us at certain times.
EL

Ghenet Myrthil said...

So random! I can't believe people steal mail...I'm glad your cards were recovered!

Tracy said...

Yes, it is a shame that people do some of the things they do which is why prisons are over-crowded!

Regardless, I am so glad they were returned and hopefully you'll give us a glimpse of those wonderful Christmas cards on your blog?
Happy Day! It's Friday :) with two more days before we are off for the CHristmas Holidays...

Old Kitty said...

What is going on with your packages and credit cards and police stings and such like!?!? Good grief!!

I'm just glad your precious package with its even more precious things inside were returned to you as intact as possible.

May this be the last ever hassle you and your family encounter for this year!!

Take care
x

Tara Martin said...

I had a similar problem with UPS. They said a box was delivered and sure, it was-to my neighbor! Thankfully she brought to my door without opening it. It sucks that all people don't do that, or even worse steal! Glad you were able to get your cards back!

Donea Lee said...

That's just crazy!! But, at least you got them back! :) I'm a little paranoid about packages on the porch (not that I've ever had a problem) so I usually have stuff delivered to me at work...

Abby Minard said...

What the heck? So very weird- why would someone steal that, knowing it's most likely someone's personal pictures because it says Shutterfly all over it. I'm sorry that happened- and the credit card stealing thing sounds awful! It had to have been someone near you if they were picking stuff up at your house! Crazy! Glad it worked out and the cards were still in there!

vic caswell said...

ohmygoodness.. did you count the cards???? because i'd be totally freaked that someone was stalking my kids and wanted a copy of their christmas pictures, being that the only package opened was the photo one... ok- i'm a bit paranoid i know it! but!!!
tell me you counted the cards and they were all there!

Unknown said...

There's a house in the cul-de-sac next to ours that has the exact same house number--sometimes we get their stuff and vice versa. I might accidentally rip something open of theirs (might--I'm really good about checking the name), but I sure would return it immediately! And knock, and wait until someone came to the door to explain. If no one were hope, I'd definitely leave a note.

Weird stuff.

Unknown said...

By "hope", I mean "home". Yeesh. I think it's bedtime for me!

Jemi Fraser said...

I'm so glad your photos/cards got returned. How horrible. I can't believe the horrible luck you've had! They're not allowed to leave things outside in our neck of the woods. They leave a note and we have to go pick it up if we're not home.

Unknown said...

Goodness potatoes! I can't believe that! Why on earth would someone steal your mail??? That's so lame and not cool.

I'm glad you got your pictures back. *shakes head at the general populace* Sometimes I just don't understand people.

Rebecca T. said...

That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! Glad you got them back anyway. Merry Christmas! (very late) :)

Unknown said...

It is possible that the person who stole your credit card found out where you live and started ordering items online. Then he or she had these sent to your house when nobody’s home, which gives him or her chance to get the package. It’s a good move that you reported the incident right away.

@Annie Valdez