So, on Tuesday, I come home and there is a box in the doorway. Strange, I think, I don't remember ordering anything recently. As I get closer, I notice it says "L.A. Burdick" on it, and I become all a twitter: someone has sent me a gift!!! And now just any gift, but a good gift. For those of you that don't know, L.A. Burdick is this chocolatier in New England, and I extoll their virtues to anyone visiting the area, and even have a regular link to them on my blog, under the "things i covet" section. I have fond memories of cold snowy days in Boston, and going to a crammed Burdick's cafe in Harvard Square and having a large, yummy, steamy hot chocolate - it was bliss.
Plus, Burdick's one of those places/things which are indulgences: you get them for gifts for people, but you rarely buy yourself a gift basket. So, I was pumped!! I thought to myself, I gotta document this experience. Half the fun of getting the gift is the opening of it! Those of you who don't know me are going to find the following very odd, and those of that do know me should not be surprised.
Ok, here's my box!! I like that their name is on the outside, so you know right away that somethin' good is comin':
Ok, then open the box and push away the initial packing paper. There were two ice packs on top, which I was surprised to find, but I guess they don't want to risk stuff melting in the mail - smart people, those Burdicks:
Ok, then take off the seal, more paper, and the first glimpse of the gift; ooo, it's a basket - and it has a basket cozy!
Ooo, and then my first glimpse of the contents - it's the tea and sympathy basket! aww...:
why do gift basket people always put all that filler at the bottom? we know the whole basket isn't going to be filled with stuff, but it's just annoying. anyways, here are my spoils in all their glory:
ok, here's where it gets interesting. tucker asks me "what's in the wooden box"? and i say "i don't know, but let's find out!" and i pull the ribbon off, open the box, peel back the first two layers of tissue paper (left, right), then peel back the second layer of tissue paper (top, bottom), and then peel back the final layer of tissue paper (man, this better be good for them to wrap it up like this)...tucker and i hold our breath as we look in and find...
nothing. that's right, empty space. tucker and i looked up at each other, he voicing what i was thinking, "was there supposed to be something in there?" i take the two smaller gold and silver boxes, thinking, oh maybe this is decorative and meant to hold these, but no, it wasn't a good fit. was i just supposed to get just an empty box? i mean, it's nice and all, but uh, unusual.
so, headed off to the good ole internet and found that cookies were supposed to be in that box - interesting. the next morning, i call the good people at burdicks, and it's nice because there is no ivru and the first person who answers is there to help you, not divert you to another department/person.
me: "hi there. i got the tea and sympathy basket yesterday, which is great, but i was wondering if there is supposed to be something in the wooden box? because i opened it, and it was empty."
burdick person: pause. "empty?"
me: "yes."
bp: "the wooden box"
me: "yes, the one with the ribbon and the wax seal."
bp: perplexed. "hang on, what's your order number?"
me: "seven oh four three five two."
bp: pause. "the wooden box is supposed to have cookies - was it really empty?"
me: "yep. i peeled back the layers of tissue paper and was surprised, because well, there was nothing in there."
bp: "oh my god." pause. "how did that happen?" pause. "oh my god. well, it's obviously a mistake." pause. "well, we'll send the cookies out tonight and you'll get them tomorrow. i'm really sorry about that; i don't know how it happened."
me: "cool, thanks!"
stay tuned to see if the cookies make it. and a shout out to vicky evans, the sender of the gift basket, whose good intentions have made this whole experience possible. thanks, vicky, you rock!
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