Mumsnet Christmas Appeal: the thank you thread II

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Follow-on thread from this one.

To quote SecretSantaSandyMumsnet:

So the spreadsheets have been completed, the matches have gone out, all is done.

We're all waiting with bated breath. If you're a recipient and you'd like to pop back on here when your gift arrives to thank your donor then do remember to look out for your MN code which will have been included in the address on the packaging and include it in your post. The person who sent the gift will then be able to know it's you.

If anyone has any questions about anything to do with the Mumsnet Christmas Appeal then do please email [email protected].

Ho Ho Ho!

@HecateQueenofWitches

It's not about a thank you, please don't think anyone is sitting here like lady bountiful and demanding thanks . It's about really worrying that someone thinks they weren't bothered with, when you did actually send them something.

I would hate to think someone was sitting there, after having been told by mn that they had been nominated, and nothing came, and they felt they couldn't possibly say anything because it would seem grabby - when they HAD been sent something but it had been lost in the post/signed for by a neighbour and kept/shoved under a box by a postman/returned to the depot and waiting there

Yes, we appreciate that. And we have been in touch with some nominated folks who haven't received their parcel yet to more or less say the same thing: please be patient; we're sure it'll turn up.

If it helps, we know from previous years that the mismatch between sent parcels and posted thanks is not - in the main - because parcels go missing. It's nearly always either a gone-back-to-thesorting-office/depot sitch or just the recipient simply not having had the time or the opportunity to post to say it's arrived.

i take some reassurance from that mnhq my worry was that i didn't want to think that my sender thought i couldn't be bothered to say thank you for something that hadn't actually arrived - and also i don't like the idea of the post office getting away with 'losing' parcels.

we'll all have to see what next weeks brings - i know i've had christmas cards in early january before that people swear they sent weeks ago.

I'm back from a place where 3G and internet barely exist, hence the delay in posting my thanks.

Alibaba! You are a very lovely and generous elf, if rather naughty

The boys loved their gifts, thank you. The eldest is a sciencey bod and the little one just loves puzzles so just perfect for them. Smellies for me - gorgeous and the only ones I had this Christmas. I smell divine. Just need to work on my looks now

Then I spotted the gift cards, hence you being a naughty elf!
So very generous of you. The Amazon Wish list is being pondered over tonight!
The foodie one will buy delicious treats for New Year and a few lovely bits and bobs. Very exciting.

We shall certainly be raising a glass to your good health and happiness, that of all the other wonderful Secret Santas and nominators, and MNHQ for making all this happen.

Thank you so very, very much. Bless you.

hi, I think I know who my 3 SS are, I can see they have been posting wondering what's going on so I'm on to say that still only one has arrived. Don't know if the sorting office is open on Monday (new years eve) but I might go down and ask if they have anything. I'm near Glasgow if that helps ID me

Knotty you are so very welcome

I'm glad the boys liked their things, mine are a bit younger so I wasn't on totally familiar ground!

A Happy New Year to you and your family

Hello, sorry I'm late getting here

My envelope arrived weeks ago, but i thought I'd save it for Christmas day, knowing my dh and his marvellous attempts at presents and that it'd be a looong day with family to entertain on top of 3 children 2 and under

I'm so touched and happy with the Amazon gift voucher and message, thank you so much. I'm not half as deserving as most people on the thread, but it has been a stressful, busy and hard year this year. In fact, in hindsight I wonder why I wasn't more worried about how I'd cope with a toddler and twins with an 18 month age gap. So just to be nominated, and then to receive a lovely card and message from a generous mn-er is wonderful. It certainly cheered me up and I hope next year I will be a donater to give back and make someone else's Christmas. :)

So thank you to my secret Santa, and i was mn055

To MNSanta131 -

Firstly a huge apology for not thanking you sooner - the last few weeks have been stupidly busy + very difficult emotionally.

The presents were all fab, thank you so much. You obviously put a lot of thought into them all. My daughter loves all her bits - she's always drawing and she cannot wait to do some cooking (once we've unpacked the kitchen stuff)! Needless to say, the chocolate coins went down very well :)

The candle is lovely, and the tree decoration is very sweet, it's lovely to hang something on the tree for our son.

This Christmas was the worst we've ever had, and there was a huge hole where our son should have been, but we lit the candle and it was nice to know he had some presents as well.

Thank you too to the MNteam for organising this. Anda big thanks also to whoever nominated me. I certainly don't feel I deserved it (I am really just a lurker) but I am very touched that someone thought of me and my family.

MrsY xxx

i'm so sorry for your loss mrsY. christmas can't have been easy.

So MN032, I have finally found time to open the presents you sent! I had to do it on my own, or risk the whole thing being tarnished by sarcastic comments and the like.

I am overcome by your generosity and all those lovely things! I really can't believe it. MN has helped me so much in facing up to being in an abusive marriage - and now this is the icing on the cake, really. I'm planning to leave my H (he doesn't know yet) as soon as I can, and start again in a small house with my dcs. Your presents will be little treasures in that house to help me start to feel better about the world around me and myself (it's a good world; I'm a good person!).

Truly, it means so much to me. Thank you.

Thanks swallowedAfly, it was pretty shitty, but we knew it would be.

Oh, so happy I found this! I lost the number :( but someone sent me a lovely card AND an Amazon voucher AND tea AND some robots for my son! It was so so lovely of you and we liked everything so much. DS is keeping the tin bus the tea came in for a bank. He also brought it to preschool for Show and Tell Time and the teacher had him show the class where England is on the map. DS was quite pleased with himself. :)

Thank you, thank you! I really hope you see this, whoever you are!

It might be 033? Whoever you are, it got here in plenty of time for Christmas and we loved it. :)

CheerfulYank, I hadn't known to look for a number, but when I saw this thread I asked MNHQ to check what number I was.

I'm so glad the parcel arrived and you liked the gifts, CheerfulYank! It was quite exciting sending it off at the post office and imagining it winging its way across the Atlantic.

How nice that your DS took the Routemaster money box in for Show and Tell - I always remember Show and Tell from American children's books so it's lovely to hear they still do it.

Saintly - I'm so glad you liked the gifts - and that DS1 enjoyed unwrapping his presents this year . It was lovely to read about your day on your blog. Happy New Year!

Thank you, MNSS131. I'm really sorry it took me until now to thank you, and please apologise to your DH from me. Oh, and sorry for the postcode issue, that's what comes of staying in one house as you move from your old house into a new one.

She's busy telling my mum about the rocking bread on the tree! and planning what goodies to make now I've unpacked some more boxes.

I'm really touched. x

Thank you very much MN175 sorry it's taken so long to respond (your parcel arrived safely on 23rd) but have been without Internet access

DS loved his books (he opened them on Xmas eve after his bath) and has been making paper aeroplanes constantly

DD also opened hers on Xmas eve and loved her books too....

A massive thank you from the Simpson household....

I will definately be spending what you sent on myself, thank you

I have popped a thank you card on the post

BTW the kids loved the reindeer dust and it was used on Xmas eve

MN187 here.

Back after the xmas opening spree. I've not been back sooner as I've been trying to find the right words to express how incredibly grateful, humbled and just, well, shocked we were at the thoughfulness and generosity of our nominator, senders and the organisers of the whole appeal.

PigeonS DD's hat was the loveliest lovelist thing, well, EVER. I will try to get a picture of DD in it so you can show your DD, we both love it, thank you :)

And all the other gifts, in both parcels, too many to mention, the post office that is a great hit already, the ladybird book that matched one we'd bought DD from the same series, the fisher price phone that me and DP remember from our childhood and brought big smiles all round, the chocolates (even though bloody Muddy Dog pinched them and enjoyed rather too many than can be good for her when I wasn't looking last night!), the vouchers that I still don't know where to begin spending. I'm contemplating getting some wool off amazon to make an Attic24 blanket for DD as a bit of a (hopefully, anyway!) heirloom with a story behind it. I don't want to go on and on as it almost feels like bragging?!

I have a horrible feeling I went a bit mad in the post xmas clear up and may have tidyed one of your addresses so bear with me, thank you cards WILL be on the way, I may just have to sort the recycling bin first!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't know what else I can say?

Gonerogue if you're still around I just wanted to say my DCs opened their gifts from you! I managed to get some wrapping paper after work and they opened them when DSDs arrived for their '2nd Xmas' yesterday :)

They really are fantastic - DS loves his little farm vehicles, he is mad about anything with wheels! The knex cat caused much hilarity too.

DD was most impressed by the writing kit - she's never had a lockable diary before! She has already written lots in it. It's perfect timing - her reading and writing have really taken off recently and having lovely things to write with is adding to her enthusiasm to practise. And she was over the moon with the mini lalaloopsy dolls - I think some of her school friends must have them as she's never seen an ad for them, but she opened them and squealed "how did they know I wanted a lalaloopsy?!" :o she took them to bed with her too.

Thank you so much :) mn072 xx

Hi, i have just been linked to this thread, i was nominated ages ago, filled in my requested information and then nothing, i was quite excited but feeling a little meh about it now, have i been forgotten :( or did they change their mind, not quite sure how it all works or whatever, but i don't know what else to do, not received any thing from the post office, or anything at all. Did send a message to MNHQ a few days or so ago, but not got a reply from that either. Thanks for any help :)

katemiddy, and there are also people on here who haven't been thanked either for sending a gift.

I am a little at your post. You do not know the reasonings behind late postings etc, so please hoik your judgy pants in.

katemiddy - I have no idea if my gift arrived or not, I have not seen a thank you on here. The nominees dont know their numbers until the gift arrives...

MNHQ puts a lot of work and effort into this. Have you contacted them to look into it? Your Secret Santa could have sent something and be unaware, or it could still be in the post to you.

Im sorry, but you do sound ungrateful. I understand it is probably disappointing, but there could be a very good reason why you have not received something yet.

Contact MNHQ and ask them to contact your Secret Santa, before you put miserable comments on this wonderful thread.

After thinking about it, I actually find your post offensive.

I was a donator. It could have been me that was not able to send something. Shall I tell you why? My DH had a routine operation on the 13th Dec and had to be readmitted a couple of days later to hospital with complications. He IS STILL THERE! I work, had a poorly son off school - my other DS and I had to do his morning paper round before work and school and still find time to fit
DH in. I also hosted Xmas too as food had already been ordered/bought. DH has been to theatre 4 times since the 13th Dec.

Luckily I had an Xmas shopping day from work before all of this happened and managed to buy my gifts for my mumsnetter then and get them posted.