December 1
When New Yorker Rosalind Lloyd got off the bus at the end of her workday, a gust of unseasonably cold wind blew against her legs, which were shielded from the elements only by a pair of nylon stockings. She shivered and hurried up the stairs of her apartment building. As she searched for her keys in her cluttered handbag, she noticed the FedEx man had left a package in the hallway, outside her door.
What could that be? I haven't ordered anything recently.
After opening the door and placing her briefcase in the apartment, she picked up the package and carried it inside.
Rosalind hung up her coat on the wooden coat rack before carrying the package into the kitchen, where she took a pair of scissors out of the junk drawer and cut the packing tape. When she opened the shipping box and pushed aside the protective bubble wrap, she discovered an intricately carved and hand-painted wooden Advent calendar inside. Its workmanship was exquisite, and it had obviously been quite expensive.
This must have been sent to me by mistake.
She searched the box, but found no clue as to the sender's identity. No packing list was enclosed, nor was there a return address on the airbill.
"I'll call FedEx tomorrow and let them straighten it out."
As she was placing the Advent calendar back in the box, the small drawer marked Number 1 slid open, and a folded note fell to the floor. To Rosalind's surprise, the message was addressed to her.
Please enjoy this Advent calendar as an early Christmas present, it read. On the day you open drawer Number 25, I will make my identity known to you. Until that time, I remain your devoted secret admirer.
"Is this a joke?"
She had always assumed secret admirers only existed in Victorian romance novels and old black-and-white melodramas. Nonetheless, whoever had typed the note intended for her to have the Advent calendar as a gift. Joke or not, it was a beautiful piece, so she placed it on her fireplace mantel as a Christmas decoration. It was the only sign of the approaching holiday in her apartment.
