Missing.... Tree Top Santa!

Ok so here's the story. Eleven years ago, Mama started buying me the Alabama Santas for Christmas. That was the first year of the series. Every year since, I have opened the Santa on Christmas morning. Except for this year.

Heather was going to pick up the Santa for Mama this year. She went to one of our local stores, Anna Kate to get it. The lady there showed her a Santa whose name was "Workshop Santa" and told her that it was the one for 2008. So Heather, not being familiar with which Santa went with which year, bought it and wrapped it up to give to Mama to give to me. When we got down to Mama's at Christmas, she realized the mistake. It was last year's. So that one went back to the store, to the displeasure of the Anna Kate saleslady. Too bad.

In the meantime, we get on the phones and online and try to find the 2008 Santa, which is called "Tree Top Santa." There are none left. But luckily, I finally found one at Mr. Discount Drug in Butler, AL. I was so pleased. I used to work on the audit for the Town of Butler so I called the City Hall down there, and had one of the ladies go over and pick it up for me. I called the drug store back, put it on my card, and told them that someone would pick it up. Amy, from City Hall went and got it, bagged it up with a Butlerfest T-shirt and apron, and included a note about Alabama losing the Sugar Bowl (she's an Auburn fan) and took it to the bank. Sounds like a happy ending, huh? Well hang on...

Mama works at a local bank back home and the bank has branches in Butler and Gilbertown. Everything is processed in Grove Hill at the main bank, and the other branches send paperwork, etc. to that bank a couple of times a week. So Mama says to have the City Hall ladies take it to the bank in Butler, and have it sent to her along with their work. Amy took it to the bank. The Butler branch sent it last week to Gilbertown where the work would be picked up. And that's the last anybody has seen of my package. It has disappeared. Mama was there today and nobody knows anything about it.

So who knows what happened to it. Maybe it will turn up. In the meantime, I still don't have the 2008 Santa, and they appear to be sold out everywhere. So I need help. If any of you see one anywhere, please let me know. Mama was very upset that I ended up not getting one, since that is "her thing" to give me for Christmas each year. We thought we had the problem solved, but who knows.... So if you see one, please let me know.

Thanks!