This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chatham chapter.
Day 1: The Purchase
It was a boring, regular night of the week when you decided to shop online for the holidays or what have you. Bought some stuff for mum and dad, your brother, your cat, and yourself. Now here comes the hard part: The wait.
The confirmation email you receive after you purchase your haul gives you an estimated date for when your packages should arrive (you would have paid for expedited shipping, but this haul was enough to ensure you’d be eating nothing but ramen for the next 3 weeks or so), but you know that it will likely take longer. So you wait.
Days 2 and 3: Excitement
Days 2 and 3 are filled with excitement. You can’t wait to see the faces on everyone once you give them their gifts, watching how their faces will light up when they rip the wrapping paper off or remove it from the bag. Maybe even the cat will be happy you bought him something this year and won’t scratch you at the earliest opportunity when you come home for the holidays, gifts in tow.
Days 4 and 5: Anticipation
Excitement is replaced with anticipation. You check the window every few minutes to see if the packages will be dropped off at your door. When away from home, your thoughts are preoccupied with your packages arriving on time. The very moment you get your packages will be one of the best days of the week.
Days 6 and 7: Worry
Around this time is when you start to worry that your packages might never arrive. What if something happened with the order at the warehouse? What if they did arrive, and you weren’t home to receive them? What if they did arrive and someone stole them? You take some deep breaths and make some tea. Hopefully they will arrive soon.
Days 8 and 9: You accept your fate/forget
By now you’ve accepted that your packages are going to arrive whenever they arrive, so you start to go about your daily life. Perhaps you go the whole day without thinking about your packages, or even forgetting that you had ordered something in the first place. This is the most peaceful stage of the waiting process.
Day 10: The packages arrive
Today is the day, your packages have finally arrived! You scoop them up into your arms and bring them into the house where you place them on your bed, perhaps doing a little victory dance after the fact. Now you can take a moment to breathe and enjoy your swag!