Earlier this week we had our secret santa gift exchange at work. Since we’re all pretty close to begin with, I was especially excited to see what gifts people got for each other. Just as I imagined, the gifts matched the, well, unique personalities here at Greatist HQ, ranging from a garlic press and ice-cream tattoo to a Nat Geo subscription and a dinosaur pop-up book.

(thanks for the photo Jordan Shakeshaft Shuffle!)

Yet what we even cooler than the immediate “wow that’s a perfect present for that person!” was the thoughtfulness that went into each exchange. It’s hard to come up with a fun gift that’s under $15; it’s even harder to make that gift meaningful. 

What I received nearly brought me to tears (I waited till later) and is literally one of the most thoughtful things I’ve ever received….ever. The sneaky, beautiful, and best-person-ever Laura Culhane made me two prints — one of Africa with my tattoo: yebehyia bio and the other of New York with its translation: we will meet again.

I’ve written a few times about my tattoo (when I got it and what it truly means) so it’s no surprise that this whole things means a ton to me. (I mean, it is permanently etched on my skin.) And my experiences in Ghana are always on my mind — extremely faint on some days, and right-in-front-of-my-face on others. But as we ring in another New Year, I keep thinking how 2008 was so long ago, and I feel more disconnected from those experiences each day. I no longer “recently went to Africa.” I went there four years ago. 

But these pictures make me feel closer. Like it really wasn’t that long ago. And that I will go back.

And…. before I jet back to the Motherland (if only), this secret santa is equally a great reminder that I work with the best, most thoughtful people ever. Seeeeeriously. And thank you again LC….allofthelove and more. ❤