Crappy-Day-Present-Receiving Etiquette

In honor of today being the deadline for mailing your CDP Exchange package since I didn't notice that Monday was a no-mail holiday when I picked the date for the mailing deadline, I decided to do another informative Crappy Day Present post!

Please email me when you mail your exchange package and when you receive a package! Also, feel free to post about your package, and I will add a link to your post to my list of CDP example links.
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Now that I have told you we have discussed when it is an appropriate time to open a Crappy Day Present (this was a VERY important post, so go read it if you haven't already!), I thought I would tell you we would discuss what is the polite thing to do when one RECEIVES a Crappy Day Present/Package.

I tend to respond to the receipt of a CDP the same way I respond whenever someone does something nice to me: I make sure to thank the person and try to let her know how much I appreciated her efforts on my behalf.

Disclaimer: This can be tricky if a CDP arrives in the midst of Extremely Crappy Circumstances because I might be a little overwhelmed at that particular moment, but I try to do these things at some point. Also, my method of communication varies, according to the kind of relationship I have with the sender and how chaotic life is at that moment, so pick the method of communication (a card, an email, a tweet, a phone call, etc...) that works best for your situation.

When I receive a CDPackage in the mail, as soon as I can, I let the sender know I received her package, (often) what a nice surprise it was, and how happy the package has made me JUST BY ARRIVING. I prefer to do this by writing a nice little card so that I can return the favor of receiving fun mail, but, if life is hectic, I will send an email instead, or sometimes I will send a brief email and, later, a longer, more detailed card.

Then, because I know that *I* enjoy hearing about it when someone opens a CDP I have agonized over given her, whenever I open a CDPresent, I like to write an email or call the person to tell her that I had been having a Crappy Day and remembered the present(s) she had sent me, and so I opened _______, and it was perfect/cheered me up because _______! (Sometimes the Crappiness of the days will make it so that I don't have a chance to email or call until I have opened 3 or 4 CDPs, in which case, I mention each thing I have opened and why I liked it.)

I do not feel OBLIGATED to reciprocate because I KNOW (one of the benefits of being the creator of this idea =)!) that Crappy Day Presents are given freely with no expectations or obligations, but since I ENJOY reciprocating, I will keep in mind that this person must like the CDP idea, or she wouldn't have used it, and, in the days/weeks/months following, I will distract myself from the loud children (and other irritating people) and endless laundry and cooking and cleaning mind-numbing aspects of life by thinking about what fun things I can send this person some day in the future to brighten some of HER Crappy Days.
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Swistle brought up a point in a recent post (that isn't applicable in an EXCHANGE situation, but might apply for general CDP giving) that hadn't occurred to me because when I started doing this with my brick-and-mortar friends, we knew each other well enough that it wasn't an issue: that acting on generous impulses (such as sending someone a surprise CDP?) "...seems to set up situations where the recipient feels uncomfortable and/or burdened, and wonders if they should reciprocate, and feels awkward if they don't want to."

After I read that, I realized that *gasp of amazement!* you ladies might not know me well enough, so perhaps I should clarify: I sincerely hope that if I have, or do, send you a CDP, you will not feel uncomfortable or burdened!! I have no expectation of reciprocation; only a hope that it will brighten your day and make a few upcoming Crappy Days a little more bearable!! Think of it as one of those random someone-paid-your-toll-charge or someone-paid-for-your-dinner things (except that I can't be that anonymous because it might be even more worrisome to receive a package and have no idea from whom it came), and pass it on if you'd like to, but don't worry about it if you don't.

Does anyone have any ideas on what we can do with the giving of Crappy Day Presents so that it doesn't make the recipient feel uncomfortable or burdened?
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Well, that's all that I could think of concerning CDP-Receiving Etiquette! Did I miss anything?

The Rules For the Opening of Crappy Day Presents

Example of a Crappy Day Package #9

To halt my slide into a deep pit of despair Because yesterday quickly turned into a Very Crappy Day, I opened a CDPackage from a Lovely, Lovely Person* that I had been saving for a Major Crappy Day. That package was JUST what I needed!

Four mysterious packets and a sweet note

The purple packet contained:

Adorable elephant buttons and a cute, little notebook!

The green packet contained:

Bright, colorful, soft YARN!!! (I can never have too much yarn despite what others may think!)

The blue and orange packets contained:

Pretty, sturdy scissors, the PERFECT size to keep in a bag with a project-in-progress!

A Brittany crochet hook (SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!) and a DELICIOUS-smelling bar of handmade soap (which smells very similar to one of my favorite lotions AND was very timely as I am halfway finished with the last wonderful bar of handmade soap I received)

I have to say: it was the Brittany crochet hook that was the final nail in the coffin of that potent Crappy Day. I have longed-for admired these hooks for YEARS because they are so BEAUTIFUL...

BEAUTIFUL!!

...but it seemed too extravagant  to buy any since I have an obscene adequate number of the standard, reliable metal hooks. So, every time that Crappy Day tried to rally its forces and drag me down again, I just smiled and thought, "A Lovely, Lovely person gave *me* a Brittany crochet hook!", and the crappiness just disappeared.

Thank you, Lovely Person! I was afraid there was no hope for yesterday, but YOU saved the day =)!

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*I will be keeping Crappy Day Present senders anonymous so that the sender doesn't have to worry that Person Q is going to see what they (the sender) sent me and possibly feel bad that their (Person Q's) package was not as fabulous as mine ;-). But if you don't worry as much as I do aren't worried about that, you are welcome to claim your package in the comments!

The Rules For the Opening of Crappy Day Presents

It has come to my attention, by comments I have read here and there, that I was not clear enough in my original CDP post about the appropriate circumstances under which one should open a Crappy Day Present.

I will try to clarify:

• The most important rule, when it comes to opening a CDP, is: you do not have to meet various, mysterious, impossible-to-meet criteria of worthiness or deserving, nor do you have to register the level of Crappiness of your day at a certain point on the Global Crappiness scale, before you can open a Crappy Day Present.
• I can honestly tell you that, if you are in possession of a CDP, you ARE worthy AND deserving as evidenced by the fact that somebody cares about you enough to make sure you have that CDP in your possession.
• If YOU are feeling Crappy (wanting to cry and/or wanting to dive into a vat of expensive ice cream/chocolate/alcohol is often a clue), it DOES NOT MATTER if a DIFFERENT person wouldn't feel Crappy under the same circumstances; we are talking about YOU! The entire purpose behind the Crappy Day Present is to make YOU feel loved and supported when you could use some extra love and support.
• Note: I can understand the non-opening of a Crappy Day Present in the interest of not running out, since I have that worry myself from time to time am an understanding sort of person, but, unless you are down to 1 or 2, YOU ARE NOT CLOSE TO RUNNING OUT, but, even though life may look a little bleaker when you run out of Crappy Day Insurance so, CDPs were meant to be opened.
• You do not need to justify your decision to open a CDP, at ANY time, no matter the circumstances. It doesn't matter if you opened one yesterday, or if you opened one 5 minutes ago...if it will cheer you up to open a CDP, OPEN A CDP!
• Unless the names of any of the members of your household are on the present, you are not by any stretch of the imagination expected to share, and, I dare say, obligatory sharing of CDPs is HIGHLY DISCOURAGED.
• It really is this simple: someone loves and/or cares about you and wants to help support you and/or cheer you up when you are having a rough day, so allow yourself to be loved and supported by opening a CDP she has given you, if you think it will help.

I think that should do. Let me know if I've left anything out =).
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As I was working on this post last night, God showed His sense of humor in my life, YET AGAIN, by giving me a new, pertinent, real-life example of an appropriate time to open a Crappy Day Present:

When you are chewing gum (the good-for-your-teeth kind, no less), and you find yourself wondering why your gum is a bit crunchier than usual, and you then realize that either your tooth has broken or one of your fillings has just come out, and the next day is Friday, and you know that your dentist doesn't go to the office one day per week, and you can't remember if Friday is that day, and you wonder if the dentist will be able to work on your tooth anyway since your cold has turned into a sinus infection, AND you realize that your babysitter is going to be busy tomorrow morning even if you DO manage to procure an appointment, and you are terrified a little concerned about the amounts of pain discomfort and money that are going to be involved in fixing your tooth, this is a PRIME example of an appropriate time to open a CDP.

Crappy-Day-Present-Receiving Etiquette