I’ve heard that UPS had a problem delivering many packages that had been guaranteed for arrival by Christmas.  The story was aired all day on Christmas and is still running on CNN tonight.   When I first heard heard, listening to the media hype up the horror of gifts not arriving on time, I figured it was just a slow news day.  But here it is still in the news.

My immediate thought was of the UPS drivers; those I’ve encountered have been the nicest people I’ve ever worked with.  And they work like dogs during the holiday season, so it’s not for lack of trying that some gifts didn’t make the deadline.  Frankly, if you order something within a week of the holiday and it doesn’t make it on time you should be prepared to provide a photo of the gift or a link to a website along with a letter to your intended recipient and I bet that person will be fine with the actual item showing up in a day or so.  In the big scheme of things getting a gift a day or two or even a week late doesn’t take away from the fact that someone loved you enough to send something to you.  And doesn’t everyone really believe that Christmas is about family and friends rather than how many gifts you receive?

So why is this still news?  And why are certain government officials calling for an investigation?  Sure guarantees were not met.  That happens in life more than most people realize, but the world still turns.  It’s not as if the gifts were stolen and will never be delivered.  It’s not as though anyone intentionally cheated anyone else.  It was just a combination of honest, uncontrollable events including weather and unexpected volume.

So how about we let it go.  Let’s just enjoy the time we have with family and friends, and let the gifts fall where they may.